Jem de Blondeville (bloomfield-32301) Watched this on the UK horror channel. Iv'e ticked the spoiler box simply because i recommend you read all the other reviews with a rating of 1 or lower. There is not much wrong with the acting or cast if you like B movies. It's the ridiculous script and lack of plot, or comprehension of why the killer is killing, which is the real Killer in this film, and the ending, that isn't an ending, it's all so vague and disconnected and so frustrating, as after watching the film all the way through, i was hoping for some kind of logical or meaningful ending. I, unfortunately, was wasting my time.And all i felt at the end, was anger, that i'd wasted an hour and a half of my time, watching such a meaningless, and pointless film.

Scarecrow-88 Yes, "ATM" has a plot that needs to keep three people in the ATM vestibule but in doing so you make them the stupidest imbeciles. God, the sprinkler in the vestibule, it's position absurdly located. The chances to escape when the killer is preoccupied. As you will see mentioned time and again, parking the car so far away from the vestibule. The crap means to monitor activity in and especially *around* the vestibule. How Brian Geraghty is framed when enough evidence should verify his innocence in all but the murder of the poor customer in *the exact same parka the killer wears*. No other camera but one. And that camera appropriately condemns Geraghty. Oh, and because ATM vestibules are so predictable and easy to strategically fool, the parka killer can go into his storage room and chart out his diagrams to do this whole coordinated sociopathic shindig some more. Might be hard to find three dimbulbs as stupefying as Geraghty, Alice Eve, and Josh Peck to coordinate his attacks in the future. The three handsome leads work at a financial firm, with Peck the annoying tagalong who inserts himself into what could have been a nice ride home for Geraghty and Eve (both clearly like each other, but they have a hard time communicating it absent nervous awkwardness; Eve was leaving the firm; it's Christmas time). Peck is a cheapskate abusing his friendship with Geraghty by begging for a ride out of the way, urging him to stop at an ATM. Worse is Peck avoiding using his own card, taking time purposely so Geraghty would come to rescue. Eve follows suit, and all three find a creepy guy in a parka standing outside. Instead of the *three* of them walking past him and to their car, they hang out in the vestibule afraid of him. And the killer begins to f*ck with them for the rest of the night. As you might expect, the killer outsmarts them at every turn, capitalizing on their unwillingness to gang up on his ass. A security cop and guy walking a dog get their heads crushed by the parka killer. The convenient plot gives the killer the aforementioned customer in a parka stopping by the vestibule, surprising the three leads who is attacked immediately. The ATM camera capturing what happens *inside* while the convenient plot in no way identifies what might be going on outside. Rolled eyes ensue as we watch the killer do whatever he wants...and would again. No doubt a sequel would have found others as stupid as the three principles. Eve on Geraghty's shoulders trying to cut on the sparklers, her begging him not to leave her when Peck decides to brave the outside *alone*, the three of them with the chance to escape multiple times and yet always returning to the vestibule, it causes the brain to hurt. Siege plot really paints it's characters ineffectually. The killer does look ominous and intimidating in distance shots, silhouetted by the dark, with a savagery when pouncing on folks...his close-up face to face with Peck as he buries his knife in slowly in unsettling in its intimacy.

tieman64 "The bank, Mister Van Buren, is trying to kill me. But I will kill it." - Andrew Jackson The global economic crisis of 2012 gets its own horror movie with David Brooks' "ATM". The film opens with the Rosebuds' "Oh it's Christmas", a song which speaks of those who hope "good cheer will last forever". The film then inter-cuts gory outdoor murders with upbeat shots of David Hargrove (Brian Geraghty), a young man who enters the glittering towers of Starkweather Financial, a trading company at which he works. Such juxtapositions point to the film's chief theme: crimes are committed in the towers, but blood is spilt on the streets."ATM's" early scenes watch as traders and accountants mingle at an after-party. After a "hard day's work" losing the savings of ordinary Americans, they sip champagne and flaunt fancy suits and flashy cars. On one hand, Brooks treats these guys as stereotypical yuppies. They're cocky Masters of the Universe who reduce everything to sex, violence and finance. On the other hand, Brooks also sympathises with his cast. David feels remorse for crushing lives by proxy, his buddy Corey (Josh Peck) is himself having financial troubles and coworker Emily (Alice Eve) oft questions the ramifications of her occupation."ATM's" first act ends with David, Corey and Emily visiting an isolated ATM machine. Here they are accosted by a hooded man whose violence seems motiveless. At first glance, this assailant seems like your typical horror villain, faceless, spectral and existing only to deliver sadistic jolts. Slowly, though, he becomes emblematic of something more: the ordinary man projecting violence back onto the financial class. This villain doesn't only torture his victims, but forces them to experience the very faceless, remorseless, all-encompassing violence Starkweather dispenses from its towers."Because we didn't do anything wrong, we're supposed to be protected?" Emily asks David. Emily's words not only echo the sentiments of regular investors, who lost homes, fortunes and assets "for absolutely no reason", but point to a larger political point. Under capitalism, never-mind its insane financial subsystems, everyone is complicit in injustices and so fair-game to retaliation. In any system in which thousands of laws and bodies exist to sanction and sanctify countless modes of exploitation, indebtedness and servitude, nobody really deserves to be safe. There is a certain honesty or moral consistency to what the faceless assailant does in "ATM"."Most people know what they do," philosopher Michel Foucault once said. "Frequently they know why they do what they do; but few know what they do does." In "ATM", David and Corey don't view themselves as monsters. They're "just doing a job", "doing what's best for shareholders" and, like most, possibly believe that money is "super neutral" and "everyone profits or gets what they deserve anyway". Emily, however, sees things in a different light. Starkweather, she warns, is capable of tainting every decision one ever makes."ATM" was shot in 20 days. It is trashy, exploitative, overlong, filled with characters who act implausibly and wastes a good premise. On the flip-side, it is unpretentious, well acted and, like most contemporary junk cinema, has more to say about our world than its prestigious, big budget siblings. The film also makes good use of its simple sets and chilly fluorescent lighting. Elsewhere Brooks' symbolism is at times clever, with bank slips being used to plug bloody wounds, ATMs glowing like the totems of primitive religions, characters obsessing over "faith" whilst worshipping dollar deities, and banks becoming the last bastions of safety for yuppies whilst sharks circle outside. The film's assailant even fears entering the bank's ATM booth, as though held back by powerful fiscal spirits. The yuppies may own the buildings, but he owns outdoors. And time is on his side.Or so he thinks. "ATM" was released one year after the birth of the Occupy Wall Street movement, in which disgruntled citizens parked chairs and tents outside financial institutions very much like the hooded assailant does in "ATM". In the real world, however, the yuppies won. Undaunted, they stepped outdoors and swiftly kicked some serious proletariat buttocks.7.5/10 – Worth one viewing.

hollywoodlights1992 I'm not going to lie--I was nervous going into this film. Not because of a disdain for horror, mind you, I'm a fan of the genre, but rather due to the overwhelming amount of 1 and 2 star reviews the film has, combined with the appalling critical reviews of the film. I can safely say I'm glad I checked this film out, though. I'd be lying if I said the film didn't have a plot hole or two; or even moments that are downright stupid for that matter, but I enjoy it. One of the joys of being a horror fan is the diversity available to viewers. You're never locked in to what you have to watch, but rather what you want to watch. This film isn't "A Nightmare on Elm Street" by any stretch. This film falls more in-line with "Nightmare on Elm Street 2"--meaning it has a lot of promise but fails the execution in various ways. Being someone who grew up watching Josh Peck in programs like "The Amanda Show" and "Drake & Josh", I was expecting a standard performance by Peck. I was rather pleased when I discovered that in this film he curses, smokes, and drinks; a far cry from his early days. As for plot, the story is simple: three people are in ATM booth when a psychopath traps and tortures them. It doesn't cover any ground that "Phonebooth" didn't already tread, just with a campier and more horrific execution. Going into this film expecting it to be a masterpiece on par with the works of Hitchcock or Craven will leave you sorely disappointed. You'll find a much more enjoyable time can be spent with the film when it's properly acknowledged as a fun, slightly campy, yet dark and serious horror flick.