The Return (2006 film)

This was my first exposure to this film, barring advertisements when it first came out.  I didn't know what to expect going in, but I kept an open mind and found an interesting psychological thriller.  So, let's get into it!

The film starts with a young girl, Joanna, and her father arriving at an amusement park where her dad goes to get her some refreshments.  While he's at the stand, Joanna wanders over to a crane machine.  As she searches for a quarter, she hears a voice saying, "Sunshine."  She turns and sees a man in the shadows turning and walking towards her, causing her to scream and run, hiding under a picnic table. As the strange man's footsteps get closer, she screams for her dad again and again, finally drawing his attention.  The strange man's feet stop right next to the table, but disappear as her father arrives.

Flash ahead a number of years and Joanna's now a traveling rep for a trucking company, one of their most successful.  With a highly influential contract coming up, and a connection in the company, Joanna decides to break her own rule: to work in Texas.  While messing up a coworker's pitch for the same job, Joanna gets ready to head back home.  But what awaits her in the Lone Star State?

This movie had an extremely slow pace to it.  There was a lot of build to the climax and reveal, which was interesting, but again, I can see how that could turn a lot of people off.  The movie had a rather disappointing run on release, but that could be due to a lack of advertising.  I have a friend who would dismiss this film as boring, but in my own opinion, it worked.

The cast worked well here, with Sarah Michelle Gellar (Joanna) giving an excellent performance as the woman trying to uncover the meaning behind her visions.  She's also been in The Grudge, Scream 2, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Possession, played Robin Williams' daughter on the underrated sitcom The Crazy Ones, and played Buffy the Vampire Slayer on the TV series based on the film.

All in all, a pretty good, underrated film.  I give it a 4 out of 5.  If you're looking for a good psychological thriller with a slow build and a lot of suspense, you could do a lot worse than this one! Until next time, take care of yourselves, and this is Red Hawk signing out!