Unit 234 imagines a unique scenario. You walk into a storage unit, where there’s a stranger locked to a gurney and he has stitches in the area where his kidney would be. There’s also a group of menacing men in the facility lurking around and trying to get to him – and the leader of the pack has a bad, bloody cough. Your mind races to the natural conclusion: organ harvesting.
This is what happens to Isabelle Fuhrman’s Laurie who needs to help Clayton (Jack Huston) avoid the clutches of Don Johnson’s Jules and his men. It also doesn’t help that the weather conditions are terrible, so this action thriller turns into a gripping cat-and-mouse chase – until it doesn’t.
The story is the juice
As it stands, Derek Steiner’s script introduces something different to the genre. This takes place in a storage facility – which when you think about it is the perfect place to hide a neutralized party or body for later misdeeds. It’s an unexpected and shocking setup, proving to be something that no one could have planned for. Also, as mentioned before, the weather conditions add an extra layer to the danger element, as Laurie and Clayton navigate seemingly insurmountable odds after they’re trapped in.
However, Unit 234 uses familiarity to disarm the viewer before it pulls out the rug from everyone and alters the course of the narrative’s trajectory. Here’s the thing, though: the film never lies to you about what’s going on. In fact, upon second watch, you want to slap your head over how you missed certain hints thrown into the mix by director Andy Tennant.
Don Johnson, Jack Huston, and Isabelle Fuhrman know their roles
The nature of the narrative twist changes the way you look at the characters, so the film required strong actors to manipulate the audience’s sympathy. Fortunately, Unit 234 has that in Don Johnson and Jack Huston. Both actors are equally adept at playing heroes and villains, while also operating in the grey zone that keeps viewers wondering about their true intentions. Your emotions seesaw as the plot reveals itself and more information about Jules and Clayton becomes clearer.
The glue here is Isabelle Fuhrman. Her character gets caught up in this, unintentionally. Laurie wanted to celebrate her birthday with her long-distance boyfriend, but after being let down by a work colleague, she had to cover the shift. Despite having every reason to padlock the gate after the first hurdle and say, “Not today, Satan,” she holds strong morals and values. Yes, she becomes a pawn in this story, but Laurie remains true to herself. It’s the subtle parts of Fuhrman’s portrayal that endears her to the viewer, as she’s the inherently good protagonist everyone wants to root for here.
Is Unit 234 worth watching?
At just under 90 minutes in length, Unit 234 gets in and out in one piece, telling a thrilling and tight story with enough twists and turns to keep genre junkies satisfied. It’s also another reminder that Hollywood has been sleeping on Isabelle Fuhrman for way too long. While she’s fantastic as Esther in the horror franchise Orphan, she has impressive acting chops and deserves to be considered for all the biggest roles.
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Unit 234 |
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When a group of criminals comes to collect the contents of a storage unit, the woman running the storage facility has to play a game of cat and mouse to escape with her life. |
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| Studio: Fat Larry Productions, Productivity Media, Type Street Productions, Red A Entertainment, Brainstorm Media |
| Running Time: 1h 26m |
| Release Date: May 9, 2025 |
| Cast: Don Johnson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jack Huston, James DuMont, Christopher James Baker, Manny Galan |
| Director: Andy Tennant |
| Writers: Derek Steiner |
| Genre: Action, Mystery & Thriller |
| Box Office: N/A |
The Review
Unit 234
Unit 234 is a tense thriller that's not short on excitement or twists.
Review Breakdown
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Verdict
