Black Butterfly is practically a two-man show in the middle of the woods starring Antonio Banderas and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers.  Banderas plays Paul, a writer who has isolated himself to forge forward on his latest draft. Rhys-Meyers plays Jack, a prickly drifter who creates anxiety for those around him.  An altercation brings the pair together, leading to an unconventional bond over Paul’s writing.  Jack’s visit, however, takes a sharp turn as the duo exchange power over heated confrontations.

I wouldn’t describe Black Butterfly as predictable, but everything is expected.  What does that mean exactly?  It means that when a plot point drops, the audience anticipates the follow-up but the delivery still throws us for a loop.  Either way, it leaves little to the imagination.  Even the attempts to twist the story into knots can be foreseen since hints are laid as subtlety as falling encyclopaedias.

At the very least, director Brian Goodman (What Doesn’t Kill You) has made a satisfactory home invasion thriller that is bound to satisfy anyone who has been previously seduced by self-contained mind-trips (ala Secret Window or The Strangers).

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie