The Loft

Year: 2014
Genre: Mystery thriller
Director: Erik Van Looy


Plot: Five men share a loft where they can take their respective mistresses to without their wives' knowledge. Trouble begins when they find a dead woman in the loft one morning, prompting them to suspect one another of murder.


The gist: The Loft is a remake of the original Belgian film of the same name, also directed by Erik van Looy and also starring Matthias Schoenaerts. Another interesting fact is that the film has been on the shelf since 2011 and only released four years later.

So we have five guys: Vincent (Karl Urban), Luke (Wentworth Miller), Chris (James Marsden), Marty (Eric Stonestreet) and Philip (Schoenaerts), who share a loft, where they can cheat on their wives behind their backs. There are only five keys to the place, one for each of them. So one morning, they discover a dead woman in the loft, a writing in blood on the bed, and lots of questions. Which one of them is responsible for this?

Van Looy slowly unravels his story by using flashbacks, each revealing a secret about the men. He successfully keeps the viewers guessing till the end, though the film is clearly flawed.


The good: The many twists and turns are actually quite decent, as I couldn't figure out who it was till the end. There are no solid performances here but at the very least, Rachael Taylor and Isabel Lucas are so gorgeous to look at, that is if you're a male.

The bad: The climax, which is connected to the opening scene, was poorly executed. A shame really, since the film was good up to that point. Another thing is the fact that you won't be rooting for anyone here because none of them are worth it. All five men are deplorable in their own way, though James Marsden's character is the most sympathetic one.


Verdict: The Loft is a decent thriller, no more no less. If you have some time to kill, you can give it a shot. (6/10)