A DARK FOE: Forbidding Crime Thriller Is Familiar But Enthralling

When you’re a child, you may develop a fleeting fear of the dark, and a fear of the dark may harmlessly kindle an ominous feeling that monsters are living in your closet or under your bed. As we all know, a fear can be more than a fear; a fear can be summoned by an underlying disorder or condition. Calling somebody with a social anxiety disorder as deliberately shy, or calling somebody with feelings of persistent gloom as fugitively unhappy, could very well be detrimental because they can’t neatly mask these feelings, or simply wait them out. Mental disorders are real, and despite being more common with kids, nyctophobia (fear of the dark) can affect adults. Co-writer/director Maria Gabriela Cardenas ingrains the main character with that particular fear in A Dark Foe, forging the character’s inward battle, all the while maintaining a mien of a deranged crime thriller.

FBI agent Tony Cruz (Oscar Cardenas) was only a kid when his mom was murdered and his sister was taken by a scheming intruder. As an easily frightened kid, he hid under the floorboards, surrounded by darkness and his own pusillanimity. Tony still remembers the man who killed his mom and took his sister, and this maniac, known as ‘The Cradle,’ is still lurking the streets, preying on unsuspecting victims. To this day, Tony’s fueled by rancor and vengeance. As a child, he was overwhelmed by panic, but the trauma he experienced as a kid prompted him to become a resolute, if slightly unorthodox, FBI agent. But suffering from nyctophobia, Tony botches up a rigorous FBI operation, and he’s immediately thrown off the job. Dr. Doris Baxter (an empathetic Selma Blair) is an old friend of Tony’s, and she’s able to dredge up the details of the incident, and he’s prescribed some meds and advice.

Despite being off the job, Tony’s partner (Bill Bellamy) urges him to continue with the investigation. The journey to unmask the infamous killer brings him undercover as a bodyguard for a former prostitute turned minted mondaine, Rebecca Crawford (Kenzie Dalton). Tony continues to descend into an underworld of sex and drugs, relentlessly trying to track down the nefarious man who influenced him into becoming an FBI agent. Best-case scenario, by utilizing the resources of the FBI and a fellow colleague, he’ll be able to get revenge; better yet, he’ll divulge the whereabouts of his sister, if she’s still alive.

Markedly Familiar But Absorbing

Spotlighting an FBI agent or a police officer haunted by their tragic past isn’t exactly a new plot device. More specifically, A Dark Foe deploys comparison from Jonathan Demme‘s The Silence of the Lambs by how it explores a distressed FBI agent facing demons while pursuing a murderer attracted by skin. Maria Gabriela Cardenas, alongside Oscar, her father, formulates a script riddled with similarities, but those blatant correspondences don’t enfeeble the hard-hitting suspense of a crime mystery that unfolds cleverly.

The film opens to a creamy nightmare untangling in the daytime (with splashes of artificial lighting), where Tony’s sister Ana is running away from a Native American man in a snazzy white suit. The scene is consistently bright and brisk, with the man radiating a vivid aggression that visibly petrifies Tony. This man is the villain, and Tony wakes up from the nightmare, more flustered than ever. The picture goes on to highlight Tony’s nyctophobia, and the phobia gets him suspended from the force. At one point, he curls up in the corner, trembling and uneasy. With the help of Rocco (Bellamy), his well-meaning partner, Tony takes an undercover job as a bodyguard for Rebecca, a wealthy and Janus-faced socialite. As Tony’s investigation takes him to the dingy and cheerless corridors of an elaborate “whore house”, the depravity is insufferable. From there, what transpires in this hellhole is immensely disturbing, while the actions of The Cradle (the calculating monster Tony knows all too well), are deeply alarming.

Jon Aguirresarobe‘s cinematography is textured, with the traumatic intruder scene progressing in broad daylight, suburbia (a bold choice that pays off). While other scenes involving a pimp named Vincent (an intimidating Jon Lindstrom) and the infamous killer, labeled The Cradle (a standout performance from Graham Greene), guides you through a seedy underworld of dicey sex and drugs. Shamelessly comforted by reality, the violence and profligacy leave a firm impression. When wandering this dungeon helmed by Vincent, the wretched setting embroils you in this smothering chamber, where one probably goes to find monetary value, but ends up giving Vincent full control of their worth instead. But nothing is quite as memorable as The Cradle, a murderer tempted by the shine of someone’s skin.

Albeit originality falters, Maria Gabriela Cardenas constructs her thriller with shadowy imagery, shocking gore and gripping visual transitions. The depiction of nyctophobia, seen through the muzzy viewpoint of Tony, is really effective. When darkness swallows a hallway, Tony envisions a highly colored hallucination of blood, as puddles of it drip from the cracks of the walls. Unlike The Shining, where a pool of blood floods the hallways of the mansion, in A Dark Foe, blood gently leaks from the cracks and drizzles down. The psychological effect of nyctophobia is delineated through eldritch hallucinations (inky blood and imagining the room is spinning or shaking), which is vitalized by Tony’ fidgety behavior. It isn’t long until Tony’s assigned to protect the strong-willed and self-assured Rebecca, who comes along as the well-heeled magnate, and a romance quickly develops between them.

The perspective does occasionally shift between Tony and Rebecca, who both share a troubling past and a complicated present. Although undergoing severe trauma and psychological neurosis, Tony is still hopeful that his sister is alive somewhere. Rebecca is being extorted by Vincent, a steely pimp, to ensure her sister’s safety. Rebecca’s hopeful that, after paying extravagant debts, Vincent will finally release her sister from captivity and forced prostitution. The mystery leading up to The Cradle’s fascination of skin, Tony’s thirst for redemption and where it steers him, and Rebecca’s parlous strives to retrieve her sister, unravels in unexpected plot threads. Initially, Tony and Rebecca inherit fascinating character attributes, but those absorbing facets don’t always translate well through the on-screen performances.

Demanding Subject Matter

Oscar Cardenas replicates the physicality of Tony quite well, emitting the effects of nyctophobia through well-adjusted body language (not too inflated, not too underplayed). Kenzie Dalton portrays Rebecca in a reasonably convincing manner — overflowing with confidence and lucid hostility. Factor in the contrived dialogue, and the weighty subject matter, then the two leading performances don’t align with the material. Despite channeling their own character properties and traits, there’s a paucity of chemistry between them (therefore trivializing their romantic relationship). Granted, it’s difficult to buy the central relationship, but their relationship works in theory. Tony and Rebecca are both trying to find somebody they love; they’re equally trying to find a way to blur the past and lighten the future. So it makes sense why they would establish a connection, but it happens too swiftly and insincerely.

The story very much feels tainted by its lack of novelty, but there is a crux of individuality. Cardenas adds layers to the characters and supplies a few notable insights. Whether it be the cruciality of hope in tragedy, or how redemption can’t possibly be facile or neat, A Dark Foe hits multiple thematic beats. Unfortunately, the dialogue can be awfully on-the-nose (“Why do the outcasts suffer more than everybody else. Who protects a hooker?”). Beneath the artificiality, there lies a harsh verity: The lives of those trailing the underworld of sex are frequently stigmatized, ignored or exploited by society, despite the fact that there’s more to them. The conclusion, although weirdly off-putting and hurried, does preserve the unauthorized lechery and barbarity of an underworld drawn in by madness and selfish desire.

As for the supporting cast, they operate more efficiently. Bill Bellamy, who plays Tony’s partner, offers some rollicking banter. Jon Lindstrom is majorly threatening as Vincent, exuding a kind of dominance that’s destined to meet a brutal fate. Graham Greene is an eerie murderer with a personal cause, one of whom acknowledges spiritual guidance when eradicating his next victim. Before taking their skin, he goes on to safeguard their soul: “I’m here to guide you. My mission is to make sure that you both get to the spirit world a peaceful way. Sleep well; you’ll be newborns again. I’m your cradle.” He speaks softly and formally, and the ceremony amplifies the menacing comportment Greene nurtures in one of the more memorable performances of the film. Trisha Rae Stahl gives one of the more admirable performances as a sickly woman stuck in a chair, whose appearance and behavior is laudably persistent.

A Dark Foe Is A Daunting Thriller

A Dark Foe doesn’t always fulfill its thematic potential, but the effort ensnares you in its grip. Whereas Maria Gabriela Cardenas doesn’t provide heedfully considered dialogue or earnest emotional tissue, behind the screen she wields artistic merit. Tailoring Tony, a frustrated FBI agent, with nyctophobia, Cardenas upholds the nightmarish imagery seen through the eyes of Tony. While the key characters don’t assume serious weight, the premise holds great weight, magnified by distinct visuals and smooth scene transitions.

A Dark Foe doesn’t insularly juggle its contrasting views on trauma, belief and spirituality, but it doesn’t complete them either. Beyond the conspicuous comparisons and lack of subtlety, A Dark Foe temptingly measures ounces of blood, suspense and psychological anguish. For all of its shortcomings, it’s a daunting thriller, capable of blistering tension and startling violence.

What is your favorite crime thriller? Let us know in the comments! 

The release date of A Dark Foe is unknown at this time. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pdlSFV0sho