ReviewThe Invisible Guest movie review: Chinese remake of hit Spanish murder mystery is painfully incomprehensible

The locked-room murder is a classic of the mystery genre. It has enough to entertain viewers without adding a Usual Suspects-style interrogation stand-off

In trying to put his spin on a remake of a Spanish-language film that is self-knowingly absurd, Chen Zhuo has produced a plot so convoluted as to be baffling

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Janine Chang in a still from “The Invisible Guest” (category IIB; Mandarin), directed by Chen Zhuo and co-starring Greg Hsu.

Published: 6:15pm, 10 Jan 2024

1/5 stars

The locked-room murder is a classic format of the mystery genre, tackled by such titans of the craft as Edgar Allan Poe, Agatha Christie and Seishi Yokomizo. All have been drawn to the apparent impossibilities of solving a crime committed within the confines of a sealed space from which there is seemingly no means of escape.

Many of the best examples, from Murder on the Orient Express to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, have transitioned comfortably to the screen, and continue to inspire filmmakers like Rian Johnson (Knives Out) and Chen Zhuo, who hopes to continue this proud tradition with The Invisible Guest.

While not adapted from an established crime novel, it is a remake of Oriol Paulo’s 2018 Spanish-language film of the same name, a twisty thriller that revels in the escalating absurdity of its revelations.

Chen’s film ups the ante even further, intertwining the locked-room premise with a Usual Suspects-style interrogation stand-off. But in doing so, it becomes so convoluted and confusing it threatens to choke its audience out.