REVIEW: Out-of-Tune Thriller ‘Strung’ Fails to Hit the Right Notes

Strung is the latest directorial effort from Malcolm D. Lee, who is probably best known for helming the overly criticized but still pretty bad Space Jam: A New Legacy. But he is not without talent, having delivered crowd pleasers like The Best Man and Girls Trip, the cult comedy Undercover Brother, and the underseen roller skating drama Roll Bounce. 

Strung stars Chloe Bailey as Laila, a classical violinist with dreams of playing in the philharmonic. When Audra (Lynn Whitfield) offers her a job as the live-in music tutor for her granddaughter Zuri (Romy Woods), Laila thinks she’s found her path to success.

Audra and her pregnant daughter, Imani (Anna Diop), are as strict as can be regarding Zuri’s upbringing, but Imani is the widow of the late rap mogul RGB (Pardison Fontaine), which means she pays Laila well and has meaningful connections in the music industry. Imani’s new husband is also well-connected in the industry, though he’s traveling on business when Laila starts the job.

Strung could have afforded to lean heavier on the horror. 

Well, maybe not business business. When Imani’s husband, Marcus (Lucien Laviscount), finally shows up, Laila is horrified to discover he’s the man she had a one-night stand with shortly before accepting the position. And as Laila is repeatedly expected to take on more and more non-musical responsibilities for Zuri, she can’t help but shake the feeling that her employers are hiding a bigger secret.

Does it have something to do with the mysterious comments that Audra keeps making? Or the mysterious comments that Imani keeps making? Or the mysterious comments the family’s cook (Lebo Mashile) keeps making? Or the mysterious comments made by the woman (Donna Biscoe) always standing across the street from Zuri’s school?

Strung is a Blumhouse co-production, and it’s certainly being marketed as a horror film, but there’s nothing particularly horrifying about it. Rather, this is more of your standard made-for-TV thriller fare, particularly of the over-the-top Lifetime variety. And while Lifetime thrillers tend to get a bad rap, they can be plenty of fun when done correctly.

The story grows dull quickly despite an interesting premise and a solid cast.

Unfortunately, being produced for streaming means Strung doesn’t have many of the basic guardrails that keep Lifetime thrillers in check. Made-for-TV movies have a built-in basic structure. The pacing can’t drag, or it’ll lose the viewer’s attention during the commercial break. The runtime can’t go on too long because another program is set to start at the top of the hour. Which means you never get too long or too boring. The same cannot be said for Strung.

The film is actually a lot of fun once the tension gets going. But Strung can’t manage that tension until its climax, which doesn’t get going until more than three-quarters of the way into the two-hour film. That’s meandering dialogue and predictable drama for more than ninety minutes! There’s something to be said about series that manage to roll credits by the ninety-minute mark and throw in plenty of twists and turns along the way.

Screenwriter Alan B. McElroy, who was also initially set to direct, is a legitimately talented television writer. So it’s a bummer that the basic structural issues he’s facing here are ones he’s clearly competent at navigating in other settings. And it’s disappointing that the film spends so much time circling nothing when there are clearly things worth exploring.

Chloe Bailey has the talent and charisma, but Strung fails to meet her at her level. 

The film touches on some meaningful commentary on class, though not nearly as successfully as it could. The music element, which is central to the premise, is largely an afterthought in the actual plot, despite the fact that it’s so central to the film’s marketing that they ditched the original title in favor of something more violin-adjacent. And even the relationship between Laila and Zuri — the only watchable part of the first two acts — barely gets the exploration it deserves.

Despite this, the cast’s strength is undeniable. Chloe Bailey clearly has the talent and charisma to navigate leading a film. Lucien Laviscount is endlessly charming even (and perhaps especially) when he shouldn’t be. And Anna Diop and Lynn Whitfield are so effortlessly glamorous that audiences shouldn’t have a problem understanding why Laila would want to cling to this life despite how weird and mysterious and murder-y it all gets. This ensemble is clearly giving it their all here, getting little in return, and they deserve a better movie than Strung manages to be. 

Strung is streaming now on Peacock.