THE GATES Review: James Van Der Beek's Final Film, Taut Suburban Nightmare That Confronts Racism Head-On

Have you ever accidentally wandered into a sketchy neighborhood?

 

Maybe you took a wrong turn during a road trip or went on a walk that went a little too wayward. That experience can be pretty terrifying and, as such, has served as the foundation for a number of horror movies, including Wrong Turn, Deliverance, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. But what if you happen to wander into an idyllic neighborhood, one adorned with big houses, well-manicured lawns, and fancy cars?

 

The new Lionsgate thriller The Gates exposes that unintentionally finding yourself in wealthy suburbia may be just as, if not more, dangerous than stumbling into a shady part of town.

 

From writer/director John Burr (Legend of the Muse), The Gates follows three Black friends (Mason Gooding, Algee Smith, and Keith Powers) who take a shortcut through a gated community on their way to a party. While struggling to navigate an exit from this community, the friends approach the home of a pastor (James Van Der Beek), but, rather than find help, they unexpectedly witness a murder. Suddenly, the trio become targets for the residents and a corrupt police force, forcing them into a battle of wits and for survival.

 

Following the likes of The Knife and The Intruder, The Gates is the latest in a run of contemporary thrillers that position racial tension and bias front-and-center. Burr’s film makes this known early on by introducing a trio of Black friends with different perspectives on race relations.

 

Mason Gooding’s Derek holds a more optimistic and simplified view, believing that, if Black men like themselves simply ‘play by the rules,’ then they will avoid mistreatment from white-dominated authorities. Algee Smith’s Kevin, conversely, takes a more oppositional approach and, rather than be unwaveringly kind and patient in the face of discrimination, is comfortable voicing his concerns. Finally, Keith Powers’ Tyon is more agnostic about it all and chooses to keep himself out of Derek and Kevin’s debates. 

 

The racial tension in Burr’s film exists prior to any significant developments in its narrative, as the leading trio reflect radically divergent viewpoints on how to approach racism. The effectiveness of their approaches are put to the test in the most extreme of ways as they soon find themselves trapped in a wealthy, all-white neighborhood.

 

Do they trust the system and talk their way out of the problem? Do they need to take a more aggressive approach and flee no matter what? These questions linger over The Gates and give the film a sense of tension, not only between its protagonists and antagonists, but among its three protagonists as well.

 

Leading the charge against the friends is James Van Der Beek, making his final appearance in a feature film following his unfortunate passing recently. Van Der Beek plays Jacob, a local religious figure well adept at spewing and weaponizing religious scripture to get what he wants. The late actor brings a quiet menace to his character, a formidable antagonist with the police in his pocket and the charisma to weave himself out of a tricky situation.

 

Van Der Beek’s character Jacob, desperate to cover up evidence of a crime he has committed, sets an entire gated community out to hunt for and silence the young men. Burr does well to convey his protagonist’s confinement to the audience, framing the opulent neighborhood like a dark outdoor prison one can’t escape from.

 

Every home houses yet another white person, who, more than likely, buys into Jacob’s skewed narrative and is determined to bring the men to justice. Nowhere is safe for them, even if they are able to initially bond with an elderly local (played by Texas acting legend Brad Leland) over a shared love of cars and sports. 

 

The result of such a set-up is a tense, taut, and contained thriller. The fateful night takes a number of twists and turns as the trio seek to survive and escape, but Burr ensures that the film remains grounded and never dips too deeply into the implausible, with the exception of a sequence involving a house party in the third act. This is a smart call from the filmmaker, as taking his story in increasingly wild and heightened directions would not only detract from its intensity, but also from the potency of its racial commentary.

 

The commentary in question, while a little heavy-handed at times, is largely effective at provoking thought and anxiety. Mason Gooding’s lead character Kevin is introduced as a Black man living in another wealthy neighborhood, with aspirations to go to law school after completing his undergraduate degree at an Ivy League institute. Keith Powers’ Tyon, meanwhile, is a star football player desperate to avoid another run-in with trouble in order to retain his college scholarship. And Algee Smith’s Kevin works at a car dealership and manages to steal a nice car so that he and his friends can embark to a party in style.

 

The widely different backgrounds of the three men, yet their similar maltreatment at the hands of authority figures and white residents, convey an important message: that being Black, mixed-race, or a person of color, regardless of one’s upbringing, profession, or presentation, is a universally significant determinant of one’s safety.

 

Burr’s film strikes a solid balance between popcorn thrills and relevant commentary. Independent of its racial themes, The Gates would still be an engaging thrill-ride, filled with tense moments. But adding the racial angle to the mix renders the film far more interesting and topical. It’s rare that a film comes around that thrills and moves you in equal measure, but it certainly does that. For as nail-biting as it is to track these three young men’s fight for survival, once the credits roll, it leaves one contemplating the state of the world and, hopefully, will spark important conversations among viewers.

 

Despite Mason Gooding’s performance at times feeling unnatural, the film nonetheless impresses with its depiction of male adult friendship. Derek and Tyon have been friends since elementary school but have grown more distant in adulthood. Tyon and Kevin have known each other since high school and bond over their more frivolous interests. But Derek and Kevin don’t get along, in part due to the aforementioned conflict of their perspectives on race relations.

 

Burr’s script succeeds in fleshing out each of the men as unique characters and surprisingly, aided by solid work from Gooding and Powers, tugs at the heartstrings as well. While juggling racial themes and a suspenseful plot, the film also manages to strike an emotional chord by depicting how friendships evolve over time, what we’re willing to do to keep those friendships alive, and why they’re important to maintain.

 

By couching relevant, albeit heavy-handed, racial commentary in a tense and contained thriller, The Gates operates effectively both as a cinematic thrill-ride and thought-provoking endeavor. Maybe next time you take a wrong turn on a road trip, you’ll think twice about just how safe you are in seemingly idyllic neighborhoods.

 

The film opens Friday, March 13, only in select movie theaters, via Lionsgate Premiere.