I read a lot of reviews here before watching this film, but did anyway. One should heed the bad reviews as you won't get the time spent watching back.
The good reviews said to expect an art film. There are two kinds of art. Good and bad. This is bad art. It reinforces old perceptions without adding different perspective. Good art gives new perception, or new perspective on old perceptions.
Some of the film was okay. Decent suspense at times combined with truly creepy villains, but it gets lost in a sea of badness.
Pretty standard fare with sadistic abductors brutalizing and humiliating the victims, escape attempts, the "games" the villains wish to play (choose the method by which the chosen victim dies, etc.), nothing really to write home about. No real surprises there.
Then, we get to the end. The rewind sequence, the talking-to-the-audience-through-the-camera schtick (DONE TO DEATH!!!!), and the cycle begins anew at the neighbor's house. It all played out like Z-grade exploitation. Watts and Roth's talents are wasted in this film, but I understand they have bills to pay, too.
If you want a slightly more enjoyable and watchable indictment of media violence and celebrity, watch Natural Born Killers or SFW. Neither are great films, but at least they did not try to be "artsy".
The good reviews said to expect an art film. There are two kinds of art. Good and bad. This is bad art. It reinforces old perceptions without adding different perspective. Good art gives new perception, or new perspective on old perceptions.
Some of the film was okay. Decent suspense at times combined with truly creepy villains, but it gets lost in a sea of badness.
Pretty standard fare with sadistic abductors brutalizing and humiliating the victims, escape attempts, the "games" the villains wish to play (choose the method by which the chosen victim dies, etc.), nothing really to write home about. No real surprises there.
Then, we get to the end. The rewind sequence, the talking-to-the-audience-through-the-camera schtick (DONE TO DEATH!!!!), and the cycle begins anew at the neighbor's house. It all played out like Z-grade exploitation. Watts and Roth's talents are wasted in this film, but I understand they have bills to pay, too.
If you want a slightly more enjoyable and watchable indictment of media violence and celebrity, watch Natural Born Killers or SFW. Neither are great films, but at least they did not try to be "artsy".
Tell Your Friends