In the early 90’s, Dean Devlin went on a screenwriting hot streak. He wrote back-to-back-to-back films that exploded in popular culture: Universal Soldier, Stargate, and Independence Day. In the years since, Devlin released his share of stinkers as a writer, (Godzilla – 1998) and most recently as a director (Geostorm). Devlin is back behind the camera with his new horror/thriller, Bad Samaritan, and he brought a former Time Lord along with him. While Devlin’s recent track record gives me pause, I won’t close the door on the guy who wrote a movie where Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum take an alien spacecraft for a joyride.

After a jarring opening flashback, the camera settles over picture-esque Portland, Oregon. But in Lynch-ian fashion, the pleasant slice of American life is a façade masking the evil lurking behind closed doors. Robert Sheehan plays Sean, a talented but struggling photographer. Sean’s boyish good looks and charming personality landed him a lady but keeping her may be a problem. He’s not rolling in cash, his place is a dive, and he works as a valet to make ends meet.

Sean and his close friend Derek (Carlito Olivero) have a side hustle. They rob people who use their valet service. When someone drops off their keys, Sean or Derek races to their home, take their valuables and bring the car back. When Cale (David Tennant), a miserable prick with a Maserati leaves his keys, Sean feels justified in picking him clean. But once inside Cale’s home, Sean uncovers a shocking crime that he’s unable to stop. Sean can’t report what he saw without incriminating himself, but he feels too guilty to let Cale get away.

Bad Samaritan isn’t going to win any cinematography awards, but it keeps finding ways to grab your attention with its visuals. I enjoyed how the film plays with light. Christmas tree-type lights line the downtown roads and cast a beautiful golden shimmer on the rain-soaked streets. When the action moves indoors the film takes on a darker tone. As Sean creeps through Cale’s place, deep black shadows fill every corner and the darkness feels suffocating. There’s an awful sense that someone may lurch out of the shadows at any moment. Joseph LoDuca’s sinister score ratchets up the tension several notches. His moody, bass-heavy music will have your blood pumping before the inevitable jump scare crescendo tries to induce a heart attack. You couldn’t ask for better music in a thriller.

Tennant plays Cale as a petulant psychopath with a fiery rage hiding below his cold surface. For Cale, playing with a someone’s mind is sweeter than causing physical harm. He’s capable of anything at any moment but prefers playing the long game. Tennant isn’t physically imposing and doesn’t come off as menacing. Cale’s defining character trait is that he’s a dick (we never really learn what compels him). Even though Cale’s treachery drives the plot, he’s not much fun to watch. Which is disappointing considering what a magnificent bastard Tennant played as Kilgrave on Jessica Jones’ first season.

Cale may not be an interesting character, but he is an effective one. Once he kicks his villainy into high gear he’s cartoonishly effective – almost operating on a comic book villain level. Cale and Sean’s battle of wills is so one-sided that it robs Sean of agency in the story. It’s not a game of cat and mouse so much as a kid picking the legs off a spider.

Robert Sheehan is the film’s saving grace. There isn’t much to his character Sean on the page; he’s an ineffectual protagonist who keeps getting duped by Cale. But something happens once Sheehan steps into the role. His ebullient presence brings the stillborn character to life. And how great is it that they let him use his Irish accent in the movie? I lost interest in every other character but remained invested in Sean and wanted to see him come out on top. I’ve watched Sheehan light up the screen since his time on the UK “superhero riff” Misfits and I look forward to seeing him land a role that brings him mainstream success.

Bad Samaritan isn’t a good movie, but it is a good enough movie. It’s two hours of disposable entertainment you can sit back enjoy if you turn off the parts of your brain wired for logical thinking. Bad Samaritan has a lot going for it: A great premise, capable actors, and solid production values. It’s too bad that those great qualities didn’t translate to a great film. Bad Samaritan’s thinly sketched characters, dull villain, and wild leaps in logic hold it back from being great.