RATING: A-

Magus Films presents an Exit 44 Production. Directed by Matthew Hope. Written and produced by Matthew Hope and Joseph Millson. Cinematography by Elliot Millson. Edited by Emma Gaffney.

Stars Joseph Millson and Natalie Spence. 

A man, made an outcast for a crime he didn’t commit, finds himself at odds to discover the truth in this thrilling and tense film from director Matthew Hope.

Dave Harris is a man who has been living off the grid since the news of his daughter’s murder has hit the news for the past few years. The reason is because to everyone’s eyes, he is the one responsible. Despite the courts acquitting him due to lack of evidence, the public sees him as a pariah and an outcast. Deciding to move out to the middle of nowhere, he lives a peaceful life. Or so he thought.

One day, a young reporter arrives hoping to get an interview with Dave. Dave absolutely refuses at first, but the young woman tells him she believes that he never killed his daughter and it would be fair for those to hear his side of the story. Eventually Dave warms up to the reporter but still has his reservations. One minute, he is explaining things. The next, he explodes at the reporter for the slightest mishap. Eventually, the truth will have to come out. Did Dave murder his daughter or does he know who is the real killer?

A very tense film that looks like it could have came out of a stage performance, it brings out some amazing and emotional performances from the two characters. What Matthew Hope does here is give a judged man a chance to clear things up about the events surrounding his daughter. The public deems him enemy number one, but the question is, is he or does he have an idea who the real murderer is. He tends to live a peaceful life away from the existence of the public.  Joseph Millson, who co-wrote the film with Hope, gives off a great performance as Dave here.

Natalie Spence churns in an excellent performance as well in the role of a young reporter who believes Dave is innocent and believes the public should have the right to hear his side of the story. To establish some brilliant shots to distinguish the two characters, the reporter can be seen in a fourth wall break towards the lens questioning Dave. This becomes very important later on in the film, which runs only 70 minutes. Nevertheless, the chemistry between Davey and the reporter is amazing to see as the questioning leads Dave to eventually come to the realization he must know the truth. 

Empire of Lies is an excellent film that is driven by amazing performances by Joseph Millson and Natalie Spence. The tension is amped up here and leads to a pretty shocking conclusion.

The film is now playing in UK theaters.