10×10 film review: Revenge is a padded cell filled with your screams

Luke Evans seems to be the go-to guy when it comes to being “that guy”, and if you liked him in No One Lives (I did) or Dracula Untold (meh) you’ll see some of that carry over here. Ride with me as I take you on a journey through the mind of a man on a mission for retribution.

As the film begins we see Lewis (Luke Evans) appear to be stalking Cathy (Kelly Reilly) as she goes about her day. You see the interactions she has with other people and she seems to be well-liked and someone you’d root for. Lewis continues to follow Cathy who is completely oblivious until he strikes and then you see his true nature or is it?

After stealing her away to his home Lewis drags Cathy into a hidden, padded room within the walls. I was beginning to get deja vu of No One Lives as the film progressed but what I saw was quite different in that aspect. Cathy with hands tied behind her back makes every attempt to produce noise and find weaknesses in the room, in the hopes of escaping her predicament.

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Cathy wants us to believe that her kidnapper wants to rape or kill her, but this is not Luke’s motivation for kidnapping Cathy. It’s something deeper, more personal and tragic to him that has driven him to the point of desperation. Unfortunately, Lewis isn’t the only one that is in desperation as Cathy proves to be a bit more of a handful than he expected. She does come off as innocent at first, but like a rat trapped in a cage or wild wounded animal backed into a corner, she is a force to be reckoned with!

Since the abduction, Lewis has asked Cathy only one question: What is your name? Each time she answers as Cathy. This is when things not only seem weird but also begin to shed a little light on his motivation for taking her. 10×10 is really not about the padded soundproof room itself, but the idea of it because Cathy only spends a small amount of time within it. Everything else takes place outside of the padded room.

Lewis continues to grill her about her true identity, something that she tries desperately to hide from him and everyone else. Cathy is not the person she claims to be, but who she is is Lewis’s reasoning for snatching her in the first place, a murderer. A murderer who caused the death of someone close to him and was able to escape prosecution even after she was found out. And this did not sit well with him.

10×10 like Cathy’s character was no pushover. It started a little slow but picked up steam really quickly. I enjoyed both characters as they complemented each other even though the captive was slightly more adept at trickery and deception than the captor. But then again, the latter was not a psychopathic killer either. The Cathy character is definitely someone you can hate with a passion.

So, please take a moment and watch 10×10, your eyes will thank you later. Auf Wiedersehen kiddies!