Burn (2019 film)

Burn is a 2019 American thriller film written and directed by Mike Gan. It stars Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Suki Waterhouse, Harry Shum Jr., Shiloh Fernandez and Josh Hutcherson.

Burn
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMike Gan
Produced by
Written byMike Gan
Starring
Music byCeiri Torjussen
CinematographyJon Keng
Edited byMarc Fusco
Production
company
  • Yale Productions
  • Film Mode Entertainment
  • Inwood Road Films
  • Particular Crowd
Distributed byMomentum Pictures
Release date
  • August 23, 2019 (2019-08-23) (United States)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$25,373 [1]

It was released on August 23, 2019, by Momentum Pictures.

Plot

Melinda begins the graveyard shift as an attendant at a gas station on a cold winter night. Lonely and introverted, she doesn't object when her coworker Sheila, who has an attitude, mentions the toilets need cleaned when she steps inside. Later, while taking a break, she searches through her phone for photos of a police officer she has been taking photos of discreetly in the store. She also sticks her fingers in the hot coffee pot.

Getting her cash tray from the biometric safe, she begins her shift behind the counter. Sheila tries to get her to do some dance moves, then films them, to Melinda's disgust. An older repeat customer offers Sheila a pair of shoe insoles to ease her standing all night, but Sheila is creeped out, having seen the man many times before. They fit Melinda however, and she tries to make amends with the dejected man as he walks outside, to no avail.

Meanwhile, another customer, Billy, parks his stolen vehicle, stashes a gun in his back, and walks in to Melinda greeting him at the front door. A policeman, Officer Liu pulls up and strikes up conversation with Melinda, who admires his new patrol vehicle and asks for a ride, even if it's just around the parking lot. Later, as Liu purchases coffee, Melinda snaps a new photo and Sheila catches her in the act. Melinda drops her phone, breaking the screen, and Liu kindly consoles her before being called away on an alert. Sheila bullies her into showing the multiple photos she's taken of Liu. Melinda is devastated and eases the pain by smoking out the back door.

Upon returning to shift, she finds Billy engaging Sheila in a stick up. In a rather jovial manner, he demands cash and demonstrates that his gun is real by firing it when they doubt him. There's not much money in the registers, and Sheila tells him they don't have access to the safe. He says he really needs it to pay back a gang of bikers he crossed. Melinda offers to open the safe. Sheila tries to write a note to another customer to call 911, but Melinda grabs it. She tells Billy she wants to go with him. A struggle ensues because she won't hand over the backpack until he says yes. As Billy is finally leaving with the money, Sheila's begins to talk him down with profanities. He grabs her and forces her to the ground, then orders Melinda to lock the doors and go into the bathrooms.

Billy hauls Sheila to an employee break room and begins beating her. Melinda sneaks out and burns her whole hand with the hot coffee before sneaking up behind Billy and flinging it in his face. His gun accidentally goes off, killing Sheila. Melinda then hits Billy in the head with a fire extinguisher, causing him to black out. When he awakens, he finds himself strapped to a chair, with Melinda quietly mopping blood and Sheila's body wrapped in a tarp.

Melinda and Billy converse, with him talking her up even though he doesn't care anything about her. He didn't want to take her along earlier. At his request, she gets a cigarette, aspirin and water. She gives him some pills and he begins to feel something happening to his body. What Melinda actually gives Billy is cheap gas station erectile medication. She proceeds to tape Billy's eyes and mouth shut, undoes his jeans and pulls down her pants and underwear and attempts to rape him. He struggles and he is able to rip the tape holding one of his arms, knocking Melinda away. Then everything becomes a game of cat and mouse in the small room as a blind Billy goes after a scared and sadistic Melinda. He gets knocked out once again when he hits a locker door and everything is quiet once again. Melinda pockets his gun, takes the backpack of money, straightens the room and leaves.

Melinda quietly unlocks the front door for a customer, who then berates her for having no hot coffee. Behind the counter, unable to take it any longer, Melinda puts the gun to her chin briefly before breaking down and sobbing, telling the customer to just leave her alone. Perry, Sheila's boyfriend, soon shows up to give her a ride home, but Melinda tells him she's not there. Perry doesn't believe her when he finds her phone on the floor. In troubled desperation, Melinda tells him that Sheila has left with another guy. She doesn't know what name or which hotel they went to, but this lie gets Perry out the door.

Melinda steps out the back door and tries to find a place to bury the bodies. The ground is too hard and cold. That's when the biker gang rolls in looking for Billy. She stands guard at the front door and says she hasn't seen him, and won't let them in. She says the store is closed, even though the sign says 24 hrs. When she threatens them with her gun, they pull out theirs until their leader makes them back off. They promptly leave.

Melinda can't break into the box where the surveillance data is stored in order to destroy it. She stands outside the front of the store, thinking. Melinda smokes and flicks her lighter. Then she remembers the No Smoking rule and begins filling containers with gas. Officer Liu shows up, recognizing Billy's car as stolen. He questions Melinda, who says she hasn't seen anything suspicious. Everything is fine. He calls and wakes the manager to come access the surveillance data. Behind the counter, Melinda slowly reaches for her gun and pockets it. As Liu questions Melinda, she is slowly losing it again. He says he cares about her, she doesn't believe him. Melinda tries to keep Liu from searching the store, but finding nothing, he leaves. Billy has escaped, leaving only zip ties.

Melinda begins dowsing the store with gasoline. She hears Billy come from the back and hides behind shelves. He kills the power, which locks the front doors. Perry returns, suspicious as to Sheila's disappearance. Billy escapes out the back door and barricades it with dumpsters, then strangles Perry out front. Melinda calls Liu and finally admits her lies and need for help. Billy rams Perry's Jeep into the front doors, shattering the glass.

Backed into a corner with his gun pointed right at her, Melinda pleads with Billy to simply take the money and leave. But that's not good enough for Billy after what she did to him. He fires a bullet from the gun, which ignites the gas. As he shrieks from the burns, Melinda grabs a fire extinguisher and escapes through the front door. Soon sirens can be heard and Liu is by her side. Liu helps Melinda carefully into his car and comforts her. It is finally then that Melinda believes that someone does care about her.

Cast

Production

In February 2018, it was announced Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Suki Waterhouse and Josh Hutcherson had joined the cast of the film, with Mike Gan directing from a screenplay he wrote.[2] In March 2018, it was announced Shiloh Fernandez and Harry Shum Jr. joined the cast of the film.[3] In May 2018, it was announced the film had been re-titled from Plume to Burn.[4]

Filming

Principal photography began in March 2018.[5]

Release

It was released on August 23, 2019, by Momentum Pictures.[6]

Reception

Box office

Burn grossed $0 in North America and $25,373 in other territories.[1]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 58% based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 6.59/10.[7] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 50 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[8]

Dennis Harvey of Variety wrote: "The problem is that writer-director Mike Gan’s first feature, though competently handled in most departments, doesn’t commit enough to any approach to fulfill its potential."[9] John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "Neither Gan's screenplay nor his direction of the cast quite sells this scenario, but once he introduces some accidental violence, the picture can ride the familiar logic of crime-gone-wrong storytelling."[10]

References
  1. "Burn (2019) International Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  2. Siegel, Tatiana (February 14, 2018). "Josh Hutcherson, Suki Waterhouse to Star in Thriller 'Plume' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  3. N'Duka, Amanda (March 14, 2018). "Harry Shum Jr., Shiloh Fernandez Join Mike Gan's Thriller 'Plume'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  4. Ritman, Alex (May 10, 2018). "Cannes First Look: Josh Hutcherson Goes for the 'Burn' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  5. Reakes, Kathy (March 17, 2018). "Young Stars Filming Thriller In Hudson Valley". Daily Voice. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  6. Nolfi, Joey (June 26, 2019). "Josh Hutcherson ignites a gas station war in exclusive Burn trailer". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  7. "Burn (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  8. "Burn Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  9. Harvey, Dennis (23 August 2019). "Film Review: 'Burn'". Variety.
  10. John DeFore (Aug 21, 2019). "'Burn': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
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