ATM (2012)

**This review contains spoilers**

Before she leaves for another job, David (Brian Geraghty) takes one final shot at Emily (Alice Eve), his co-worker and long-time crush. David prepares to give Emily a ride home after an office party, but his friend, Corey (Josh Peck) complicates the situation. Corey is a moocher, and he needs a ride home. David is a good friend, so he allows Corey to join in on the ride with Emily. Along the way, Corey complains about being hungry. He needs money for an all-night pizza place, so David stops at an ATM. Corey has some “trouble” with his card, so David uses his own card to take money out of the ATM. Emily doesn’t want to stay in the car by herself, so she joins David and Corey inside in the ATM.

David has the money, he prepares to leave with Corey and Emily, but a creepy stranger wearing a hooded coat suddenly appears out of nowhere. Fearing the worst, David, Corey, and Emily stay inside the ATM for safety, and the stranger’s intentions quickly become clear, as he murders a man walking his dog……

The obscene amount of gaping plot holes are a major problem, and ATM features one too many unlikeable characters. David is a nice guy, but Corey is obviously taking advantage of him. Corey continues to shit on him, and David just takes it. And speaking of Corey, he’s the most annoying character in this film, easily. He’s a prime example of a shitty friend, who’ll mooch off of anybody, and he’s such a tool. Alice Eve is a gorgeous woman, but Emily isn’t too bright.

Stupidity is another problem. First of all, IT’S JUST ONE GUY WITHOUT A GUN. Double team him, and kick his ass. Why am I mentioning this? Because as the story progresses, a man wearing clothing similar to the killer’s hooded attire walks into the ATM. Out of fear, David and Corey jump him, and guess what? They beat the stranger to death. But for some asinine reason, David, Corey, and Emily stay inside the ATM after the beat down, because they’re afraid of the killer?

When then they arrive at the ATM, in an attempt to punish Corey for his childish behavior, David parks the car at least twenty feet from the ATM. This was a brainless choice, because the parking lot was completely empty, and you just killed your chances of having a safe path to the car. Oh, and of course, David, Corey, and Emily leave their cell phones inside the car.

And the killer is a dumbass. During the intro and the ridiculous finale, ATM tries to sell the killer as this devious genius, but I couldn’t buy into this persona. The killer spends the majority of the movie trying to break in through the back door of the ATM. This doesn’t work, and towards the end, before the survivors FINALLY figure out a way to call for help, the killer comes up with one bright idea: flood the ATM with a water hose! Wait, so you spent the vast majority of the film trying to break in through the back door, and all of the sudden, you realize flooding the ATM would’ve been the best option? The killer could’ve easily flooded the ATM in the beginning, but he wasted thirty to forty minutes trying to break in through the back door? Unbelievable.    

I can ignore one or two plot holes, maybe three. Also, when I sit down to watch a movie, I try to stay in suspension of disbelief mode, but ATM pushes everything too far. During the horrible ending, the cops arrest the wrong person. They just pull up, assume the one guy standing in the parking lot is the killer (without knowing anything about the situation), and they arrest him without asking any questions or having any evidence to pin on him? The killer is clever, because he knew how to out-smart one camera? There’s only one camera at a 24/7 ATM??? Yeah, it’s late at night. I understand that. But the ATM is in the middle of a metropolitan city. It’s on a main street, and after four or five hours, the survivors only see ONE car (a security guard) on the road? Please.

ATM is shit. No scares, no suspense, no real tension, and bland directing. I honestly can’t understand how someone could pull the “guilty pleasure” card (I’ve seen this in other places), because ATM isn’t laughably bad…… it’s just bad. The acting is okay, but ATM is loaded with stupid and annoying characters, obvious plot holes, and this film features one of the worst endings I’ve ever seen. Avoid ATM at all costs, or you’ll be sorry. 

Final Rating: 0/10