It didn’t take long for No Good Deed to drop the third word from the title. The opening sequence juggles a series of coincidental scenes: Manslaughter convictee Colin Evans (Idris Elba) being escorted to his parole hearing, protests outside the parole hearing, and live reporting exposition telling us the protests are from relatives of murder victims Colin was tied to, but not convicted for.
Wait. Just wait. This wasn’t some panel on Fox News where you can openly slander anyone you please; this was a “real” news cast, with a live reporter on scene, no less. Look, I don’t know about you, but where I am in Oakland, the police and the D.A. don’t just walk around telling the public, “this guy killed so-and-so but we can’t prove it, so do make his life uncomfortable whenever possible.” We also don’t protest parole hearings. Executions, maybe, but parole? C’mon. You kinda have to wait for bad news before you get all up-in-arms about it. We also don’t mention on air crimes that a convicted felon hasn’t been found guilty of. That’s, huh, what is the word I’m looking for? “Irresponsible?” “Actionable?” No, STUPID. Just plain stupid. NOBODY DOES THAT.
And, you know what? It’s irrelevant. We don’t need to know he’s a serial rapist to know he’s dangerous. What, we weren’t gonna take him seriously after he escapes custody by killing two guards? That strangling of the ex-girlfriend … that was all just fun ‘n’ games, huh? Just some spirited hijinks.
Let me pause a sec to describe the parole hearing, which was a study in semi-acceptable camera work. At first, it looks like Idris is gonna go free; actually, it doesn’t — I was kinda hoping for latter Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption and got former Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption. That’s when the guy on the end (Frank Brennan) threw out the term 
“malignant narcissist” like he invented it. That’s not quite right — see, his syntax and delivery was so poor, I thought he had invented it. It was like watching an 8th-grade boy trying to pass at a frat party.
All of this idiocy, including an unnecessary car crash, exists to get Colin together with our heroine, Terri (Taraji P. Henson), a mother of two, currently alone in the rarest of rare, a secluded and heavily forested urban dwelling. Oh, and it’s night and raining. Terri is a former Assistant D.A., specializing in putting rapists behind bars. I’m gonna let that sink in while I tell you about how she opens her door at night to a complete stranger.
I’m sorry, she’s a prosecuting attorney?! And a specialist in rape/murder?! And she doesn’t have any idea about this convicted felon who has escaped and is tied to a girl in her home town? Can’t say it hasn’t been on the news, including all of the rape/murder crimes they couldn’t convict him for. This is a bad film, and it’s on the unforgivably bad side.
In No Good Deed, there’s a scene in which a white cop is shot dead because he has not taken enough caution with the black man he’s pulled over. Given the state of the country right now, this isn’t just bad art; this is irresponsible. Everything we see and read in the news is about abuse of police power, especially when it comes to enforcing laws broken by black men. And here, your little POS film is emphasizing the idea that more brute force is needed. Gosh, if only that cop had shot first or brought a slew of other skull-bashing cops with him, then everybody would be safe. I’m not saying you’re not allowed this opinion, but, seriously, could your timing be any worse? You already got so many things wrong … geez.
Idris Elba is a good actor; I’ve seen that on several occasions. But his Mandela did nothing for me and his Colin Evans is just kind of embarrassing. Everyone who reads this knows how I feel about Tyler Perry; I’d rather have seen Tyler Perry as Madea in this role just to see what he’d do with it instead of Idris.
♪Stranger in the night
There could be malice
Hiding out of sight
Beware his phallus
He’ll be sharing you
Before the night is through
Something on the screen I’m not enjoying
Something in the script is so annoying
Something on my watch told me I am through♫
Rated PG-13, 84 Minutes
D: Sam Miller
W: Aimee Lagos
Genre: The land of bad choices
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: The thrill starved
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: ACLU
♪ Parody inspired by “Strangers in the Night”
