The Price We Pay (2022) starring Emile Hirsch, Stephen Dorff & Gigi Zumbado / Z-View

The Price We Pay (2022)

Director: Ryuhei Kitamura

Screenplay: Christopher Jolley

Stars: Emile Hirsch, Stephen Dorff, Gigi Zumbado, Vernon Wells, Tyler Sanders and Erika Ervin.

Tagline: Reap what you sow.

The Plot…

A pawn shop robbery goes sideways when Alex (Hirsch) gets gun crazy and kills the owner.  Grace (Zumbado), an innocent bystander, is forced to drive the crooks away in her car.  Although Cody (Dorff) assures Grace she’ll be released unharmed, she isn’t sure Alex feels the same.  Hours later when Grace’s car breaks down on a country road, Grace, Cody and Alex walk to the only house around.  They convince a teenager to allow them to stay in his grandfather’s barn.  Grandpa should be home soon.  What Cody and Alex don’t realize is they are no longer are the ones to be feared…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I’m a fan of the crime/horror genre. The Price We Pay has a nice set-up with an interesting cast.  Stephen Dorff is always good. The more I see of Emile Hirsch, the more I like his crazy characters. Gigi Zumbado is new to me, but I expect we’ll be seeing more feature roles in her future.  Vernon Wells is scary as the crazy Grandpa.  Erika Ervin as Jodi is even more frightening.

With all this praise so far, you may be wondering why did I only give  The Price We Pay a “2” rating.  It’s because the director goes way over the top with gore.  Of that I’m not a fan.  Some gore is okay, but I prefer the worst of it be left to the imagination.  So, if you’re a gore-hound adjust your expectations accordingly!