The film moves swiftly through the gears of sub-genres; hostage thriller, slasher, revenge, even a hint of body horror makes an eyeball-amputating appearance as Becky proceeds to go all Rambo on her assailants.
There is an uneasy mix of Stallone and Macauley Culkin as she unloads a blood-curdling tirade of cobbled-together weapons made from household items. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't satisfying seeing neo-Nazis get their comeuppance.
Unfortunately, it should've been more so, as Kevin James is woefully miscast here. His many roles as the cuddly comic may have tarnished his chances to play a bad guy and I struggled to remove the mall-cop from the neo-Nazi.
Becky does, however, contain plenty of nice formal flourishes with some clever cross-cuts that deliver flash-points of tension, but it unfortunately loses steam over the course of the film.
Racial undertones are never fully explored and the script begins to show cracks. And while Lulu Wilson (Annabelle: Creation) brings plenty of sass to her role as Becky, its not enough to rescue what is otherwise a run-of-the-mill gore-fest that will satisfy only fans of the genre.
2.5 stars
Cast: Lulu Wilson, Kevin James, Joel McHale
Director: Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion
Running time: 93 mins
Rating: R18, Graphic violence, offensive language & cruelty
Verdict: Home Alone with gore.
