David Brooks
ATM - Trappola mortale

You start giggling (quite a bit) right from the first scenes. "He," the loser (a Brian Geraghty who flaunts a magnificent dumbfounded expression throughout the film) can't do anything right: his job sucks, he enjoys having uninteresting conversations with a kid ("The Other") who constantly lives on his shoulders, and he loses the power of speech when he tries to hit on a coworker ("She"). The dose of bad luck, which until now is quite evident, that haunts the protagonist (nominated for the "raining hammers and blazes" award of 2012) doesn't seem to stop. Quite the opposite. It will follow him to the most dangerous place in the world: an ATM kiosk.

Yes, indeed. The ATM is a dangerous place for several reasons. First off, because it doesn't have heating. Secondly, because it's placed where any ATM should be: in the middle of nowhere. Last but not least, it's evidently a magnet for maniacs dressed in the latest "Urban Legend Style" fashion.
David Brooks, the debut director of this "ATM," goes to great lengths to create a minimum of tension in the film. But he fails miserably. The reasons? Here they are.
The acting of the three protagonists generally hovers around the "barely tolerable" in the moments of pause or reflection. Imagine when the legendary trio attempts (in vain) to convey tension, anguish, and horror to the viewer. What a torture. Also due to a laughable screenplay, and boring, which certainly doesn't help viewers keep their jaws dropped.

Let's now proceed to analyze the film based on the aforementioned "bad luck" of the protagonist.

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First of all, the brilliant idea of stopping at the only ATM hunted by a maniac. But okay, one might reply, it's a horror film. And indeed, that's fine. But shall we talk about everything else? He's the only one in all of New York without a coat. He falls in love with a woman who will end up getting killed (obviously without even having managed to kiss her), thanks to his banana feet. He strangles an innocent mistaking him for the killer (of course messing up entirely) and, beware of the grand finale, he will be arrested as the MAJOR suspect of the whole affair. Does that give you the idea of this poor guy's unlucky aura?

ATM, as already mentioned, fails on all fronts.
Splatter? Nein.
Tension/anguish/fear? Nada de nada.
Sociological/political critique? Nì.
Plot twist with a surprise ending? Absolutely not! Because, brace yourselves, the killer is... (I’m borrowing this from my friend Roby)... a maniac! WOW! Holy crap. Motivation for all this carnage? Not available.
Action? (the man falling off a cliff) Noooooo! (puff).
So? What remains after watching this film? Nothing, absolutely nothing. The sensation of a good subject thrown away. A missed opportunity. A film that tastes like nothing.
To be avoided.

P.s. Can you explain to me why, in horror movies, every time someone asks for help (and inevitably the loser patrolling alone arrives) the cop parks the car kilometers away from the place to reach? Let me explain better. There's an ATM. There's a completely empty parking lot. And there you are, cop (read also "cannon fodder") arriving with your nice car. The normal thing would be to park a few meters from the bank kiosk. Right? But no! You, very smart cop, park the car 40 km away, just in time to take a nice walk towards the kids who shout: "HELP!" "CALL FOR BACKUP!" "WATCH OUT FOR THE MANIAC!" And you? "WHAT?, GUYS, I CAN'T HEAR YOU! SPEAK LOUDER!" But idiot! Park closer! Otherwise, the killer comes and kills you, which inevitably happens. Chapeau!

THE LINE: “Who is this man? Who did we kill?” “Someone who just wanted to withdraw.”