Like many films in many genres, you find that after a while, they tend to repeat themselves with very little of anything you can call new to set themselves apart. Tiger House is a home invasion thriller and it follows a similar pattern as the many that came before it. Some may tend to lean towards horror while others like this very film, head straight down the middle with tension and suspense to carry it along with a  fair amount of action and drama and though this film may not break down the doors in originality, it is at the very least, quite entertaining.

Kaya Scodelario, most famous for Skins and of late, The Maze Runner, plays the lead of the film and is visiting her boyfriend as portrayed by Ed Skrein at his home when the house is suddenly invaded by a group of armed men. Things turn sour for the invaders when their leader, Dougray Scott is injured, yet they continue to see if they can salvage their mission when all the while, Scodelario’s character Kelly tries to save the day by whatever means necessary.  Come the end of the movie, there are a couple of twists that make things just a little more interesting, and keep you hooked in until everything is said and done.

There are a few moments in the movie which stretch the limits of credulity a little bit, the first being the amount of time Kelly hid under the bed without needing to go to the bathroom or without anyone finding her somehow. There are others, but you hardly have the time to think of them as the picture moves along at quite a brisk pace. The saving grace of the film is Scodelario who does a great job of being both the damsel in distress and the heroine. She has proven before that she has what it takes to be an action hero and she does an admirable job in this picture when trying to fend off the group of thugs and murderers, though there are a few times where it looks like they might get the better of her.

When you look at the movie as a whole, it is not as if this Simon Lewis-written and Thomas Daley-directed film is a bad one, because it is not. It captures your attention from start to finish and your eyes are always on Scodelario, waiting to see if she and any members of the family will make it out alive. The simple fact is that you have seen this film before, many times over and like most pictures today, it does not try to do anything new which is always a bit of a shame as it had the potential to do so. It is well-told for the most part, captivating and a little exciting at times, but if you have seen one home invasion thriller, you will find nothing here that does not feel familiar in some way.

3 out of 5