Dinner for One - A Murderous Party - DVD

Movie: It was actually the perfect plan. A bank robbery that simply couldn't go wrong. And yet, John Taylor (Clayne Crawford) now finds himself injured and on the run from the police. He desperately needs a place to lay low, treat his wound and think about what to do next. The home of unassuming bachelor Warwick Wilson (David Hyde Pierce) seems to be just the place John has been looking for. Using a pretext, he manages to gain entry to the house. Warwick, who is preparing a dinner party, proves to be an extremely polite and helpful host. But just when John is sure of himself and tries to take Warwick hostage, the latter shows his true colours and turns the tables on him - the start of a murderous dinner party...

No, in this dinner for one there are few reasons for the guest to wish for the same procedure as every year. While there is a real guest, a server and some imaginary guests, that's about as far as the similarities with the New Year's Eve classic of the same name go. For what Australian filmmaker Nick Tomnay shot in just 17 days on a budget of $1 million, while occasionally quite amusing in its own unique way, quickly emerges as a nasty little psychological chamber drama that manages to surprise with some cleverly placed plot twists and entertain well despite a few minor dramaturgical lengths.

Tomnay succeeds very well in building up a suspenseful atmosphere right from the start, which he manages to maintain almost to the end. Although the story suggests that Warwick is John's victim, it is clear to the viewer from the start that the gangster would rather have chosen another house to hide from the police. How not only John's story slowly opens up to the viewer, but also Warwick's mask slowly falls, is quite cleverly staged and not least the good acting of the actors also very convincing. Especially David Hyde Pierce, who became known for the role of the cranky Niles Crane in the sitcom Frasier, is allowed to show all facets of his skills here.

Admittedly, the film's low budget and its short production time is always noticeable, which does not necessarily have a positive effect on the overall impression. But for a small independent production, set primarily in a house and carried by only two actors, this thriller can really stand out. With a pinch of black humor, a little suspense and the intense mind game between Warwick and John is Dinner for One - A murderous party despite small weaknesses at the end, so a really successful thriller chamber play, for which there is a deserved viewing value!

Picture + Sound: The audiovisual quality of the film is its low budget sometimes already noticeable. While the image is very clean and sharp, there are definitely some weak points in terms of detail and contrast. When it comes to atmospheric colouring, on the other hand, the picture scores again. With the exception of a few brief sequences at the beginning and during the finale, the sound is very restrained and is primarily dominated by the dialogue, which is well intelligible. Good!

Extras: As a bonus, there is only the trailer for the film and other program tips from the provider.

Conclusion: Dinner for One - A Murderous Party is a black-humored thriller, which is for large parts a chamber play carried only by its two main actors on a decent level of tension. The good actors, first and foremost David Hyde Pierce, are the ones who make up for some of the shortcomings. A good thriller, which is quite recommendable despite missing extras and small weak points with the technical conversion!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp