KSL Movie Show review: ‘Don’t Move’ is a great little thriller

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SALT LAKE CITY — For those of you who are big “Yellowstone” fans (series not the park, although there’s no reason you can’t be both), the character of Monica Dutton (Kelsey Asbille) is a show favorite. She plays the wife of Kayce and mother to Tate, an indigenous educator, caring confidante and strong-willed advocate for her tribal connections.

She will need all those attributes and her expressive eyes in this horror thriller about a distraught mom who lost her son in a tragic accident. On this day, she has returned to the mountaintop makeshift memorial to leave a token for her fallen son and to perhaps join him on the other side.

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But just as Iris is about to make that final decision, a stranger approaches and begins a kind and pleasant conversation with her about his own near-death experience. He says his name is Richard (Finn Wittrock) who survived a car crash, but lost the love of his life Chloe. He makes no attempt to pull her back from the ledge, but expresses empathy for her loss.

At this point, she decides to step back and join him on the hike back down the mountain to their cars at a turnout parking area. Only when they arrive, he has parked his car so closely to hers that she has trouble getting in.

Here’s where he makes his move, knocking her out and zip-tying her hands and feet. She wakes up in the back seat of his car, while he’s driving to an undisclosed location, as if he’s done this many times before.

She knows she’s in big trouble, but he seems less concerned. Especially when he tells her she’s been injected with a paralyzing agent that will soon begin to shut down her system. First she’ll feel a tingling in the fingers, then numbness in her legs, labored breathing, and finally a full stop. The whole process will take about twenty minutes.

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In the meantime, she manages to free herself and starts running through the wilderness, but again, he’s not worried. He’ll be able to easily track her down and spend a “fun” weekend with her.  Then, it’s assumed, he’ll be rid of her permanently.

Yep, creepiest of creepers, but the handsome Finn Wittrock sells it well.

Now I know it looks like I’ve given you most of the movie’s plot line. In reality, this is only the setup. Now, Iris must come to grips with her diminished capacities and yet somehow survive. This is ironic, since just a while earlier she was determined to end it all.

Survival instincts kick in. Yes, maybe she wanted to go, but definitely not like this.

So she fights, any way she can.

And herein lies the power of this gripping thriller, as she knows she must stay alive long enough to regain her senses. Here’s where those expressive eyes will come into focus, since at one point, that’s all she has left.

The is one great little Netflix thriller with one chilling scene after another, with the added bonus of seeing our beloved Monica Dutton in a different, but just as tough kind of role.

DON’T MOVE (B+) Rated R for strong violence and language. A NETFLIX exclusive. Starring Kelsey Asbille, Finn Wittrock, Daniel Francis and Skye Little Wing Dimov Saw. Directed by Brian Netto and Adam Schindler (“Delivery: The Beast Within”) – filmed in the woods of Bulgaria. Running time: 92 minutes.

The KSL Movie Show with Andy Farnsworth and Steve Salles airs Fridays on KSL NewsRadio from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Follow the show on Facebook, and join The KSL Movie Show Club for exclusive perks by texting MOVIE to 57500. Message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to cancel. Message frequency varies.