Score: 0.5/5 
The murder-mystery movie plot line is one of the most successful out there.
With the suspense of “whodunit” can leave movie-goers at the edge of their seats, waiting for the end result.
However, “The Loft,” based on the 2008 Belgian film, “Loft,” directed by Erik Van Looy, takes the murder-mystery plot and ruins it with ill-fitting music, stiff acting and dramatic camera pans. Not to mention, the script itself is one immoral action one-upping a worse immoral action.
The movie’s premise focuses on five married men played by Karl Urban, James Marsden, Wentworth Miller, Eric Stonestreet and Matthias Schoenaerts who share an exclusive, secret loft to fulfill their fantasies. Until the day a dead women is found in the loft’s bed. Since the five men are the only ones with access to the loft, tensions rise to figure out who’s responsible.
It’s not the storyline that is the problem, it’s the execution.
All of the actors in the film are established in the industry, so it would be assumed the acting could be what saves this movie. But, through the entire film, the actors deliver lines like they’re in a “Terminator” film. Every scene can be described exactly like the previous one—men walking furiously in trenchcoats.
The dramatic music accompanies the bad acting with many scenes ended with an orchestra of angry violins and cellos paired with a sweeping camera pan. All of this created a bad soap opera effect. The only thing left is someone to bring up family issues and drug problems. Don’t worry, that’s also thrown in there to add insult to injury.
Along with the technical aspects, the script itself takes an idea that could be well delivered and tears it apart.
The script bounces back-and-forth between present and past. Every time the present story advances, it’s matched with a flashback to give the audience a better understanding.
Since the movie focuses on extramarital affairs, there’s no way to create a good guy since every character is held responsible.
But, about 30 minutes into the movie, the immoral actions start to become ridiculous. The writing tries to create sympathy for the characters by making their marriages look unbearable, however, the group’s sins outweigh any marital problems they may have.
The positives of this movie? The opening credits.