The Way Out — The Way Out (VOD)
Always fear the roommate who seems too good to be true. A relatively well-worn trope and one that finds itself at the core of Barry Jay’s 2022 thriller The Way Out as we follow troubled protagonist Alex who finds himself trapped in a nightmarish scenario of his own making.
Played rather endearingly by Jonny Beauchamp, Alex is a recovering alcoholic trying to make his way in the world with his bestie Gracie (Ashleigh Murray of TV’s Riverdale) and his sponsor, Veronica (Precious’ Sherri Shepherd) for support. While attempting to build bridges, Alex shockingly discovers his father bludgeoned to death at home, which in the first (but not last) twist of fate presents Alex with a golden opportunity to make a fresh start. Taking ownership of his father’s house, Alex decides to find a roommate to make ends meet, and despite Gracie’s vehement reservations, invites the enigmatic Shane (The Bay’s Mike Manning) to be his new lodger, believing he can provide the turnaround that Alex is so desperately searching for in his life. But surprise surprise, Shane is not quite the shining prince that Alex was hoping he would be - revealing himself as an oppressive and sinister bully, cajoling Alex onto a road of violence and loneliness as Shane’s secrets start to unravel, threatening to turn Alex’s whole world upside down once and for all.
Barry Jay is no stranger to the dark side, having written and directed 2018’s comedy-horror Ashes and 2019’s revenge horror Killer Therapy. And he carries forward the latter’s themes of brutal revenge and madness to this, his latest outing - making a better stab of it too. There is a necessary complexity to The Way Out as Jay tackles addiction, abuse and the inter-relationship of the two – all subsumed within the framework of a psychological thriller.
Some of the set-ups may be a tad pedestrian, but there is plenty to engage with, certainly for the first two-thirds of the film at least, as the intrigue builds around the shadowy and perceptibly unhinged Shane, and you find yourself beginning to root for the slightly hapless Alex. This is no small part thanks to the acting on display with Jay having created a battery of characters that in the main are relatable. Beauchamp in particular grows into the character to give a convincing performance of Alex as he trepidatiously tries to break free from his mental shackles and pervasive dependence on his best friend, his sponsor or latterly, the mysterious Shane – an issue that lies at the heart of his so much of his downfall.
As the film progresses, things do get a little bit crazy - the narrative taking one outlandish turn after another, each becoming slightly less plausible. And while the direction was entirely fine, Jay would benefit from reining in his storytelling somewhat as it is in danger of pushing this film over the cliff. But The Way Out is an enjoyable and engaging story that does its best to tackle some complex and controversial themes. All in all - tense, unexpected and a decent yarn.