A controversial film because of the level of gore. The first time I saw it, about five years ago, it churned my stomach. I wouldn't say it's the most gory film I've ever seen, but it was extreme enough to disturb me. I've waited until now to watch it again. It shocked and disturbed me again, I admit, but not to the same extent. I was prepared. I knew what was waiting for me.
The following review contains spoilers. I normally try to avoid spoilers, but it's difficult to write about the film without going into the plot in detail. If you haven't watched this film yet and already intend to, read no further. If you're just curious what the fuss is about read on, after the picture.
Three American students are an holiday in Europe trying to get laid. With some success, some failures. In Amsterdam they're told that the world's most beautiful and most promiscuous girls are in Bratislava, Slovakia, so like any other horny young men they jump on the next train and head east. What they experience exceeds their wildest expectations. They go to a hostel where they share a room with three young girls.
But then the problems start. First one man disappears. Then the second. Finally only one man, Paxton, remains, and he has to search for his friends. He finds them, or rather their dead bodies, in a factory full of rooms in which people are being killed. He barely escapes death myself. As Paxton eventually finds out it's a sort of "holiday camp" where rich people go to discreetly torture and kill strangers. Amusingly the fee depends on the nationality of the victim: $5,000 for a Russian, $10,000 for a European, $25,000 for an American.
Gore apart, this isn't a bad film at all. It has a solid plot and is full of suspense. The gore might be what has made the film infamous, but it isn't gratuitous violence, it's always vital to the plot. I'll give it 4 stars for now, but I might revise my rating next time I watch it.
Glad to see you doing a review on this movie. I had been planning to do one myself but hadn't gotten around to it since I'm kind of unsure how to go about writing it. It may end up being...off-putting for readers but ah well. We'll see. I enjoyed this movie myself- probably not as much as the second film (for reasons I would think are obvious for those that know me well enough) but I enjoyed this film for it's depravity and it's almost realism. I mean this is a subject that seems very possible to many people that travel abroad. I know that my mother mentions it every time I even say a word about visiting another country (she'll basically site references where young girls were murdered, butchered, or went missing while being on vacation). It's almost like a bogy-man story at this point. I think where the fear comes in is not with the gore but with the fact that this is one of those things that we all fear may be true about a country that we visit and are completely unfamiliar with, the fact that it's a very real possibility and has happened (at least the part about people going missing in other countries) and what we wonder has happened to them? Perhaps "hostel" happened. Will we ever know?
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with you reviewing a film that I've already reviewed. As you've probably noticed I sometimes write about the same film twice. In fact, if it ever happens that you have a lot to say about a film I've reviewed I'd rather you write your own review than write a mega-sized comment.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the matter of strangeness when you're in a foreign country. Do you remember when the policeman asked Paxton where he was from? When he said "California" the policeman commented "You're a long way from home". It is very true. They say that all people are the same, but all countries are different. As someone who has travelled a lot I can verify that as soon as you enter another country you see things that are just "strange", even though the local residents take it for granted. It's not even a matter of distance. Compare two border towns on either side of the French-German border. Totally different. On the German side the gardens are immaculately kept, short lawns and flowers planted in rows. On the French side the gardens are overgrown with weeds and you'll see rusty bathtubs dumped in the front gardens.