Since Beauty and the Beast came out to a smashing debut last weekend, I figure I’d shed some light on the dashing fellow who played the beast, Dan Stevens. Although he doesn’t have the biggest filmography I figured I’d review the movie that put him on the map.

The Guest (2014) is a thriller set in the modern day that does a great job of harkening back to the classic ’80s thrillers we love. Dan Stevens plays the mysterious soldier David, who just came back from his tour in Iraq and ends up inviting himself into his dead friend’s home. At first you really don’t know what to think of David as his character gives a sort of weird and creepy vibe but slowly throughout the movie we learn more and more and this movie ends up keeping you entertained throughout.

David ends up forming bonds with every family member and manically works his way into the family dynamic. Stevens plays David with such suave and charm that you can’t help but like his character whenever he is on the screen.

The thing I really love about The Guest is that it doesn’t rely on the action to build the story but it uses it to help it. There are two really amazing scenes that stand out in this movie to me. One of them is a bar scene where Stevens absolutely shows to me why he should be in the running for the next James Bond as he is so suave and cunning and shows how awesome of a character David is. The other scene happens toward the third act and it’s a stellar action shootout.

The Guest also boasts an amazing electronic soundtrack that totally reminds me of one of my favorite movies of all time, Drive. The soundtrack really enhances every single scene and even acts as a character on its own in the movie.

Stevens, as I said earlier, kills it in the role of David as he brings many layers to the mysterious character. Maika Monroe is really good as the kind of edgy teen who is trying to figure out who David really is. And Lance Riddick is great as the military police officer trying to catch David.

In the end, The Guest combines everything I love about movies into one. As it is smart, creative, different and has a killer soundtrack. The Guest combines a bunch of different genres and really flourishes in doing so. Director Adam Wingard did an incredible job of keeping the character of David very ambiguous and he also gets a killer performance from Dan Stevens to back it up. All I can say is that The Guest satisfied my need for a movie that is out of the box and innovative. I really cannot recommend checking this movie out as I guarantee it will not fail to entertain you.