"Caught Inside" (2010) is an Australian psychological thriller centering on a group of surfers who travel to a secluded island for a vacation. The addition of two women to the trip at the last minute sets in motion a series of events that transform what was meant to be relaxing into something much more harrowing. What stood out to me about this movie, beyond the quality production and beautiful settings (filmed in the Maldives), was how grounded the story and characters felt. The film dances close to being a slasher film, and I’m sure there was temptation for the writers to have one of them turn into something like Jason Voorhees, but they made a smart choice by avoiding that path. ***SPOILER ALERT*** I noticed someone questioned how plausible it seemed when four or five members of the group passively accepted the torment from this person, especially since he didn't appear to be armed. However, I think this is precisely what makes the film work as a psychological thriller. By this point in the story, this individual, Bull, had established dominance. The others were genuinely terrified and fearing for their safety; they were also stunned because it was supposed to be an idyllic surfing getaway. One of the men, with short blond hair, attempted to confront Bull on a couple of occasions and was quickly defeated and injured. It’s more about mental control than anything else. At this point, Bull is in complete control – asserting his power through sheer force and arrogance. One of the women, Sam, seems to be expecting something awful to happen; it's unclear what. The younger man is unsure how to react, as he previously considered Bull a friend, but now sees him for who he truly is. So they’re all experiencing fear and weighing their options. It's likely that thoughts of confronting him are going through their heads, but they simply aren't able to do it at this moment; they endure his actions while waiting for an opportune time when their chances of success might be better. I didn’t find any of this unbelievable—in fact, I thought it was quite realistic. ***END SPOILER*** If you appreciate films like the excellent "Dead Calm" (1989), then you should definitely watch "Caught Inside." It's not as impressive, but it comes close in a respectable way. Also, be aware that the Australian accents are very strong, so I’d suggest using subtitles. The film has a running time of 93 minutes. GRADE: B+

Source on TMDB