El hombre de las sombras

In the decadent Cold Rock, in Pittsville County, USA, children are going missing and the urban legend is that "The Tall Man" is the responsible for the disappearances. The widow nurse Julia Denning (Jessica Biel) lives in an isolated manor with her son David (Jakob Davies) and the housemaid Christine (Eve Harlow). When David is abducted by The Tall Man, Julia grabs on the back of his truck trying to save her son. But The Tall Man hits her and escapes with David.

Lieutenant Dodd (Stephen McHattie), who is investigating the case, find Julia fainted on the road and brings her to a dining. When Julia goes to the toilet, she makes a discovery that will change her life.

"The Tall Man" is a surprisingly great and original drama with many twists. The screenplay surprises the viewers many times along 106 minutes running time and the unusual theme may be unpleasant for many people. But the only problem is the title that misleads the viewers and disappoints those that expect to see a horror movie or a thriller. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Homem das Sombras" ("The Shadow Man")

First of all my wife wasn't a big fan of this movie. Not enough explanations for her and I get that but all in all I thought The Tall Man was original as a story. This story has never been told before and for that it gets some credit from me. It's nicely filmed with enough dark passages, twists and intrigues to keep you interested. It's not a horror movie though. A thriller yes but certainly not a horror movie. The cast is good with good performances, nothing bad to say about them. I liked the fact that I thought I figured it out completely but that at the end I was completely wrong. I like movies that can surprise me. Nothing more boring then a movie where you know exactly what's going to happen next. And that's not the case with The Tall Man at all.

Indescribable, other than to say there are so many twists and surprises there is no way to guess what's next...or how it ends. And this movie has plenty of depth that allows for interpretation. Definitely not a one trick pony!

The movie started slow, and I was bored for the first 15 minutes, but I hung in there and so glad I did. It's a really good movie! The acting is terrific. The characters are complex, each conveying some "good" and some "bad" as well as some mystery. The plot is complicated but eventually everything comes together. What you thought you knew, you eventually realize was far off base.

The constant twists are very effective at moving the storyline along at a pretty fast pace (I.e., you don't want to miss scenes or you will not get the full impact). Everything gets explained, but you have to pay attention to every scene.

Kudos to the writers and producers for tying up the storyline in a neat bow. So many other movies leave lose ends all over the place and fall short on the logic/explanation, but not this one. Stick with it until the end and you will be happy that you did!

Not a perfect movie, but far better than average and definitely worth a watch. It's a really good example of what lesser films "should" mirror to be better.

This is an absolute gem of a crime thriller. I was a little surprised at first when I watched it because the trailers made it out to seem like a horror movie but nevertheless it was really good. It didn't feel "done before" at all and kept you guessing as to what would happen next. Right in the middle you have this massive OMG didn't see that coming moment and it changes the whole overtone. Sure there were a couple of small flaws but what do you expect from a low budget movie. It didn't need expensive tricks and effects as it instead relied on a strong story and talented cast. Speaking of which, Jessica Biel is such an underrated actress as she does a fantastic job in this movie. She is incredibly believable in the role and really immerses herself in the character.

So ignore all the haters on this one as it has so much to offer. By the end you will realise that this movie is so much more than its synopsis and I promise that you will really enjoy it.

Tall Man has come in for a fait of criticism from people expecting one thing and getting another. If you've seen (Director) Pascal Laugier's previous film 'Martyrs' then you may be a little more prepared for a film that deliberately leads you in one direction, only to almost switch genres midway through and go off in a totally different direction.

Tall Man is about a woman (Jessica Biel) whose child goes missing in a town where this sort of kidnapping is commonplace and put down to the legend of the 'Tall Man' - a shadowy figure who steals children. From there, she has to unravel the mystery behind the kidnappings.

Most people (including me) expected a straight horror film. What it turns out to be is more than that. Perhaps 'thriller' would describe it better. Everyone turns in a solid performance and, if you're in the mood for something a little different, with a few twists and turns, then you could do worse than this.

Just know that this isn't simply your average 'horror.'