Send Help Review: Sam Raimi’s Film Ft Rachel McAdams Is Every Honest Employee’s Intrusive Thoughts Coming True!
Send Help is directed Sam Raimi, director known for films likes Don't Breathe and Spider-Man trilogy. Read our review of his latest film here.
3.5 / 5
Hard-working employees are only expected to work harder. The credits? Well, what would they do with those? Promotions and appraisals can wait too. And god forbid, if the employee is a woman. The misogyny, power play and systematic oppression that female employees are still subjected to in a workplace is pathetic. Sam Raimi’s Send Help starring Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien takes up this subject and wraps it in a horror-thriller (what better genre?) that revolves around the boss-employee dynamics, not in a workplace but on a deserted island! It has moments that leaves us gasping for breath. Send Help may have several loopholes in its narrative but does that bother us from feeling exactly what the movie wants us to feel? I’d say a big NO! If you are still in two minds, here’s the much-needed review!
Plot
Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) is a simple and hand-working woman who works in the Strategy and Planning department of a massive corporation. She is that employee who a company considers an asset but when it comes to the actual rewards, she is ignored! The credits of Linda’s work are taken by one of her newly-joined colleagues. Linda is promised a promotion as the company’s Vice-President by her boss, but after his death, his young son Bradley (Dylan O’Brien) grants the position to another employee. On what basis? Umm, because they are college friends and golf buddies. Despite the humiliation, subtle misogynistic remarks from Bradley, manipulation and more, Linda agrees to prove herself yet again. A company trip to Bangkok turns disastrous, and it’s only Linda and Bryan who survive this. They find themselves stranded on a deserted island, somewhere in Thailand.
Here, the two are put through the real test of survival, and well, Linda is surprisingly equipped. When she is not working, she is watching a show called Survivors, and the techniques come handy! Several twists and turns follow as the two manage to stay alive on the island. The politics, power play, corporate hierarchies. of a workplace now begins to gradually unfold on the island but who has the upper hand here? You got to watch the film to know that!
What Blew My Mind?
The Screenplay
Send Help has several wow moments that remind you of Sam Raimi’s brilliance as a director once again. What starts as a simple story of a woman struggling to get her work and worth seen in a corporate culture suddenly turns into a story of resilience, rage, survival, and other dark horrifying themes one wouldn’t have imagined. The tragedy that ends up leaving Linda and Bradley stranded on a deserted island is engrossing. I found myself gripping my seat which is proof of how experiential the scene is. Send Help is not a movie that will keep you on the edge throughout but it strikes when you least expect it to.
The screenplay has a vast range, shifting seamlessly from quiet, calming moments of two humans opening up about their darkest fears while enjoying a bonfire to showing you the most gut-wrenching boar hunting scene. The twists don’t overpower the story, instead they amp up the fun leaving us feeling curious, tense, disgusted, grossed-out, angry and oddly happy!
While there are horrifying elements where you scream and shut your eyes in fear, it’s still not the scariest part of them. What actually scarier is the realisation of what it takes to survive in a rather unfair world!
The Realities Of A Corporate Culture
“Don’t ever mistake my kindness for weakness,” is a hard-hitting line that every honest employee will instantly connect with. Also, the conviction and the timing with Rachel McAdams’ Linda delivers the dialogue is praiseworthy. Now, this story could be about any two people stranded on an island, but to make it about a boss and his employee only adds a spicy flavour to it, and we’re here for that!
It’s darkly funny how Bradley doesn’t give up his nepo-boss, bratty, seniority complex, misogynistic man behaviour the first few days he is stuck on the island. While Linda is trying to keep them alive, Bradley’s priorities are still not in the right place. The bossy nature is so deeply embedded in the man that he isn’t ready to let go of it even when his life depends on someone else. There are subtle digs at how some problematic life lessons are normalised or rather romanticised in our daily lives. There’s a quiet satisfaction in watching bosses get the taste of their own medicine. The subtext shines through when Linda casually shares the most popular human survival philosophy with Bradley which is to “Stay Positive”.
The film has striking moments that highlights the misogyny women face in a workplace. However, Send Help’s narrative moves beyond a gendered lens to become a broader story about employees who are exploited by the corporate systems in return for nothing!
Also Read: Marty Supreme Review: Timothée Chalamet Starrer Intense Sports Drama Exceeds Expectations And How!
The “NO HELP” Is Coming Message
As a working woman, it’s safe for me to say that there are days when I come back home feeling defeated and on such days, it’s only a pep-talk to myself that keeps me going. Linda felt most relatable in scenes where she is hyping and motivating herself while crying her eyes out. Or when Linda enjoys a glass of wine while preparing her office lunch, and reminding herself of the promotion, the comfortable life, and the happiness that she truly deserves! Another thought-provoking moment in the film happens when Linda states the harsh but honest truth: “No help is coming, so you better start saving yourself.”
Performances
Rachel McAdams truly shines in the film. Linda’s character arc is compelling, and McAdams does absolute justice to convince us about the sharp turns that her character takes throughout the narrative. The actor is effortlessly funny when the need arises and she makes us feel second-hand embarrassment too in her awkward conversation with the boss during the first few minutes of the film. But what left me in awe of Rachel McAdams craft is how she handles Linda’s descent into insanity with so much precision and nuance. It almost feels that Rachel McAdams too believes in Linda’s motives and fully understands the past that shapes her into the peculiarly strong woman!
Dylan O’Brien as Bradley (well, I’ve described his bossy nature enough) is just the right amount of manipulative, annoying and bratty. The actor never oversteps into caricature or turns the character into a dramatic parody of a sickening boss. Some of his close-up shots are still fresh in my mind!
Also Read: Mercy Review: Chris Pratt’s AI Courtroom Drama Forgets To Be Thrilling Or Smart
What Lacks?
In the bigger picture, Send Help is an intriguing horror-thriller cum survival story that plays with one of the most delicate and important dynamics of the corporate culture. However, while the “wow” moments are efficient, some of the narrative intricacies aren’t stitched well. It leaves room for various questions of how, why, where, what, but this ambiguity can also be considered as a deliberate attempt to leave us with thoughts about the film long after the credits roll!
It’s not exactly a complaint but the climax feels rushed and a little undercooked. The film suddenly drops from the highs it sets for itself and the dip is noticeable! Sam Raimi, as the director and producer has delivered some of my favourite films in the horror-thriller genre, namely- Don’t Breathe, The Evil Dead and The Gift, and while I specifically do not categorise Send Help in those classics, the film does make itself worthy of a one-time watch! The film is releasing on January 30, 2026 in theatres.
First Published: January 29, 2026 3:45 PM
