The Factory is Generic But Enjoyable [Review]

This week I decided to check out Morgan O’Neill’s The Factory. It was originally made in 2008 but wasn’t released on DVD until 2013. How unfortunate!

This film follows the fixated detective Mike Fletcher and his partner Kelsey Walker. For some time, the two have been on the case of a serial killer who abducts young prostitutes. One day, Mike’s emotionally driven teenage daughter, Abby sneaks out to meet her older boyfriend who works at a diner. After Abby’s boyfriend breaks up with her, she leaves the diner and is abducted by this mysterious hooker killer named Carl. Abby was abducted because she looked like a prostitute. Not joking.

The surprising thing about Carl is that he works at a local hospital and has been stealing drugs for over three years. Three years! And no one noticed a thing. He would steal supplements and fertility treatments. Why? Because psychopath Carl abducts these women to impregnate them so he has his own baby factory. Seems ridiculous, pointless and lame to me but, OK. If girls are unable to get pregnant Carl throws their bodies down a well in his basement. Lucky for Abby she’s already pregnant by her older ex-boyfriend.

I absolutely loved the opening of this film, it had an awesome vibe and a great start. The actors all turned in great performances. John Cusack plays Mike Fletcher, Jennifer Carpenter plays Kelsey Walker, Dallas Roberts plays Carl, our hooker killer, and Mae Whitman plays Abby, our whiny teenager. Remember when Mae Whitman played in Hope Floats with Sandra Bullock and she was such a little brat?? Ugh. I laughed when her Dad drove off and left her. Ha!

In the beginning, the relationship between Mike and Kelsey really bothered me. It was like there was nothing between the two of them, even though they have been partners for a good while. However, once the film was over, I then had a better understanding.

What I didn’t like about the film was how no one suspected Carl until 90 of the 104 minutes of the film’s runtime had elapsed. There wasn’t a high level of suspense, which is unfortunate because the story line is pretty good. However, the ending did feature a surprising twist, which made up for the lack of tension throughout.

My biggest complaint is that Kelsey kept staring at the camera as the ending credits started rolling. I rolled my eyes so hard. Seriously, stop.

Overall, this film is far from perfect and it doesn’t offer anything brand new but I still really enjoyed it. The Factory is definitely worth a watch for those who love a good serial killer thriller.

Related: The Scariest, Most Overlooked Aspects of Real-Life Serial Killers 

WICKED RATING: 5/10
Title: The Factory
Director: Morgan O’Neill
Writer(s): Morgan O’Neill, Paul Leyden
Stars:  John Cusack, Jennifer Carpenter
Year: 2008/2013
Studio/ Production Co: Dark Castle Entertainment
Budget:  $25,000,000
Language: English
Length: 104 Minutes
Sub-Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller