Two thieving teenage brothers, stealing money to help their sick mom, match wits with a troubled security guard stuck at the bottom of a forgotten well.
Teen brothers Matt and Joey live with their extremely ill mother. Matt reigns over Joey and convinces him to help him rob a house that’s being fumigated. The brothers run into a security guard who pursues them only to fall into an abandoned well. The brothers leave him behind but Joey’s guilt eats at him, choosing to save themselves or save the man in the well.
“Don’t Tell a Soul” follows a very formulaic series of events as we build to the film’s conclusion. Still the story is held together by both Wilson’s and Grazer’s chemistry as they play a delicate game of cat and mouse.
Nothing is inherently wrong with the story but the last few minutes feel as if the story pulls off the gas. A forced catharsis between the brothers and a hero moment for their ailing mother felt very unearned. Throughout the film, we follow these brothers and are witness to the toxic relationship they have. So much so that the younger brother decides to enlist the help of a murderer in order to enact his revenge for the terror his brother inflicted on him.
It’s the series of events that lead into the end that disjoint this story from what was established before. Previously, the film examined human nature and self-preservation as we watched the relationship blossom between Grazer and Wilson. We watched how the brothers’ relationship was plagued with violence, abuse, and familial obligation. Then, in an instant, all is erased within the last few minutes of the movie. Nonetheless, the journey throughout the film is worth the ride as its filled with dark and deeply emotional scenes that really hold up the story.
Now available on Blu-ray (plus Digital) and DVD
