The Intruder (2019)

The Intruder is a 2019 American psychological thriller film directed by Deon Taylor and written by David Loughery. The film stars Michael Ealy and Meagan Good as a couple who buy a house in the country, only to realize its previous owner (Dennis Quaid) refuses to let it go.

Plot
Scott and Annie Russell couldn't be happier after buying their dream home from a mysterious and lonely widower named Charlie in Napa Valley, California. Their newfound paradise soon turns into a living nightmare when Charlie - still strangely attached to the house - begins to show up and interfere in their daily lives. When his erratic behaviour turns to obsession, the young couple soon find themselves caught up in a violent confrontation that threatens to destroy everything they hold dear.

Why It Sucks

 * 1) Tiresome premise that obviously copies other invasion films.
 * 2) Unremarkable and lifeless acting from most of the cast, especially Meagan Good.
 * 3) Boring characters that are just as generic as the film itself.
 * 4) Awful and unfitting soundtrack. Despite being a thriller, nearly HALF of the movie's soundtrack consists of rap and hip hop songs.
 * 5) Very inconsistent tone that seems like the writers were trying to shove three or four different movies into one. It opens up like a Fast and the Furious film and feels like Fifty Shades of Grey at another point.
 * 6) Pointless filler in some scenes.
 * 7) Plot holes such as Mike peeing in Scott and Annie's rose bush when he could've just used the bathroom and Charlie offering Mike a cigarette even though Charlie claims that he quit smoking thirty years ago.
 * 8) Amateurish direction from Deon Taylor.
 * 9) Uneven pacing.
 * 10) Abysmal script.
 * 11) Abrupt ending that feels nothing like where the movie should've finished.
 * 12) False Advertising: Although trailers can be false, the story deviates too far from the trailer, causing the movie to look nothing like the advertising.

Redeeming Qualities

 * 1) Dennis Quaid gives the movie's only good performance, even if his character isn't very interesting.
 * 2) The action sequence during the film's last ten minutes isn't too bad despite the abrupt ending.

Reception
The Intruder received mixed to negative reviews from critics and moderately positive reviews from audiences. It holds a 34% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 98 reviews. Its consensus reads, "The Intruder might appeal to fans of shout-at-the-screen cinema, but this thriller's ludicrous plot robs it of suspense -- and undermines Dennis Quaid's suitably over-the-top performance." On the same site, it holds a 69% audience rating based on 2,311 reviews, indicating a more positive reaction. On Metacritic, the film received a weighted average rating of 39/100 based on 25 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B-" on an A+ to F scale, and PostTrak audiences gave it 2.5 stars and a 44% definite recommend.