Movie Review: Tau

Tau

Director: Federico D’Alessandro

Starring: Maika Monroe, Ed Skrein, Gary Oldman

Rating: R

Runtime: 97 minutes 

Netflix has had their share of amazing films (Okja, Beasts of No Nation) and its share of flops (looking at you Open House). There is plenty of original content that ranks between these, but I am happy to say that Tau is closer to the top than the bottom. 

Julia, played by Maika Monroe (It Follows), is a basic pickpocket that uses her looks to entertain men while she steals anything they have of value on their person. Quickly and swiftly Julia is kidnapped and placed in a veritable mansion that is owned by tech mogul, Alex, played by Deadpool’s Ed Skrein. Now hold on ladies, this isn’t another light BDSM movie. This house is fully equipped with a state of the art computer AI known as Tau, perfectly voiced by Gary Oldman. Tau does everything in the oversized house. Cleaning, cooking, and anything else you wish your Alexa could do. Tau also provides security for the premises using an impressive killing machine called Ares. Alex needs Julia for his research since he needs a subject that can generate real reactions and brain activity so Alex can complete the current project dubbed PSI. We can stop there. 

Tau (the movie, not the AI) manages to maintain its tone throughout and Julia’s interactions with Tau are the absolute highlights of the film. Aside from the club scene and Julia’s apartment in the opening, the film completely takes place in Alex’s concrete jungle of a house. We have seen this lifestyle before where the ultra-rich own a very uncomfortable home with everything looking like sharp edges and polished with $100 bills. 

Visually, the shortcomings show up within the first half hour when we first meet Ares and the nanobots that help Tau complete all of his tasks. They have the awkward look and unpolished feel of cheap CGI. They don’t seem to be able to blend with the setting like the upper tier CGI can do these days. Admittedly, I recognized this less as the film continued. This seems to be the only corner that was cut. Everything else feels right and within the unknown budget of Tau. Audio booms in the opening scene and then settles way down for the remainder of the film, only turning up at a couple of jump scare moments that may or may not work. 

For those who need their movies to keep pace and forego dull moments, you should give Tau a try. It has very few moments of slowdown and “stop to unload exposition” moments and coming in at a scant 97 minutes, it can be easily watched and digested. Tau has no business being any longer than this and I commend the director for realizing this. Watching a true smart house operate is quite fun and if the thrill of Julia’s adventure isn’t your thing, I promise there is a laugh or two in this movie for anyone.