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‘No Good Deed’ Excites

Taraji Henson as Terri in No Good Deed

How far will one woman go to protect her family? In this action-thriller starring Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson, we find out. Terri (Henson) lives a perfect life as a stay-at-home mother of two, except for her distant husband who doesn’t appreciate her. While her husband is gone on a golf trip, a terrible storm strikes and an escaped prisoner named Colin (Elba) winds up on her porch after wrecking his car. All too trusting of the charming serial killer, Terri allows the man in to use the phone and have a cup of tea. Obviously, trouble ensues and Terri must fight for not only her life but for the lives of her children in this action-thriller.

“No Good Deed” is entertaining but certainly not a good movie. The acting is pretty weak and the characters are two-dimensional. Elba plays a malignant, narcissistic murderer but not very believably. Henson has the neglected wife trope down, but it makes the movie clichéd and overdone. Thankfully, the movie is long enough to add a lot of action without becoming boring. Rather than being helpless, Terri is inventive and instinctive when it comes to defending her family and makes the fight scenes worthwhile.

Honestly, the plot is reminiscent of a really good Lifetime movie. The way the film is resolved seems false and disappointing.

Though the film has an average of 13 percent on the Rotten Tomatoes review website, it still managed to come in first at the box office with $24.3 million. However, to be fair, its only competition was “Dolphin Tale 2.“

“No Good Deed” may not be Oscar-worthy but it still keeps an interesting plot. The transparency of the characters is offset by action sequences that keep audiences on their toes to see what happens next.

“No Good Deed” is rated PG-13 for sequences of violence, terror, menace and strong language.