If it was the end of the world, a good way to spend it is with John Goodman.

The burly actor with a lot of presence seems trustworthy on screen, so if the end of the world came, it would be good to have him by your side as any or some of the characters he’s played.

However, as Howard, in thriller 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016, USA), Goodman is less his burly, trustworthy, likeable self, as a man whose motive isn’t clear.

Can you trust him?

Michelle and Emmett accidentally find they are in Howard’s underground bunker.

Howard tells them that they are safe in his underground bunker from a chemical attack that has contaminated the air and killed many people.

Is this the end of the world?

Whether or not he is telling the truth is a question at the top of their minds. Michelle and Emmett don’t know a thing.

Immediately, you would think that Howard is an abductor and his story a fabrication.

What exacerbates Michelle’s mistrust is when she hears a car overhead from the underground bunker which may mean people are alive outside.

Interesting matters?

A shadow of doubt is thrown over Howard, but is this interesting?

Will creepy Howard, who is so certain that the world is under attack, make Michelle and Emmett obey him, to keep them safe?

Has Howard gone off the deep end? Can they trust his judgment? What if he is right?

It becomes obvious that he is disturbed even if he is telling the truth or not. It comes down on the side of feeling sympathy for him, as you should for a John Goodman character.

10 Cloverfield Lane is a snug-fitting companion piece to Cloverfield (2008).

There is sympathy for Michelle and Emmett. It builds up to scenes of true suspense, around where it becomes clearer what is going to happen—then a tad predictable.

Warnings—violence, brief coarse language

Notes: John Goodman (Howard), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Michelle), John Gallagher, Jr. (Emmett); Dan Trachtenberg (Director)