Don’t Move is a cat-and-mouse premise with a spiraling limit. Directed by Brian Netto and Adam Schindler, the testing of the waters gets vivid (rapidly) in Don’t Move. The writing is a killer with a motive. However, the “motive” does not go as planned. There is a setting with a forest and a mountain. And one hiking trip in peril with a tantalizing twist.

The film’s main character is Iris (played by Kelsey Asbille). The film begins with going on a hike to grieve the loss of her child. As she stands over the ledge on her hike, another hiker gets her attention, and he is Richard (played by Finn Wittrock). They start some small talk, but within minutes, she finds herself as Richard’s hostage. She tries many means to escape, but then she realizes that Richard has injected a relaxant into her bloodstream. Therefore, running and being in shock causes a shutdown of her motor skills. The film makes the clock tick. Can Iris escape the dangers of Richard (who is a killer)? Can Iris keep her body from shutting down? Don’t Move is like an odyssey of its audience worrying about running out of gas. However, it is in terms of human functions to survive.

Don’t Move is a film of adrenaline. It is also thought-provoking. As Iris finds herself fighting to keep her system from shutting down, Richard finds himself to be causing more disasters among himself. This is because when witnesses get in the way, he mustkeep destroying the evidence (as he is dealing with Iris). Therefore, the film creates more for its audience to think about while the chaos is already mayhem.

There is a saying in the film, “Wrong place, right time!” it is the “wrong place” for both characters because both are in harm’s way. Iris is doing everything (in her power) to run before giving Richard the chance to hurt her (even more). Richard tries to keep his act together and keep Iris in sight. Otherwise, his raging behavior sends off red signals. The suspense is all intuitive. However, it does not offer many surprises. It contains more shock value of its graphic violence.

The frequent thoughts of Iris and her body shutting down had my attention on Don’t Move. The focus of that halting effect made my head spin repeatedly. The natural setting adds to that pressure (for the audience). Limited cell service, a small town, and a race to survive.

Even though it is in tune to be shockingly disturbing, its cleverness is that its killer is not getting his way. The two-sided stressors of the hostage (Iris) and the Killer (Richard) bring in lots of damage to be considered (for its audience). The damage creates a two-to-tango dynamic intensively in Don’t Move. Overall, it is a typical continuity setup that grasps terror with misdirection. “Misdirection” with one at risk for motor skills shutting down (along with the risk of being murdered) and one running out of time to hide his uncharted territory. Two-and-a-half out of four stars for Don’t Move.