# Inheritance (2020 film)
**Inheritance** is a 2020 American thriller directed by Vaughn Stein and written by Matthew Kennedy, starring [Lily Collins](https://www.edgepedia.org/lily-collins) as a New York district attorney who inherits a family secret in the form of a man imprisoned in a bunker beneath her late father's estate. The cast also includes [Simon Pegg](https://www.edgepedia.org/simon-pegg), Connie Nielsen, Chace Crawford, Patrick Warburton, and [Michael Beach](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-beach).[1](https://tribecafilm.com/festival/archive/inheritance-2020) The film was scheduled to premiere at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival and was released on digital platforms in the United States on May 22, 2020, by Vertical Entertainment.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/inheritance_2020) • [3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-05-21/inheritance-review-lily-collins-simon-pegg)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer | Vaughn Stein; screenplay by Matthew Kennedy[1](https://tribecafilm.com/festival/archive/inheritance-2020) |
| Cast | Lily Collins, Simon Pegg, Connie Nielsen, Chace Crawford, Patrick Warburton, Michael Beach[1](https://tribecafilm.com/festival/archive/inheritance-2020) |
| Festival premiere | 2020 Tribeca Festival, Spotlight Narrative section (world premiere)[1](https://tribecafilm.com/festival/archive/inheritance-2020) |
| US release | Digital and on demand May 22, 2020, via Vertical Entertainment[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/inheritance_2020) |
| Runtime | 111 minutes per the Australian Classification Board and The Numbers; the Tribeca listing gave 105 minutes[4](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/inheritance-3) • [5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Inheritance-%28Vaughn-Stein-Directed-Thriller%29) • [1](https://tribecafilm.com/festival/archive/inheritance-2020) |
| Australian rating | MA 15+, consumer advice "strong violence", classified 13 August 2020[4](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/inheritance-3) |
| International box office | $180,488, led by Hong Kong ($109,707)[5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Inheritance-%28Vaughn-Stein-Directed-Thriller%29) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Lauren Monroe (Lily Collins) is a rising district attorney who has built her career as a public servant despite the expectations of her wealthy and powerful New York family.[1](https://tribecafilm.com/festival/archive/inheritance-2020) When her father Archer ([Patrick Warburton](https://www.edgepedia.org/patrick-warburton)), a wealthy money man, dies suddenly, the will leaves his son William ([Chace Crawford](https://www.edgepedia.org/chace-crawford)), a congressman facing re-election, $20 million, while Lauren receives only $1 million.[6](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/inheritance-movie-review-2020) Lauren also receives a flash drive and a set of keys leading to a hidden bunker on the family estate, where she finds an emaciated man (Simon Pegg) chained to the wall, who calls himself Morgan.[1](https://tribecafilm.com/festival/archive/inheritance-2020) • [6](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/inheritance-movie-review-2020)
According to the synopsis published by The Numbers, Morgan had been secretly imprisoned by Archer for the last 30 years; Lauren quietly nurses him back to health as he reveals dark secrets about her family, and she realizes too late that she has become entangled in a web of lies and manipulation that puts the whole family in jeopardy.[5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Inheritance-%28Vaughn-Stein-Directed-Thriller%29) The Tribeca program synopsis frames the story as Lauren being torn between protecting her father's sinister past and exposing the truth in the name of justice.[1](https://tribecafilm.com/festival/archive/inheritance-2020)
## Production and release
The film was produced by David M. Wulf, Richard Barton Lewis, and Arianne Fraser, with production companies including Convergent Media, Highland Film Group, and Ingenious Media.[1](https://tribecafilm.com/festival/archive/inheritance-2020) • [4](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/inheritance-3) Michael Merriman was the cinematographer, Kristi Shimek the editor, and Marlon Espino the composer.[1](https://tribecafilm.com/festival/archive/inheritance-2020) Stein had previously worked with Simon Pegg on the 2018 thriller *Terminal*.[7](https://moveablefest.com/vaughn-stein-inheritance/)
**Release.** The film was due to premiere at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, which was postponed amid the coronavirus pandemic.[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-05-21/inheritance-review-lily-collins-simon-pegg) It went out on digital and on demand in the United States on May 22, 2020, from Vertical Entertainment.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/inheritance_2020) Internationally it opened wide in Hong Kong on June 18, 2020, in South Korea on June 25, 2020, and in Portugal on October 9, 2020 (as *O Legado*), with a limited Spanish release as *La herencia* on September 2, 2021.[5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Inheritance-%28Vaughn-Stein-Directed-Thriller%29) In Germany, Constantin Film released it on DVD and Blu-ray in 2020 with a runtime of 111 minutes and an FSK 16 rating.[8](https://constantin.film/home-entertainment/inheritance/) The Australian Classification Board rated it MA 15+ for strong violence on August 13, 2020.[4](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/inheritance-3)
## Reception
The film drew largely negative reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the critics consensus reads: "A would-be thriller that waits far too long to embrace the daffy potential of its bizarre premise, this Inheritance should be steadfastly refused."[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/inheritance_2020) Nell Minow, contributing editor at RogerEbert.com, gave it 2 of 4 stars and called it "a script that didn't think past the trailer," while judging it watchable for its premise, settings, and confrontations.[6](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/inheritance-movie-review-2020) The Guardian's Ellen E Jones called it a "preposterous and paper-thin New York thriller" and noted that nothing resembling action occurs until well into the final third.[9](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jul/02/inheritance-review-new-york-thriller-dead-tycoon-daughter) The Los Angeles Times' Katie Walsh described it as a B-movie in prestige clothing that is "certainly never uninteresting, and at times, even fun," with Collins "110% committed to the role."[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-05-21/inheritance-review-lily-collins-simon-pegg) NME's review framed the film as "'Room' meets 'Succession' in a nonsensical trap door thriller."[10](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/inheritance-review-2700283)
**Box office.** Because the film went straight to digital in the United States, its theatrical earnings came from a handful of international territories: The Numbers records $180,488 in total international box office, of which Hong Kong contributed $109,707, Portugal $53,927, South Korea $15,331, and Spain $1,523.[5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Inheritance-%28Vaughn-Stein-Directed-Thriller%29)
## Similar titles
Several other films share the title or a closely related premise. *The Inheritance* (2020), a horror film directed by Chad Barager and Kevin Speckmaier, follows a woman who inherits a mansion in [Eastern Europe](https://www.edgepedia.org/eastern-europe) and uncovers a disturbing family secret.[11](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-inheritance-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc01mzi1ndi) A separate 2025 thriller also titled *Inheritance*, directed by Neil Burger and starring [Phoebe Dynevor](https://www.edgepedia.org/phoebe-dynevor) and [Rhys Ifans](https://www.edgepedia.org/rhys-ifans), follows a woman who learns her father was once a spy and becomes the target of an international conspiracy.[12](https://app.powster.com/ifcfilms/inheritance/us/home/)
## References
1. [Inheritance, 2020 Tribeca Festival archive](https://tribecafilm.com/festival/archive/inheritance-2020)
2. [Inheritance (2020), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/inheritance_2020)
3. [Katie Walsh, "Upper-class struggles plus horror don't add up for 'Inheritance'", Los Angeles Times, May 21, 2020](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-05-21/inheritance-review-lily-collins-simon-pegg)
4. [INHERITANCE, Australian Classification](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/inheritance-3)
5. [Inheritance (2020), Box Office and Financial Information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Inheritance-%28Vaughn-Stein-Directed-Thriller%29)
6. [Nell Minow, Inheritance movie review, RogerEbert.com, May 22, 2020](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/inheritance-movie-review-2020)
7. [Interview: Vaughn Stein on Passing Down the Unexpected in "Inheritance", The Moveable Fest](https://moveablefest.com/vaughn-stein-inheritance/)
8. [Inheritance, Constantin Film](https://constantin.film/home-entertainment/inheritance/)
9. [Ellen E Jones, "Inheritance review – preposterous and paper-thin New York thriller", The Guardian, July 2, 2020](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jul/02/inheritance-review-new-york-thriller-dead-tycoon-daughter)
10. ["'Inheritance' review: 'Room' meets 'Succession' in a nonsensical trap door thriller", NME, July 1, 2020](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/inheritance-review-2700283)
11. [The Inheritance, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-inheritance-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc01mzi1ndi)
12. [Inheritance, Official Website, IFC Films](https://app.powster.com/ifcfilms/inheritance/us/home/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2020–2022 films › Released 2020 to 2021*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license