Welcome Home, by David Levinson - Seven out of 10

Welcome Home, by David Levinson

Seven out of 10

It is regrettable to see that such a talented actor as Aaron Paul has had very little chance to prove his abilities once the superb Breaking Bad series ended.

Welcome Home is not that opportunity, even if it is not altogether a meritless motion picture.

Aaron Paul plays Bryan, the boyfriend of Cassie aka attractive, gifted – never seen before by the under signed – Emily Ratajkowski.

They rent a splendid villa, more like a mansion in fact, in Italy, where the American couple arrives in a Fiat.

On the way to this resplendent small palazzo, they stop at another beautiful house, next door.

The mansion has a fabulous swimming pool, a well-supplied cellar, from which a bottle of wine is placed on the table by the owner with a card, compliments and the invitation to call if they need anything.

There is something wrong though, for when Cassie and Bryan engage in erotic games, embraces, kisses, the man is moving away for a reason that we are soon to find out and would mark their relationship.

She has made a mistake and been unfaithful.

Ever since, it seems that Bryan has visions of his lover having sex with that other man and he is jealous.

At one point, the issue of “leveling the playing field „is brought out, with the idea that he may have to commit an infidelity.

Cassie is jogging in the forest near the villa, when she stumbles over something that may have been placed there intentionally – we could think that especially with hindsight, after we learn what is happening next.

As she can barely walk, she struggles to reach the road, where she tries to stop a passing car, succeeding to get support from a man driving a pick-up truck.

This is Federico aka the very good Riccardo Scamarcio, who would be able to take care of the injured jogger, knowing well what to do, that it is not serious, for after a short while the wound would look much worse, if something were broken.

He comes to the mansion, offers to take the couple to the small town nearby, later on he comes with a rabbit that he cooks so well that Cassie says any woman would melt in his arms…

Given the recent infidelity, Bryan is not too keen on the presence of this handsome foreigner and his intrusion into their holiday, but he does not want to be rude- well, until that would become necessary.

When in town, the two lovers have another conflict, the man walks to a bar where Federico joins him – supposedly there by chance, but we know by now that he has a nefarious plan.

He invites the American to drink, then he is offered a round and very soon Bryan is inebriated and although not enthusiastic when two young, alluring women enter the bar and salute their Italian friend, he is pressed by the other man.

The scheme is to get the rival out of the way and into an embarrassing, compromising situation and then walk on to the empty field and seduce or use other means to get to Cassie.

The nefarious, perverted Italian is watching monitors in a dark room, where he can see the couple everywhere in and outside the villa, as they undress, have sex…

After a hangover, Bryan arrives at the mansion and the two have an explanation, they decide to enjoy the time on holiday, especially since they know they love each other, so she is to prepare in the room, blindfolded, while he gets a bottle of wine from the cellar.

Only the door of the cellar is closed with the American man within and approaching, kissing, fondling, pushing Cassie is not her lover, but the loathsome Federico, who takes advantage of the blindfold.

As it happens in thrillers, Bryan does find a way out, making the lascivious intruder abandon his plan temporarily, but the man and woman have an argument because he thinks this is his partner cheating again and she has just seen the film of the threesome that was placed conveniently by the monster near her, on the bed.

The unite their forces against the criminal when they finally see that he wants to rape Cassie if necessary – actually it is rape already when she does not know she is not having sex with her lover, being blindfolded – and he would not stop at anything.

The fight that follows is deadly, only for reasons of spoiler alert it would not be mentioned here what happens, how many die and what the end is…only it needs to be said that there is an interesting surprise right before the credits roll.