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The Owners Review

By Les Baird

Robin Hood made it look so easy: rob from the rich and give to the poor. With a sense of fairness and purpose on his side, Mr. Hood's ends always justified his means. In the new crime thriller "The Owners," the act of thieves stealing from the rich - in this case a wealthy elderly couple living in a luxurious countryside estate - and giving the poor - themselves - is justified by the promise of a new life that the stolen money would provide.

The criminals, led by Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones), think their plan is foolproof: enter the house when the owners are away, break into their safe, and steal the fortune that must be inside. Unfortunately, the presumed ease of their contemptible crime is upended by their assumptions about the innocence and fragility of the aging owners.

When the old couple arrive home and discover the waiting group of thieves, Dr. Huggins (Sylvester McCoy, of Doctor Who fame) and his wife Ellen (Rita Tushingham, "My Name is Lenny) calmly propose a version of the Hippocratic Oath to their abusive captors: "Please, do us no harm, you can have anything you want."

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But as verbal threats from the group's leader quickly shift to torture as a bargaining tool for revealing the safe's combination, Dr. Huggins fights back by cleverly manipulating the criminals, who begin turning on each other. Fortunately, there is a doctor in the house. Unfortunately, he is more interested in causing injuries than in curing them.

All of the characters in "The Owners" are motivated by issues greater than what any amount of money the robbery could really provide. For the thieves, the robbery's short-term gain, though unrealistic, could fix long-term personal and emotional problems. On the other hand, the owners see the home invasion as an opportunity find happiness by also stealing something that does not belong to them. As they procedurally evaluate and eliminate their unexpected "guests," we see that their age has brought wisdom of a more horrific nature.

Refreshingly, "The Owners" does not have any scenes bloodier that what you would normally see network television. Instead, it relies on well-calculated tension and mayhem to deliver the scares. A somewhat tongue-in-cheek post-script may call back to some of your favorite "scary old folks" films, but it ultimately serves to confirm what a creepy, fun romp you just had.

"The Owners" is currently available in theaters, On Demand, and via digital streaming.

What did you think?

Movie title The Owners
Release year 2020
MPAA Rating NR
Our rating
Summary For a group of thieves in this new thriller, “the best laid plans of mice and men” quickly becomes a deadly game of “cat and mouse.”
View all articles by Les Baird
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