ATM

I liked INCIDENT ON 459 so much, I read Chris Sparling's ATM.

This one was a disappointment.  I guess the theme is some violent acts are random.  Story's about three people that visit an ATM late at night only to become stuck inside when a homicidal man stands out in the parking lot, ready to kill them.

We never learn why the murderer wants to kill.  We never learn what this will accomplish for him.  We never learn anything at all about him except the fact that he works in a coffee shop.

His goal is to kill them.  Their goal is to survive.  There isn't any other layers to the script, no other subplots other than the fact that two of the ATM's inhabitants like each other.

That's pretty thin.  Certainly not enough to fill a film.  At least in PHONE BOOTH, the bad guy had a reason for doing what he does.

I doubt I would've recommended Sparling as a writer after reading this.  Good thing I read INCIDENT ON 459 first.  The guy has amazing skills, he just doesn't demostrate them in ATM.