No Good Deed

Name: No Good Deed
Item: No Good Deed
Rating: 1
Author: Jeffrey M. Anderson

Movie review by

Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media

Common Sense says

age 16+

(i)

Women, children in peril in truly terrible thriller.

R
2014
84 minutes

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Parents say

age 15+

Based on 6 reviews

Kids say

age 14+

Based on 7 reviews

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A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

Positive Messages

The main message here is try to be a little bit smarter when a movie serial killer tries to play all the same old dumb tricks on you. Women and children are in peril throughout the movie. The killer shoots his male victims but bashes the female ones with blunt objects.

Positive Role Models & Representations

Terri is the only one who's somewhat sympathetic, but even she makes some rookie mistakes. The rest of the characters are either evil or dumb. Both female and African-American characters are depicted in a way that could be seen as offensive.

Violence

Pervasive threat of violence against women, as well as some actual violent incidents. A young girl and a baby are in danger. The killer shoots and kills two (male) guards and a male cop. He kills a woman by breaking her neck and smashing her head (off screen) with a telephone. He kills another woman by smashing her in the face with a shovel. A woman bashes the killer over the head with a fire extinguisher and a lamp and also stabs him with a knife, but he's not stopped until she shoots him several times in the chest. Bloody wounds are shown. There's also a car crash on a rain-slicked street.

Sex

One supporting character seems to be thinking about sex all the time. She's shown in a sexy jogging outfit and notices a shirtless worker nearby. She flirts with another man and talks about her carefree attitude toward sex. Another woman is shown in a revealing, low-cut dress. The killer forces the main character to change clothes; she removes her top, but nothing sensitive is shown -- it's all kept below the frame. The killer takes a shower to remove fire extinguisher chemicals from his face. He forces the woman (clothed) into the shower with him. He's naked, but nothing is shown. A secondary character is shown to be having an extramarital affair.

Language

Language isn't very frequent but includes two uses of "f--k" and several uses of "s--t" or "bulls--t," plus one use of "a--hole."

Consumerism

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Characters casually drink beer and wine. One character gulps down a glass of wine, but nothing comes of it; he doesn't seem drunk, and he doesn't drink much more afterward. A secondary character smokes one cigarette.

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that No Good Deed is a thriller about women and children being stalked and terrorized by a male killer. There's a pervasive sense of terror, and men are shot with guns, while women are bashed with blunt objects. One woman bashes and stabs the killer several times, but it has no effect. Wounds are shown, but the blood isn't excessive. Dead bodies are also shown. Language is infrequent but includes "f--k" and "s--t." Characters undress, but nothing sensitive is shown; it's all kept below the frame. Characters also dress in sexy outfits, and one talks excessively about sex. Characters drink wine and beer socially, and in one scene, a character gulps his glass of wine. A character smokes a cigarette. The movie's treatment of female characters is potentially offensive, as is its negative depiction of African-American characters.

User Reviews

Parents say
Kids say

Parent of a 13 and 14-year-old Written byMrsKeys2u October 9, 2014

age 13+

Great acting!

I'm reading some of these reviews and they seem a bit ridiculous (even biased).

It's your basic suspense movie. There's isn't any sex/nudi... Continue reading

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Parent Written byMamaMamaMama January 10, 2015

age 13+

Thriller!

Suspenseful movie...no sexual scenes...just a lot of violence...

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Kid, 11 years old January 14, 2018

age 11+

Not too shabby !

I saw the thriller when I was 10 it had a very good suspense story line, a good amount of cursing but not too deep. I've seen a lot of thrillers and this o... Continue reading

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Teen, 14 years old Written byFlowerpower8760 March 18, 2016

age 15+

A little too predictable.

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What's the story?

Colin Evans (Idris Elba) has served five years for manslaughter and is now up for parole, though many citizens are convinced that he was responsible for at least five cold-blooded murders. Sent back for another stretch, he escapes and tracks down an old girlfriend (Kate del Castillo) for some unfinished business. Driving though a huge rainstorm, Colin crashes into a tree and takes refuge in the home of Terri (Taraji P. Henson), whose husband has just left on a trip. At first, Colin seems charming, and Terri's friend Meg (Leslie Bibb) seems to like him, but then his behavior starts to grow more erratic, and Terri begins to fear for her and her children's safety. Her only hope is to wait for the cunning Colin to make a mistake.

Is it any good?

Henson is usually the best thing in whatever project she's working on, and NO GOOD DEED is no exception ... though the rest of the movie is garbage. To start, it's a stupid thriller that depends on all of its characters being idiots. Terri is supposed to be a criminal prosecutor who specializes in cases of violence against women, yet she makes one rookie mistake after another.

When the characters can't rely on stupidity to move the plot forward, a rash of dumb coincidences and cliches gets the job done. Elba plays an indestructible killer who keeps going after many bashes on the head and stabs in the stomach, and poor Bibb gets killed after talking too much about sex. Then there's the fact that the film's worst violence is directed at women. Not to mention that, from the point of view of a white director, it is very poor representation of African-Americans. The first two words of the title effectively sum up this terrible movie.

Talk to your kids about ...

Families can talk about No Good Deed's violence. How is it shown? Is it thrilling, scary, or brutal? What's the difference?
How is the violence toward men and the violence toward women different in this movie? What message does that send?
How did you feel about seeing young children in peril?
What is the fate of the character who seems to be the most sexually promiscuous? Is there a connection between her behavior and her fate?
How are African-American characters treated in this movie? Positively? Negatively?

Movie details

In theaters: September 12, 2014
On DVD or streaming: January 6, 2015
Cast: Idris Elba, Taraji P. Henson, Leslie Bibb
Director: Sam Miller
Studios: Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Releasing
Genre: Thriller
Run time: 84 minutes
MPAA rating: R
MPAA explanation: sequences of violence, menace, terror, and for language
Last updated: March 13, 2020

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