LoginI wasn’t expecting much from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Alice Eve, I thought I might as well check it out. Basically, the whole thing was based on the concept that such isolated ATM booths are rather creepy, especially in the middle of the night but, to be honest, it seemed to be rather thin to build up a whole movie. On the other hand, I have to admit that I do have a weak spot for such minimalistic features with only one location and a few characters involved. However, beside the fact that the concept seemed rather limited, the trio of characters involved was rather uninteresting. At least, Brian Geraghty slowly won me over as he was one of the most uncharismatic leading men I have seen but it’s too bad they still tried to turn him into your average heroic guy. Concerning the bad guy, it seemed to be a smart move to keep his motivations rather murky but, on the other hand, it was also a cheap move from the makers and, on top of that, I don’t think there was actually a sensical way to explain what the hell he was doing. Indeed, it seemed to be pretty obvious that the guy didn’t do it for the money so what was his agenda then? The most likely explanation was that he was some kind of serial killer who planned his killings around such isolated spots. However, there was still some major loopholes linked to this theory. Indeed, how the hell did the guy know that there would be some potential victim(s) in the middle of the night at this very specific booth? Anyway, to conclude, the makers didn’t manage to do anything worthwhile with a concept which was rather half-baked from the start and I guess you can pretty much avoid this movie.
ATM Reviews
An average movie
Posted : 2 years, 11 months ago on 21 May 2021 09:59
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What store doesn't take Plastic?!
Posted : 11 years, 4 months ago on 18 December 2012 10:39
I could remember a time when killers in films didn't require a whole lot of explaining, can you? (I suppose if you can milk a franchise, why not?) We didn't need a shitty prequel or sub par sequel or even a we-are-guaranteed-to-make-profit-just-look-at-the-title remake/reboot explaining how somebody stole their box of Crayolas in kindergarten. Sure, generally viewers do not mind a few minutes of back story, but nothing of significance that hinders the film. (Rob Zombie's Halloween, although a good film, is a recent example of this, in my opinion anyway.) Anyways, now that my mini-rant is out of the way, I present, ATM. (No, sadly it isn't a porno.) ATM is one of those films that could have had based on a true story all over the box, and might have been believable. (I say that loosely, but you never know. Stranger things have happened.)
The story opens itself at a typical office cubicle dribble Christmas party. One bloke has taken a liking to a lady who is leaving to company soon. After using amazing wordplay to convince her to take a ride from him back home, his very annoying (can't stress this word enough) friend needs a ride back. Now this mutha fucka knows that he likes this girl, but proceeds to ask for a ride back home anyway. 20 minutes the other fuckin' direction, by the way! Pure hate/jealously. Along the way home the annoying friend wants to stop to the ATM because the diner he wants to stop by doesn't take plastic. When they stop there they are cornered by a menacing guy in a Eskimo jacket. This killer gives no motive other than his victims being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Granted, who knows how any of us would react to a fight or flight situation, but due to the fact that they couldn't flee anywhere, I find it slightly annoying that the characters didn't put up more of a fight. Yeah, I know that we all cannot be Chuck Norris or LL Cool J, but come on!
In conclusion: some tense elements in this film work, but overall, you have seen this before, and the ending you just feel cheated. I applaud the gritty style and creating a film that, sadly, could happen to anybody. I also am extremely grateful that this wasn't another "found footage" bullshit film. (I could easily imagine an alternate script containing his annoying friend hoisting a camera.) Alas, sadly though, ATM is not a porno.
The story opens itself at a typical office cubicle dribble Christmas party. One bloke has taken a liking to a lady who is leaving to company soon. After using amazing wordplay to convince her to take a ride from him back home, his very annoying (can't stress this word enough) friend needs a ride back. Now this mutha fucka knows that he likes this girl, but proceeds to ask for a ride back home anyway. 20 minutes the other fuckin' direction, by the way! Pure hate/jealously. Along the way home the annoying friend wants to stop to the ATM because the diner he wants to stop by doesn't take plastic. When they stop there they are cornered by a menacing guy in a Eskimo jacket. This killer gives no motive other than his victims being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Granted, who knows how any of us would react to a fight or flight situation, but due to the fact that they couldn't flee anywhere, I find it slightly annoying that the characters didn't put up more of a fight. Yeah, I know that we all cannot be Chuck Norris or LL Cool J, but come on!
In conclusion: some tense elements in this film work, but overall, you have seen this before, and the ending you just feel cheated. I applaud the gritty style and creating a film that, sadly, could happen to anybody. I also am extremely grateful that this wasn't another "found footage" bullshit film. (I could easily imagine an alternate script containing his annoying friend hoisting a camera.) Alas, sadly though, ATM is not a porno.
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ATM review
Posted : 12 years ago on 13 May 2012 03:29
1. acting: very good, the people involved in this movie really made me believe they were scared out of their minds and desperately trying to find a way out of the situation. 2. camera work: lovely! This movie managed to make me feel the cold that "was" on the set, I even tuck myself better in bed a few times, whenever I saw that thermometer or whenever I could head the wind blowing. 3. plot: although ATM has 2 scenes that you can predict quite easily, there are a lot of surprises here, so I enjoyed every one of them. 4. the maniac: and last but not least, he did a good job, I liked his performance, only thing that was rather disappointing is the end, where...well...better if you check it out for yourself.
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