By Kam Williams

As an adolescent, Sean (Robert Sheehan) moved with his mother from Ireland to Portland, Oregon so that his stepfather could take a construction job. Seven years later, Sean has become an aspiring artist who is eking out a living parking cars at a trendy restaurant.

He and a fellow valet, Derek (Carlito Olivero), devise a plan to burglarize the homes of the well-to-do customers while they’re dining. The scheme seems like an easy source of money, since most people hand over all their keys when they check their vehicles.

Unfortunately, the pair didn’t consider that they might break into the house of a homicidal maniac who was in the midst of a killing spree. That’s precisely what happened the night they decided to rob Cale Erendreich (David Tennant), whose multimillion-dollar mansion was just minutes away from the restaurant.

As soon as their mark enters the restaurant, Sean drives off in Cale’s Maserati, and reminds Derek that he is the lookout that night. While he is ransacking the home, he stumbles upon a young woman (Kerry Condon) who is bound and gagged in a soundproof room.

Before he has a chance to help her, he gets a call from Derek letting him know that Erendreich has finished his meal and is impatiently waiting for his automobile. So, instead of freeing the woman, Sean leaves without taking anything. Of course, it doesn’t take Cale long to figure out who was in his house while he was dining.

That is the intriguing point of departure of Bad Samaritan, a riveting thriller reminiscent of suspense classics Psycho (1960) and Silence of the Lambs (1991). Directed by Dean Devlin (Geostorm), the film features a talented cast that has expertly executed a captivating script that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

The movie is an old-fashioned cat-and-mouse thriller with a frightening villain that is certain to haunt you long after you’ve left the theater.

Excellent (****). Rated R for violence, drug use, pervasive profanity, and brief nudity. Running time: 111 minutes. Production Studios: Electric Entertainment. Distributor: Electric Entertainment.