The film pairs Jackson with Luke Wilson, a man who has had a very bad day. Not only has Wilson’s character, John, lost his job at a local real estate business, but when a stranger "breaks down" in front of his house, what starts off as a bit of good samaritanism ends up with John being dragged alongside Richie (Jackson) as he goes on a strange killing spree.
At first, John doesn’t see the stranger for what he is. The somewhat charismatic attitude of Richie, combined with the weak-willed, "go along to get along" feelings of John, keeps Richie in control and it isn’t until Richie pulls Tammy (Peyton List), a woman from John’s former workplace, into the situation that John begins to realize just how dangerous he is.
Meanwhile, the trail of bodies that is following Richie and John leaves the cops to believe that Wilson’s character has snapped and is on a rampage. They interview John’s wife, Joanie (Leslie Bibb, GCB) and his two kids, but they seem to stand with John and don’t believe he is responsible for the deaths.
Don’t watch Meeting Evil expecting to have all of the loose ends tied up nicely in a bow. There are still questions unanswered and it has a somewhat open-ended conclusion, but Richie does seem bent on one thing in particular, pulling John out of his comfort zone in the most brutal way possible. The question is, can John break out of his shell enough to save his family, when it seems that Richie has targeted them?
Meeting Evil is an unusual tale that, as I said above, leaves the viewer with a few questions left to be discussed. It’s hard to fully recommend this film because it has the feel of trying to be artsy for the sake of artsyness, but I don’t think many film students or their teachers will even find this movie all that satisfying. At most, Meeting Evil is a rental, but it is hard to recommend even that much.
