I don't understand the negative reviews (rating 1 or 2) - this movie got fine acting, pro production and a fine twist + a thought provoking idea/story. Best if you watch this one without reading too many reviews - I watched this one without knowing anything about the movie but Jessica Biel was involved and didn't see the end or resolution of the movie coming. Read the synopsis and if it sounds interesting to you - watch.

Pascal Laugier's The Tall Man is one of the more interesting thrillers of the last decade, and is almost the cinematic equivalent to a roper dope. It's leads us down one path and appears to be headed in that direction, and suddenly veers off in an intriguing detour into territory you'd never expect it to venture. It's not so much a twist as it is a paradigm shift in the core of the story, which leaves some in the dust and confused, but worked very well for me. In the dilapidated, worn out northern town of Cold Rock, children are going missing, disappearing into the night without a trace, and with only one clue: a foreboding 'tall man' that some folks reported seeing on their land, or lurking in the forest. The Sheriff (William B. Davis) is hopeless, and even the fed they call in (the great Stephen Mchattie) is perplexed. When waitress Julia Denning's (Jessica Biel, fiercely deglammed) child is snatched in the night and kidnapped by this fiend, she desperately pursues him in an excellent sequence as he careens down the highway in an ominous van. He escapes with her boy, and she is left to piece together what has happened to the youngsters of Cold Rock. I won't say anymore as it would ruin the plot, but it goes to some really unexpected places, and I dare you to guess the outcome. There's also great work from Vancouver actors Garwin Sanford, and Jodelle Ferland as a mute girl who figures in the mystery. Director Laugier is famous for his grisly, panic attack inducing shocker Martyrs, which features an equally compelling story arc. Although he tones down the brutality here, that 'anything goes', serpentine style of plotting still prevails, to the films advantage. We find ourselves confounded that point A is so radically different from point B, and what's more, we enjoy the journey getting there as well. That unique narrative blueprint, combined with gorgeous British Columbia photography and a chilly, unsettling atmosphere makes for a thriller that smacks genre conventions right in the face, and aims wholeheartedly to entertain us.

I just saw this 3 year old film today, watching it twice. It is an amazing film, giving the initial illusion of being a horror picture, but gradually revealing it to be a suspense-drama. Jessica Biel gives a bravura performance I had no idea she was capable of. There are more twists and turns than any 10 films combined. And while some of the reviewers who panned the film thought it sanctioned an evil idea, the ending, which was perfect, was far from an endorsement. It leaves the viewers with a lot to think about and discuss. Extremely clever take on how the road to hell can be paved with good intentions. Makes my top fifty out of over the nearly 3,000 films I have seen in my 74 years.

I rarely give movies from the 21st century 10/10 stars, mainly because of bad acting, CGI and soundtrack that just can't compare to movies of the 20th century. But The Tall Man has everything from brilliant acting to an original story.Filmed on the opposite side of where I live in Canada, The Tall Man has British Columbia scenery that looks simply amazing. I won't give away too much of the plot; basically a small mining town is slowly but surely fading away and children go missing all the time. A nurse, Julia, begins investigating when her own son goes missing, and the urban legend of the "tall man" turns out to be something no one expects, especially when it turns out that Julia isn't the innocent mom she pretends to be.Combine Sinister (2012) with Wicked Little Things (2006), and you'll get somewhat the themes in The Tall Man. It was so great to see my favorite actor, William B. Davis, in a role as Sheriff Chestnut, the mining town's police officer. I really missed the Cigarette Smoking Man when the X-Files was cancelled so it was really cool to see him in a role in this movie. I loved the story, it wasn't scary so much as interesting and compelling, and it was the most original movie plot I've seen in a while.The soundtrack was pretty good, not to mention the Canadian scenery (I'm Atlantic Canadian but B.C. is a beautiful place and a great film location). At the ending, the movie sort of leaves a lingering sadness behind and I am glad to have bought it on DVD.I highly recommend this movie, it's definitely worth watching and one of the best movies of 2012 in my opinion.