When you sit down to watch a movie starring Dolph Lundgren, chances are that you aren't expecting a home-invasion thriller; you also wouldn't think that a third of it would be filmed found-footage style. Indeed, Stash House bucks initial expectations, but don't be surprised when it eases back into generic "under siege" territory. Lundgren plays a crook who's trying to gain access to a house that a young man (Sean Faris) has just bought for his wife (Briana Evigan). After the lovebirds discover heroin hidden in the walls, two men storm the house, which, as it turns out, is a highly fortified building. Soon, the couple discover that there's something else in their home that the burglars want -- and it could cost them their lives.
It's a good thing that director Eduardo Rodriguez ditches the security-cam POV from the first act of the film, since it comes off way too much like a gimmick. Otherwise, the helmer keeps a not-so-bad grasp on the tense proceedings, yet the movie never peaks too much of an interest besides a few intriguing set pieces. At one point, Lundgren opens up and makes the audience think that there might be something more to his character, but before you know it, he snaps right back to being a typical villain once again. If the film had broken just a bit more out of the box, that effort would have gone a long way…instead, Stash House will be locked away in due time, along with the many other home-invasion movies that mine the same territory.