No One Lives (2012) User Reviews

Not entirely perfect, but still a good, entertaining horror flick ◆≈≈7.5/10≈≈◆

[Thrill_KillZ · 7/10 · 12 June 2013]

I've had my eye on No One Lives for a while and in that time I had forged good expectations for the film. What more could an avid horror fan want when such a solid cast gets paired up with one of the most interesting horror directors in the biz in Ryûhei Kitamura, known widely for his direction of the 2000 film "Versus" & more recently for his 2008 "The Midnight Meat Train". So it seemed the film's success would likely all come down to the quality of the script put forth by first time writer David Cohen.

This is definitely one of those films that is extremely hard to review without spoiling things, so I will stick to relaying the most basic plot line as possible. After botching their last job, a crew of merciless, degenerate criminals encounter a man(Luke Evans) & his girlfriend while eating at a restaurant. This spirals into a further violent meeting between the two which get's more interesting as we come to learn just where the real danger lies. The clash turns bloody as the balance of power shifts & the gore begins to rain down.

Of course it helps to keep in mind that this is in fact a horror film and that you're not going to witness any award winning performances, but there are some really solid efforts given by Evans as the "Driver" & Adelaide Clemens who plays Emma, a kidnap victim who has been hardened by long lengths of mental & physical torture. There are a couple of scenes that are sure to please the sickest of fans while at the same time may seem a bit on the gory side to the average viewer, but overall I felt this was a very enjoyable, entertaining vision delivered by Kitamura. He lays down a few subtle nuances early in the film that become clear to the audience later if you pay close attention, the best being revealed near the end of the film.

As for the downside of the film, there were some real snags in the script that I felt could have been changed and yes there are a few holes in the plot, most of which were used primarily as a vehicle to exploit certain plot developments. Or in one case to present one heck of a bloody surprise, you'll know what I mean after you see it;] Despite those problems, the film still managed to rise above the average effort, but I believe that it was those weak script points that hurt the film in theaters & the reason it may draw further criticism in the future.

So in the end,if you're trying to decide if this will be a good pick for your horror/gore itch then I can definitely recommend this as a top choice, but if you're looking for a smart thriller with a well developed story then this may not be your best choice, but I wouldn't let it stop you from grabbing it from your local DVD kiosk.

badass Luke

[vampiri · 6/10 · 29 June 2013]

"This little piggy went to market,This little piggy stayed home"....just Another hack 'n' slash Movie? No, not quite.

Plot: man and woman are relocating to a knew home in a car and a trailer. Not so law abiding Citizens see an opportunity for fast cash. But neither man nor woman are what they seem...

Slashers are often quite boring, especially the old school style like Halloween and Friday the 13th which in my view have ruined the genre by too many sequels, unimaginative scripting, lack of good acting and directing. A Nightmare on Elmstreet is forgiven due to Robert Englund's priceless comments. Lately though, we have seen a couple of pretty good ones, well, relatively speaking anyway. Belonging to them are Midnight Movie, The Collector, the Collection and Laid to Rest 1 & 2 which all have high production values which make you not just waiting for the victims to get picked off. No One Lives belongs to the latter category.

Another "problem" with slashers is that you almost Always root for the killer. Not because he holds great moral values or is good looking etc etc, but because the victims are impossible to like and because of silly looks and daft acting. Due to that fact most slasher Movies serve only as pre-bedtime Entertainment. No One Lives is different. It has a nice package of a suspenseful first act, perfect pacing and good acting from both star (Evans) and the unknowns.

Though a simple story it is well executed (no pun intended) and Luke Evans has grown on me to become one of my new favorites. I undoubtedly see him as the new action/thriller star. He has the charm, the looks and a badass attitude which works both for heroes and villains.

Downsides? well, it is nonetheless a slasher and as such it is difficult praise all the way. Despite of Luke Evans' performance you still, on the basis of the Movie being a slasher, wait for the killings. Negative is also the obvious plot holes. No One Lives screams for sequel and prequel which is not entirely a good thing I Think.

I give it 6 out of 10 which is quite high for a slasher, but, as mentioned above, it's got relatively high production values and nicely executed.

A pretty good horror. Not what you expect.

[Michael-Hallows-Eve · 7/10 · 12 June 2013]

This movie is not what you think. Yes it is a horror (thats for sure), but it has a huge twist right near the start. I was watching this thinking "This is pretty good, story is going well". Then all of a sudden I was thinking "Wait! What the??". I don't want to give too much away, but the story changes tact about 10 or so minutes into the film, and I LIKED that a lot. The blood and gore factor in this is quite high too, which again I LIKED a lot. The movie was better than I was expecting for another WWE made horror, the last horror they made (Barricade) was below average in my opinion, but they've redeemed themselves a bit with this film. The characters were actually played well, especially the part of "Driver" played by Luke Evans. There were a couple of parts in the film that were cliché, but overall the film is quite good. So I give it a good 7.5 out of 10.

No One Lives does not disappoint.

[Beatledouch86 · 7/10 · 13 June 2013]

When I am in the mood for a horror movie I usually want something with a non confusing plot, decent acting , and good pacing. Thankfully this had all 3. Yes there are some little small nit picks here and there but as a whole this is a good end of the working week Friday night movie. The story is pretty good but cannot be fully explained without spoiling it which I do not want to do. I will start with the gore level, this movie has gore but it is never over used to the point it is laughable unlike so many recent horror movies. The performances are pretty good I was only disappointed with a few line deliveries but I let them blow over my head. The pace was perfect in my opinion it sets up a good steady start, gets you asking questions and then the middle flows perfectly into the end you are never left sitting tempted to forward it onto the next death scene. All in all I would recommend this movie to anyone who wants to be entertained for an hour an a half it is a movie you can switch your brain off and relax, If anyone has any trouble following the basic story then perhaps there at the age they shouldn't be watching it. Give it a try put your feet up and prepare to be entertained and satisfied as No One Lives does not disappoint!!

Great low budget gem

[Serenity3000 · 6/10 · 30 January 2018]

I knew there was something wrong with the lead protagonist from the start. The guy was creepy and weird. Played convincingly by Luke Evans. This movie is a bloody thrill ride, but I hated the ending. The fact that the killer Driver basically gets away with his crimes was disappointing. I was hoping he paid for all the lives he took in the movie.

Run-of-the-mill with 1 or 2 little twists

[c1234567890 · 5/10 · 12 June 2013]

"No one lives" is a Ryūhei Kitamura Movie and he definitely did not change his routine since "Versus", which is a known Japanese splatter-movie.

Throughout the movie you will see gore,gore and gore - did I mention gore already ? Of course it can not be compared to movies like Braindead or Story of Ricky because you always have the feeling that the director is trying to do something serious. You are not supposed to laugh at a victim, but not to cry either. A major flaw with "No one lives" is a flaw many movies of this genre have - the characters are puppets which were created to be slayed by a superior killer. Ryuhei Kitamura introduces you to them, makes you shake hands and then shoots them in the face infront of you, expecting your thought to be :,, Oh my god is he insane ? How could he do that ? Poor, poor tough biker-guy!". Instead you just sit there, infront of your TV, and think :,,Hmmm... and another one." Another thing that really annoyed me is the invincible killler. I know he's supposed to be like that, but why do I always feel like watching a 22-year-old bad-ass Spetznas super-soldier, when watching a slasher-movie ?

After all the movie was okay and I rate it a 5* Movie. Not bad, but nothing special either - as I said there are 1 or 2 twists and "That was actually a good idea" moments in "No one lives", but all in all it is nothing you haven't seen.

Better than you think

[rivertam26 · 6/10 · 13 May 2013]

Ryuhei Kitamura made a film a little while called Midnight Meat Train it starred Bradley Cooper, Leslie Bibb and Brooke Shields amongst a few notable others, it was sensational and it is criminally under seen. And it showed just what he could do with a budget. Unfortunately the movie wasn't well received financially and has had a tough time finding it's way to an audience. His first feature Versus had a much better fortune but doomed with a low budget and shaky amateur direction it's a mixed bag at best. His second US feature No One lives falls into the middle. It sports a meaty, original concept a young couple find themselves abducted by a group of hoodlums. When the female captive dies the nameless male captive shows his true colors as he escapes and begins to murder them systematically. You see what they discover when examining his car is a young woman seemingly tortured whose been missing for the past year or so and whose picture is all over the news as she is an heiress to a large fortune. To say that the people have messed with the wrong guy is a huge understatement. And although the film is delightfully entertaining it also manages to somewhat explore the complex relationships between captives and the ones holding them. At times it feels a bit hokey and I'd be lying if I didn't say the acting wasn't mostly horrible and the dialogue needed some major work. Still Luke Evans makes for a sexy, delightful villain and although it falls into a few genre trappings and some failed attempts at low budget action it's a fun little gore flick with a surprising amount on it's mind. I do think it's important to realize how much the film has been affected by budgetary constraints and how influenced it is by Asian films. That being said he delivered an uber stylized, wonderfully stylish original horror flick with Midnight Meat Train and even though this may be some what of a step back ward it's still entertaining enough to merit a recommendation if you go in expecting exactly what is a sometimes silly, original, thought provoking, entertaining, slightly hammy horror flick thats equal parts awesome and unintentionally funny at the same time. 3/5

Below Average Horror/Thriller

[dfa120374 · 4/10 · 14 January 2015]

Driver and his partner, Betty, are seemingly an innocent couple who become the victims of a group of vicious & violent killers. However, there is more than meets the eye when the killers find a kidnap victim by the name of Emma locked up in the back of Driver and Betty's car. Realising who Emma is, the gang all plan to hand her in to claim the reward for her safe return, but things don't go so well and they start getting picked off one by one.

The trailers for No One Lives makes it look like a really good, suspenseful movie, but in actual fact it's really a very run-of-the-mill slasher flick. The acting is pretty wooden - as well as slightly over-the-top on occasion - to be honest, which is quite strange for supposedly decent actors. None of the characters are that interesting either and you don't really develop any kind of affinity towards any of them. Even Emma, the kidnap victim, gets pretty annoying at times. In fact, it actually gets to certain points where you actually WANT something bad to happen to them, and when something does you cheer a little inside.

The killings in the movie are very gory too, and while I don't mind gore being used to add to the feel of the movie, I just think that the gore used was way over-the-top. For me it just seemed that the movie makers couldn't think of any way to shock the audience other than using plenty of gore. Gore can add to a film's feel like I say, but in this film's case I feel that it was used just for the sake of it.

Another aspect of the film that was over-the-top as well was the language. I can swear like a trooper myself and don't mind swearing in movies, however it gets a wee bit much when every second word the actors utter is f**k.

Overall, No One Lives is an OK movie to watch, but just don't expect anything original or that fantastic.

Gratuitously gory

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 17 January 2014]

One of those modern-day 'grindhouse' style movies, full of unpleasant violence meted out to innocent people and even more unpleasant violence meted out to those who deserve it. This one is a fast-paced, action packed tale of small-time gangsters, kidnappers and serial killers, and the title is an apt one; it's the kind of nihilistic fare where nobody is likely to make it out alive and gruesome death is just around the corner.

It's also an incredibly gory movie, where the bloodshed is taken to a gratuitous level. People are fed into meat chippers and tortured and murdered in increasingly nasty ways, and it's all handled with a certain level of skill and professionalism by Japanese director Ryuhei Kitamura, who brings the same level to insanity to this as he did to VERSUS and AZUMI back in the day.

British star Luke Evans is very good in the main role while the bad guys are all suitably sleazy and the victims all suitably victimised. Those looking for depth or a profound exploration on the nature of death and violence will be disappointed; this is superficial stuff through and through, packed with incident and plot twist after plot twist and little else. It's a perfect piece of popcorn entertainment for those who can handle the copious bloodshed.

GoreFest and not much else to it.

[wandernn1-81-683274 · 4/10 · 29 December 2023]

2012 MOVIE and I havent seen it? Oh it must be a good one. Beecher, Lee Tergesen, he'll always be Beecher to me, leads a ragtag gang of goons in a crime spree? Fun.

Oh that girl from Rectify is in it too! She's hawt.

But really what a stupid plotless gorefest this is.. I did love the woodchipper scene. 2nd movie I've seen today with a woodchipper killing. I'm excited..

But a mad killer killing a bunch of novice killers is really not high on the priority list for Academy Award winning films.

I would give this a 3/10, but at LEAST the shower scene meets the rule, if you have a shower scene, show some nudity. This one meets that so it gets a +1 star for a 4/10.

Better than expected, fun, gory thriller

[jwilcox-61341 · 8/10 · 26 May 2017]

I wasn't expecting much based on all the recent horror movies I have seen that are lacking that special something, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie. Some of the acting could have been better, but overall I thought this was a fun, gory thriller. Definitely worth a watch.

Faint-hearted people shouldn't watch this.

[AnthonyMeg · 7/10 · 12 February 2019]

This is an unexpectedly great, original movie that will not fail to shock you and give you the chills as well. I like how the director kept me captivated throughout the entire movie due to the twists in the film, which again I admired. The characters were all on point especially the part of Driver played by Luke Evans. There were a couple of parts in the film that could've been better, but generally the film is quite enjoyable if you are into serial killers movies then I really recommend this for you. I want to inform you that this is full of cool brutal scenes not to mention that this is violent horror kind of movie you probably will feel squeamish watching this gory film so you better have a strong gut what distinguish this film is that there are not any heroes in it, interesting characters though, that been played by adroit actors which put you in position to enjoy the ride and root for no one. I'm quite surprised that WWE sponsored this movie because frankly, most of their movies are terrible.

[4.3] Be beautiful, be in shape to ultimately turn to pulp

[cjonesas · 4/10 · 17 December 2023]

Nothing measurable to tell about ' No One Lives'. It is pointless, aimless, semi-sadistic and psychopathic. I wasn't impressed by none of the scenes, though the visual and special effects are super well-made in a crazy mind way.

In these movies, logic and flow play a great deal and if one or both is cluttered, averagely to immensely disappointing, then even if the whole movie is well-made and actors "shine" in sociopathic and psychopathic ways, that won't be enough at all to impress the audience in whatever way they like.

It's like a derailed train full of lit dynamites, rolling over, getting smashed, destroyed and disintegrated with metal clunks and parts flying around and after a while that seems forever, coming to a standstill, smoking and fuming.

• Screenplay/storyline/plots: 2
• Development: 6
• Realism: 6
• Entertainment: 4
• Acting: 5
• Filming/photography/cinematography: 7
• VFX: 8
• Music/score/sound: 5
• Depth: 1
• Logic: 1
• Flow: 4.5
• Horror/thriller: 4.5
• Ending: 2.

Slasher in the 21st Century

[maddhatter21 · 6/10 · 13 April 2014]

"No One Lives" is in some ways your typical slasher horror movie. A group of people is trapped in a house while a sadistic, psychotic killer looms somewhere out in the darkness. He picks off one of the survivors in a creative yet grotesque way and uses their dismembered corpse to scare the living daylights out of those remaining. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

In other ways, "No One Lives" is a refreshing atypical slasher movie. The killer does not wear a mask or hide under a hood. He does not have supernatural powers. (At least nothing outside the realm of movie physics.) The flock of victims is not composed of innocent teenagers just trying to get high and/or laid. And the ending, which I won't go into detail about, does not come to the expected conclusion.

The breakdown is this. A band of thugs and killers take hostage a couple out for a leisurely drive. They come to find out that the driver is not a guy you really want to mess with. Too bad they don't find this out until after they kill his girlfriend and find a college girl named Emma tied up in the trunk of his car.

"No One Lives" is produced in part by WWE films and is directed by one of Japan's craziest filmmakers, Ryuhei Kitamura. Their influence however is restrained. Kitamura, who has been know to make over-the-top spectacles keeps things relatively grounded. And neither of the two leads, (The driver played by Luke Evans or Emma played by Adelaide Clemens) are professional wrestlers. The only WWE "superstar" on the cast is Brodus Clay. He is not a big name in WWE nor does he have a big role in this movie, and is quickly forgotten.

The acting is serviceable. The characters scream and argue but are a far sight smarter than your average slasher cannon fodder.

The visuals are clean. The night scenes are dark but you can still tell what's going on, the CGI blood splatter is virtually absent and the shaky cam is kept to a minimum.

This movie will not take you down a predictable path. Often you will sit through one trope only to see the next clichéd moment turned on its head. That is not to say that this movie is going to change your life or change the way horror movies are made but the killer is creepy and the kills are gory and there is just enough new spice to hold even the most jaded horror fanatic's attention.

For being the best movie I have ever seen where a pro wrestler gets killed by handcuffs, I give it a . . . 6 out of 10

One of Horror's Greatest Hidden Gems

[r_mcgowan3 · 7/10 · 15 May 2021]

Many would dismiss this film because it comes from WWE Studios, and given that stigma, they would be justified in doing so.

The production company should not steer you away. No One Lives is brilliantly filmed and paced. The story is better than it has any right to be, and gorehounds will be very pleased with the sheer brutality presented.

Make sure to see this whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Aggressively stupid and pointless

[Groverdox · 4/10 · 30 September 2020]

"No One Lives" is an aggressively stupid movie. It depicts a family of criminals who look, dress and act like a twelve-year-old's idea of how such people might act in the real world, ie. they have tattoos, slicked back hair, and say a swearword every sentence. And why do they all dress the same? Wouldn't it be helpful if criminals did that in real life?

Of course, some criminal organizations DO do that, eg. biker gangs. But we're not dealing with a gang here in this movie; it's more like one family.

The movie feels like it was made with as much violence and swearing as possible taking top priority in the screenplay, and story coming distant third. The plot is hard to follow, and the movie injects supernatural aspects that aren't explained and seem like an after-thought, as though they knew they needed some kind of an explanation for the absurd carnage the bad guy is capable of, and invoking the supernatural at the last minute was the easiest way of getting this done.

Another problem, which would impact a better movie but here is hardly noticeable amongst everything else, is that the movie gives you nobody to root for. The fact that the protagonists are criminals doesn't have to stop at least one of them from becoming sympathetic. The movie also features a kidnapped girl, but she never becomes a character in her own right, and is more like a prop.

What we end up with is just a series of violent scenes with pointless, boring parts in between.

Better than expected!

[onebengalcat · 7/10 · 18 August 2019]

Pretty decent flick. Although I wish this movie would have reached into the background of the sociopath. Still worth the watch. Even with a few unanswered questions.

No One Lives

[Prismark10 · 3/10 · 28 August 2022]

No One Lives is a nihilistic grindhouse type movie. It is also not very good with some bad acting and atrocious scripting.

Luke Evans plays a driver with his girlfriend who are moving town.

Along comes a biker gang who are hacked off as they previously ended up killing a family they planned to rob.

Now one of them attacks the driver but is shocked to discover a tied up young woman in the trailer.

The woman who had been feared abducted for some months. The driver just happens to be a real psycho.

There is lots of blood and action in the dark in dimly lit rooms. No one can see much.

This could had been a much better movie with a decent story and script. Instead it is a bit daft.

Much Better Than Expected

[flufferx · 7/10 · 18 June 2013]

Anything over a 7/10 rating would have to be a really amazing flick but No One Lives didn't disappoint me. I actually didn't have high expectations for this film and had totally forgotten that the directed did Midnight Meat Train, one of my faves from the past few years. The beginning was a bit slow but then the twist came and it totally took me by surprise. The performances yes, could have been better with better actors & a more fleshed out script but all in all it's pretty much a bloody violent romp and if you like that kind of thing, you should really enjoy this. Some points in the film you might get discourages with; the bumbling crooks unable to think rationally, the lack of character development and even more lacking back story, but overall it was a fun kick of adrenaline and a decent premise. If you're a fan of "Vacancy", "Rest Stop", The Collector and films of that genre, you should check out "No One Lives".

No One Cares

[Seth_Rogue_One · 3/10 · 19 January 2016]

I will give it a couple of compliments, visually it's good looking and it has some clever kills and the gore is on point and gruesome, the soundtrack is also not too bad.

But that's how far I can go with the compliments, cause frankly it's really hard to care what happens to anyone in this movie because they are all bad people to various degrees.

The acting isn't terrible, it's above average for a WWE production that's for sure but it doesn't matter because in the end a movie where you don't care about what happened to the characters is pretty pointless.

Knowing that it's a WWE production the characters does have a bit of the same macho testerone that the characters usually have in those movies which makes the characters a bit flat although I believe they hired only real actors this time, no wrestlers from what I know at least.

I was pondering whether to give it a 4 or a 3, decided with the latter because I think it's highly over-rated as it is now with a strong 6/10 in average which is pretty good for a horror here.

This movie WOW!

[DaTruth510 · 9/10 · 9 July 2014]

This is a movie that somehow slipped by me, but man was i glad i found it! i was searching movies that Luke Evans were in i think he's a pretty good actor but nails the roles as an intelligent villain, which he definitely was in this movie and yeah You can say he was a lil crazy too (sarcasm).

For a film in this genre where its become hard to find something close to original or decent i was very impressed with this one and was glued in from the jump i loved the cast and the characters i think everybody did a pretty good job. Yeah it had some some similarities with other movies but definitely had its own spin, not too many movies you find yourself rooting for the bad guy but i found myself doing that in this, i would like to see him play a version of Hannibal Lector.

Overall great movie for its genre good ending and twist at the end, deserves a better rating i try to rate movies for their genre but definitely watch this if you're into this genre you shouldn't be disappointed.

Not as brutal n gory as Midnight Meat Train but still a violent thriller.

[Fella_shibby · 7/10 · 4 July 2019]

Revisited this film recently. It is about a couple travelling cross country who gets kidnapped by a member from a gang of robbers. While the girl commits suicide by cutting her throat on a knife the robber had against her neck, the man goes on a killing spree. The film is very violent n intriguing n has a lil dose of America Olivo's nudity. I still prefer Ryuhei Kitamura's Versus n Midnight Meat Train.

This film n the film The Collection has lil similarities n both released in 2012. In this movie the girl who gets kidnapped is Emma (character's name) while in The Collection the kidnapped girl is also Emma (real name). Lee Tergesen starred in both the films. In this film he is the leader of the gang n in The Collection he is the bodyguard of the girl). In both the films the girls r kidnapped during a party.

A mindless trek through inane stupidity

[cbalogh-353-869784 · 1/10 · 16 May 2019]

This is one of the very worst movies I have ever seen. After watching it, my friend and I talked about how horrifically bad this was. We asked each other if we could identify one good thing about the movie and the answer was nothing. I feel like everyone else who reviewed this positively surely must have been watching a different movie than me. Even Luke Evans (who I like!) is a terrible actor in this movie. Lines are incoherent and delivered terribly. The camera work is amateur. The plot is mindless and full of major holes. The sheer amount of blood used is bizarre (one person appeared to bleed 12 gallons of blood in a matter of seconds. Imagine all the complexity of a WWE wrestling match turned inward towards telling a scary story and you get this mess. Truly horrible.

This flick only made $72,140 in U.S. movie theaters . . .

[tadpole-596-918256 · 7/10 · 9 June 2013]

. . . even though it comes from the same genius behind MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN, Ryuhei Kitamura. Toss in the eye candy factor with the well-endowed America Olivo, and it's hard to see why the 53 movie houses taking a chance on this film did not fill up and then some. With a running time of 86 minutes, 10.42 seconds, it is not as if NO ONE LIVES is some $100 cell phone camera cheapie in which the end credits start after 69 minutes (at a REAL SLOW CRAWL to pad out the running time), and audience members are shouting "I want my money back" at the screen because the flick has quit mid-story due to the fact that the "filmmakers" ran out of time and funding before they could get the last four or five climactic scenes recorded on their cell phones. While the title of NO ONE LIVES is a clear misnomer, as this feature comes up a murder-suicide SHORT of truth-in-advertising, at least a few people are killed, with a clipboard proving as effective as meat processing equipment, metal ball bats, and, of course, this being America, guns.

A fantastic, mishmashed mess

[moviefansme · 7/10 · 23 September 2023]

Most movies follow well worn conventions, becoming rather predictable. This is unlike any other movie I've seen, following few typical formulas.

It's difficult to describe, at heart a revenge thriller, though one could debate who's getting revenge on who. It's First Blood (1982) meets Home Alone (1990) meets Saw (2004-2023). Sound like storylines that have nothing to do with each other? Exactly.

In many ways, the story doesn't know what it wants to be. The dialogue rings painfully false, the characters' motivations are (intentionally?) indiscernible, the plot feels like it could head in any direction equally believably. The violence ranges from action shoot up to over-the-top brutality. The nudity is obligatory and gratuitous yet mostly glancing and implied. The story adheres to the movie's title yet betrays it.

It's ultimately not all that original yet intriguingly unpredictable. I say see it, not because it's really good, but because it cleverly keeps the viewer guessing what's going on and how it will all unfurl.