‘Unit 234’ Review – Cat And Mouse With Nuance And Edge

Unit 234 begins a straightforward cat-and-mouse movie. When the owner of a storage unit facility finds herself in the wrong place/at the wrong time, the bad guys put her on the run. This is a familiar concept, and the movie explores its premise but does something clever. The story takes a subversion and becomes more poetic about personal justice and revenge. Complete with a gripping performance, this is a tightly paced thriller that delivers a heartwrenching tale of loss and gain.

When a group of criminals comes to collect the contents of a storage unit, the owner finds herself in a cat-and-mouse game. Laurie (Isabelle Fuhrman) runs her family business. She works the graveyard shift as a gang of criminals led by Jules (Don Johnson) arrives. She discovers a man, Clayton (Jack Huston), tied to a gurney and missing a kidney. Laurie sets him free, believing they are attempting to harvest his organs. Escaping, they are pursued throughout the night by Jules and his crew. While Clayton initially seems innocent, Laurie soon discovers he is hiding a secret. 

As the chase with Jules and the crew intensifies, Laurie discovers Jules’s more complex motivations, driven by a personal need for revenge. While the film offers little reinvention, the pacing is gripping. The story may be a tad over the top, but the performance grounds it. Here, Fuhrman and Johnson excel by bringing an air of complexity and grit to the characters of Laurie and Jules, respectively. 

We meet Johnson, a stereotypical high-class criminal with an entourage and a Mercedes. By the film’s end, Jules is much less a one-dimensional character but instead a complex one. His character is much less a black-and-white construct but instead lies on a spectrum of gray. Here, Johnson creates a character who can be equally terrifying and sympathetic. 

The same is true of Fuhrman. Her character is given agency to react in ways that feel relevant to the story. She is far from a damsel-in-distress, but instead a character like Jules, who, while more morally centered, is put on a journey of self-discovery as the mystery unfolds. 

The film works in tandem, first by weaving an element of mystery that unfolds through the character’s eyes instead of a simple information dump. The situation unveils itself in clever ploys that never feel contrived. Second, a psychological underpinning guides this story out of the realm of a straightforward cat-and-mouse thriller. The tale deftly puts the audience in the shoes of the characters of Jules and Laurie. This is done in part to examine the justification of actions, but moreover allows for the audience to question in their own way: what would we do in this situation? 

Unit 234 does not bog down in providing the audience with a definitive answer, which is the film’s strength. The movie cares less for a perfect conclusion or firmly establishing who the ‘bad guy’ and ‘good guy’ are. The film speaks to the complexities of humanity and the decisions people make for good or ill. 

At its core, this film is less about a high-stakes game of cat and mouse and more about a story of revenge. Unit 234 weaves a narrative about the cycle of ongoing violence that never distracts from the intensity. Part of the film’s strength is its simplicity. The story takes place over a single night. It offers a snapshot into their character’s motivations without the need to provide an abundance of exposition or neatly tie up the loose ends by the end. 

Unit 234 is a surprise from the start; there is an expectation that the film will be a fun but empty thrill ride. The story begins with the former approach and successfully hooks the audience for the ride. Still, by the second act, the film deliberately switches from a thrill ride into a complex morality play. The story is better for it, and so is the audience.

Unit 234 will debut in select theaters and On Demand on May 9, 2025, courtesy of Brainstorm Media.