Grand Piano is a masterful thriller from director Eugenio Mira who channels his inner Hitchcock with a nerve shattering tale of man who quite literally has to play the concert of his life. Elijah Wood plays Tom Selznick, the most gifted pianist of his generation who gave up on performing due to his stage fright. Five years after a catastrophic performance, Selznick makes his long-awaited return in front of a packed theater. But only moments before his comeback performance, he discovers a note written on his music sheet: “Play one wrong note and you die.” Truly a setup that the Master of Suspense himself would appreciate.
The film starts off simple enough as Selznick makes his highly anticipated return behind the piano with a tribute concert to his recently passed teacher. After a few deep breathes Selznick begins to play, hitting the first deadly note in a concert that will test not only his skills as a pianist, but his will to survive. Once the playing begins, director Eugenio Mira unravels a gripping story that moves a breakneck pace, only slowing down when it counts the most.
There’s so much to like about Grand Piano, but one of my favorite elements of the film that sets itself apart from anything else in the genre is the way that it infuses Victor Reyes’ score with Selznick’s playing, incorporating original pieces with intense arrangements by Beethoven and others. The way Mira blends the score with the intensity on screen as Selznick plays at a furious pace is absolutely brilliant, bringing this one to life in such a powerfully magnetic way that you might find yourself wanting to listen to classical music when all is said and done—just as long as no one is pointing a gun at your head.
But it’s so much more than just a thriller with an inventive score. Mira may not be a household name, nor has he directed very many features, but he is without a doubt a master at his craft as he demonstrates just the kind of power that a director truly has over a film. Most of the film is shot in real time on a stage, so Mira had to be creative with the camera in order to create the kind of tension that the film needs. He did this by delivering some clever shots of the stage that would be tilted at a crazy angle, or spin around Selznick as he played. These unsettling shots coupled with blood red lighting in the background gives this film an Argento-like feel to it, turning this one into a class of its own. Mira doesn’t stop there though as he magnificently drops in a scene with one of the coolest split screen shots that I have ever seen. It’s something you just don’t see very often in cinema these days, which made me appreciate Mira’s thriller that much more.
And beyond its brilliant direction and stunning score, the film is rooted in two fantastic performances from both Elijah Wood and John Cusack, who’s malevolent voice taunts Selznick from beginning to end. Cusack makes a fun villain who, throughout most of the film, is hidden in the shadows with nothing but a red dot to remind us of his presence. Wood, however, is the one who truly shines here as if that would surprise anyone. Luckily for us horror fans, Wood found a comfortable place in the genre where he continues to turn out quality work with Grand Piano being just another incredible notch in the belt.
Even when the film finally winds down, Mira leaves us with one final note, a note that will leave you wanting more as the credits begin to roll. Grand Piano is, in one word, masterful. Mira displays amazing skill behind the camera with a tale of pure thrills that grabs you by the throat only to let go when the final key has been struck.
themissingreel.com 
Holy shit! I’ll be watching this one tonight!!
That’s a fantastic choice! Hope you like it. Pure entertainment with this one.
One of these days I might beat you to a first run review, Ryan, lol. How did you view this, with VD?
I watched this as soon as it released yesterday. So excited to check it out! Yea, I watched it on Itunes.
How much was it? It’s $9.99 on Amazon.
Same on iTunes. That’s about as cheap as I could find it in HD.
ok thanks
I’m gonna see if I can watch this one over the weekend; had no idea it was out!
Just released! Hope you dig it, man!
Yeah, I just finished watching this, and I don’t think I liked it quite as much as you, but enjoyed it nonetheless. I loved the first two acts, but felt it came a bit unraveled in the 3rd act – which is typically the hardest part of a film to execute. And honestly, I am not sure I quite understood what happened there towards the end. Things weren’t very clear to me.
But it wasn’t enough to spoil the movie for me b/c I liked so many of the other aspects you mentioned in your review. I just think the mystery angle created such a tense suspense and when you take that away without raising the intensity, as was the case here in the 3rd act, it’s going to fall flat. Still, definitely a film I would recommend b/c the premise is so clever and I thought a lot of the scenes were a lot of fun to watch.
Good review! 🙂
Awesome, Gary! Really glad you liked it. I see what you’re saying about the 3rd act, it got a little clumsy, but by that point I was so immersed in it that I didn’t care at all.
Yeah, that’s how I felt about “High Tension”. Last 10 minutes I was like “WTF?” but I didn’t care b/c up until that point it gave me an experience like no other horror film ever did.
That’s a great comparison. The ending of High Tension is batshit lol. Amazing film tho.
Awesome! So glad that this lived up to the hype and the trailer. Will definitely be checking it out as soon as I can get my hands on it out here. Good review man.
It really did man, and then some! Hope you get to see it sooner rather than later. Thanks!
Is it me or am i the only one who believes that mr. Frodo has a long way ahead in his carrier so that he’ll be able to act in such demanding rolls…I don’t know, he had some good moments in this one but i didn’t like him for the roll!!
John Cusack was O.k. and the direction of Eugenio Mira was the best part of the movie for me!!
I loved what Mira did with the camera in this one, saw a lot of stuff that not a lot of other films are doing these days. The split screen shot was cool as hell! I like what Elijah Wood has contributed to the genre so far and I hope he keeps it up because so far he’s been a lot of fun to watch. Cusack I thought could have been better, but overall I thought they all did great.
Thanks for stopping by!
Bizarre…and I understand why it received very mixed reviews. The interpretation of the end was left up to the reader. It probably meant that the *right* note at the end (although he couldn’t hear it due to piano damage) unlocked the *key* or the secret to the mystery. Another twist to bewitch at the end.