Movie
Masquerade (2021)
Many home invasion themed thrillers feature female anatagonists, but this recent release is a stand out and a late addition to my list. There are two contrasting villainesses: a sympathetic burglar, and a mysterious woman who may be a criminal mastermind. Both women dress all in black and wear fencing masks for a good proportion of the film, and there’s also a great – if somewhat confusing – plot twist to wrap things up. Since this is a relatively new movie, the review does come with a major spoiler warning attached, so fans who prefer to go in blind are advised to read no further.
The initial setup is simple and familiar. A young girl named Casey (Alyvia Alyn Lind) is at home with her babysitter Sofia when two masked intruders break in to steal precious paintings. The burglar in charge is male, and his nasty streak is established very early on when he bludgeons Sofia to death while a terrified Casey watches from upstairs. The girl flees and proves to be a surprisingly elusive quarry to track down. There are quite a few tense moments – notably when Casey takes cover behind a standing mirror – but the child manages to take refuge in the attic.
Where are Casey’s parents while all this is going on? Art broker couple Daniel (Austin Nichols) and Olivia (Mercia Monroe) are on their way home from a high society gathering. Masks are a common theme in this film, so this was a masquerade event of some description. A waitress named Rose has kindly offered the brokers a lift, only it’s actually deception on her part since she seems to be in league with the art thieves.
Despite a slow first half and limited locations, things intensify when the brokers arrive home and Rose masks up to join the party. Casey is still very much in danger but gaining in confidence, and things are about to get bloody – and rather mind boggling – before the end.
Villainesses
Rose (Bella Thorne), Woman (Skyler Samuels)
The female thief is masked for the opening half hour, and spends most of that time searching for Casey. The woman has already been shown to be more human than her male counterpart when she showed clear distaste at the brutal murder of Sofia. The thief plays a deadly game of hide and seek with Casey, making threatening comments that don’t have much impact. After the girl falls through the attic roof and gives herself away, the burglars spend another ten minutes or so finding the access point. Then it’s the masked woman’s job to deal with Casey while the male intruder handles the parents.
To get close to the girl, the woman agrees to a request to remove her mask. Don’t expect a great reveal here – this is a character we haven’t seen before. In fact, the female thief is never referred to by name and is simply called “woman” on the credits. She comes across as concerned for the child’s safety and is geuinely believable when she makes a promise not to harm her. However, all the woman’s efforts are undone when Casey heres a commotion downstairs and decides to jump through the weak floor to relative safety.
Once again, Casey proves adept at hiding and even fixes a makeshift split for her broken ankle. The male thief is angry at his female accomplice for removing her mask, and she has something of a breakdown in the final act. Eventually Casey arms herself with a revolver and confronts the man about her parents while he’s stealing artwork. During the exchange that follows the female arrives and ends up shot through the mask (and eye). The masked male then turns the gun on Casey and shoots her. Masquerade certainly isn’t a film for anyone squeamish.
Before all this, Rose had played a concerned citizen and discussed artworks (and masks) with the brokers. That facade is dropped when the couple arrive home, at which point Rose dons a black outfit and fencing mask of her own. She manages to surprise Olivia and tie her up before confronting Daniel. This is a brutal encounter involving torture and threats. By the time the leather-clad villainess has finished with Daniel, he’s a bloody wreck and capitulates to Rose’s demands to provide the safe combination.
Then comes the big reveal which culminates in the male thief breaking his own rule and taking off his mask to reveal himself as… a younger Daniel. Meanwhile, Rose takes off her mask and the older Daniel clearly recognises her. Yes, there are two separate home invasion plots going on in this movie, and Rose is actually a grown up Casey-Rose. This twist is something of a cheat, since there’s no overall framing device. Two narratives in different time periods are mixed together, and similar events (noises, parents attacked) happen in both timelines at just the point they need to.
In retrospect, there are clues such as the two thieves and Rose never meeting and the parents not appearing concerned about their daughter’s safety. That’s because their real little girl – not Casey, remember – is with a child minder who happens to be Sofia’s sister. Who in turn happens to be the accomplice Rose is working with (it was her on the phone, not the art thieves). Getting all this? If not, there’s a convenient Usual Suspects style montage that revisits key dialogue lines that now take on a whole new meaning. Plus some extra scenes such as Rose planning tracking down the brokers, plotting her revenge and doing surveillance. As for Daniel and Olivia, their fate is left ambiguous and we’re treated to a shot of Casey aging into Rose to clarify what the hell just happened.
Both villainesses are sympathetic and neither qualifies as evil, but Masquerade still earns a top half ranking for it’s great combination of masked females and a perception altering revelation.
Video Review
Honourable Mention (Unranked)
Home Invasion (2016) – Victoria Knox (Kyra Zagorsky)
Take one guess what this movie is about. The unimaginative choice of title doesn’t generate high expectations, but production values are reasonable for a direct to video / streaming film. There’s a decent cast to add some quality. Natasha Henstridge is Chloe, a woman trapped at home with her teenage son when three masked mercenaries come calling. Her best friend doesn’t last more than a couple of minutes, though the “start the story in the middle” opening means the poor woman does get some pre-mortem dialogue later.
Victoria’s mask is the worst of the bunch, barely covering her face. However, it’s only a temporary measure while the mercs take out the security cameras. The obvious ones, anyway. Turns out the baddies have already killed Chloe’s mysterious husband, but not before he converted the house into a private fortress with hidden surveillance. With the cops trapped on the other side of a sabotaged bridge, Chloe’s only ally is an experienced security dispatcher (Jason Patric).
The primary villain is Heflin (martial arts star Scott Adkins), who disappointingly doesn’t get to do much fighting. Since the main character is female, that job goes to his lieutenant Victoria. Before the inevitable catfight with Chloe, the villainess patrols the rainy exterior before stripping down to a sleeveless leather top. Henchwomen have to look the part, you know. Victoria comes across as trigger happy, and gets the action she craves when she tosses a stun grenade to subdue the elusive Chloe. The mother / son team have a tough fight, but eventually take Victoria down with a shovel. Being heroes, they only tie her up and don’t kill her, which means she’s not done yet.
What are these mercenearies after? Something the husband stole from Heflin and locked in a hidden safe – and that’s all we ever find out. When the fail to crack the safe, Victoria – now free of her restraints – threatens Chloe’s son at knifepoint in the hope the wife knows the combination. That seems unlikely, but these guys aren’t that smart. The finale has Victoria chase the boy outside, only to be run over by a car he’s decided to drive. It’s a very bland death scene, and the main villain’s isn’t much better. Guess they weren’t going for originality with this one.
Action Woman Fan 