There’s something just genuinely eerie about a storage facility. Hundreds of locked doors with private contents down endlessly cold hallways just leaves itself open for intrigue. And now, Unit 234 wants to unlock its potential danger.

Directed by Andy Tennant, Unit 234 tells the story of Laurie (Isabelle Fuhrman), a young woman who spends her days (and nights) working the desk in her family’s 24h storage facility. However, after the arrival of a mysterious ‘client’ (Don Johnson) leads to the shocking discovery of Clayton (Jack Huston), an unconscious man in one of her locked units, Laurie is thrown into the middle of battle to save the life of a man she doesn’t know from a ruthless gang. That is, of course, if she can survive the night herself.

With a spirited heart, Unit 234 proves itself to be a fun and surprisingly well-executed thriller that plays well in its single-location sandbox. While a storage facility has more space than other films of this nature, Tennant manages to make the most out of his limited room. Here, every corner is meant to hold potential threat, despite all looking the same. Strangely though, this works to the film’s favour. As one can’t always tell the aisles apart from one another, neither can one always tell where the killers are, adding to the film’s sense of urgency.

When we first meet Laurie, we find her to be caught between moments in her life. Burdened by her past, she feels responsible for the storage facility in a way that keeps her from moving forward. Yet, at the same time, she wants to lean into the next stages in her life. She wants to travel and settle in with her man. Enjoy life. Stepping into her mid-20s, she’s struggling to make sense of her world and what it means for her. (“It’s your quarter-life crisis’,” she’s told.)

But her world is upended by the arrival of Clayton. Suddenly, the relative safety of her workplace is shattered as she chooses to offer herself as the hero to protect him. In these moments, Fuhrman steps up her performance. She’s energetic, committed and fuels her performance with a bit of an edge. Having starred in Orphan films and The Hunger Games, the actress has the necessary experience to take the lead and she does so effectively.

This is the sort of film that relies on twists and turns and Unit 234 does have some genuine surprises within its locked units. Without giving anything away, Steiner’s script knows what it wants to do and manages to hold itself together in moments that are designed to shock the audience.

And Tennant’s film prides itself on those moments.

After all, Unit 234 wants to play with our sensibilities of heroes and villains. Things aren’t always as they seem within these walls. As character motivations are revealed, our perceptions (and assumptions) are always able to be repositioned. Unit wants us to call into question what it means to be the ‘good guy’ in this world and, for the most part, it does so effectively.

 

However, in that spirit, if there’s a flaw to Unit, it’s simply that some of the dialogue doesn’t always work. Although the film action is firing on all cylinders, there are moments when the script simply doesn’t match the intensity. (For example, referring to the storage units as ‘a box of chocolates’ is meant to feel like a cool, pop culture reference but simply doesn’t work.)

Admittedly, the weaknesses in dialogue are noticeable but neither do they ruin the experience. Fuhrman’s performance is furious fun and, for those who are willing to go along for the ride, there are enough surprises in this storage facility to make us curious what’s locked inside the next unit.

Unit 234 is available on VOD/Digital on May 9th, 2025.