Across the Hall

Across the Hall (2009) is Alex Merkin's mystery thriller, available to watch online on iFILM. A phone rings deep in the night: Terry tells his friend Julian he has tracked his fiancée to a run-down hotel, locked himself in the room across the hall with a revolver, and is ready to do something he can't take back.

Julian begs him to sit still and races across town to head off disaster. The closer the night gets to its breaking point, the less certain anything becomes — the film scrambles its timeline, cuts scenes short, and keeps forcing you to reread what you thought you had figured out. Mike Vogel and Danny Pino play the two friends, with Brittany Murphy as the woman the whole knot tightens around.

It is pure neo-noir: cramped hotel corridors, cold light, paranoia building across a tight 93 minutes. This is one for viewers who like chamber thrillers with a hidden floor and an ending that flips the board. It also stands as one of Brittany Murphy's final roles. Stream Across the Hall (2009) online on iFILM.