The movie :No Good Deed

Starring: Idris Elba, Taraji P. Henson,
Director: Sam Miller
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Running time: 84 minutes
Now showing at Cinema Magic, Metroplex Mall, Naalya; Century Cinemax, Acacia Mall, Kisementi

Ladies, if Idris Elba turned up at your door, all charming and helpless, what would you do? I’m sure many of us would kick into “rescue” mode and invite him in –after a minute or two of swooning of course.

This is the persona Elba takes on in No Good Deed as Colin when he shows up on Terri’s door in the night, wet from the rain and a little hurt. Now, to give credit to Terri, being the responsible mother and wife she is, she treats his appearance with skepticism. Turns out her skepticism was well grounded when Colin sheds his helpless persona and turns into a sadistic narcissist, who happens to be an escaped convict.

The movie may have very dark elements but it is a breath of fresh air for Elba and Henson’s acting capabilities. Both actors demand presence on the screen yet most of their recent roles have had them cast in lackluster roles. Henson is more than the drama-loving, mildly emasculating woman she was in movies like Think Like A Man and Elba is more than just a brooding character. In short, they are unpredictable, something that makes the movie worth watching.

It is also refreshing that a movie that has two Black actors in the lead roles is directed by a White guy. This should be something those people who say Black actors can only get lead roles in a movie directed by a Black person, except when the role is an autobiography of a Black person.
It’s also a rather strange twist to the saying no good deed goes unpunished.