Sorry everyone - not managed to do anything for a few months. Will try and catch up and get a new re...
Sorry everyone - not managed to do anything for a few months. Will try and catch up and get a new review on soon. Hope all is well x
Member since:07.11.2006
Reviews:20
Members who trust:14
I like British films. It sounds like I should be saying that in a self-help group…I’m Jayne and I like British films, and then some bloke with a beard and leather patches on his tweed jacket will congratulate me in making the first step towards recovery.
Anyway, there we are, I like British flims and I like Danny Dyer. Yes, he’s a cockney wide-boy who plays a similar character in almost every film he’s been in, including The Football Factory and The Business, but he is funny, and a damn good actor.
I had high expectations of this film. It was billed as Deliverance meets The Office, and while it didn’t quite live up to these expectations, it was, as Barrymore would say, “Alwight”.
The film was directed by Chistopher Smith, and you have to admire the way that comedy (and there are some very funny lines courtesy of Dyer) has been worked into what is, as times, a scary and gruesome film. This film has all the ingredients of a good horror film – but somehow it just doesn’t quite hit the mark. It’s no flop don’t get me wrong, but it’s still a long way from greatness.
The story revolves around a group of stereotypical British office workers, and a blond American girl, who have been plucked from their desks and sent off on a team-building exercise in Hungary. From watching the first five minutes of the film
you can tell which ones will live and which ones will die…it’s so obvious…have a go and see if you’re right.
We have the David Brent-type character of Tim McInnerny (Blackadder, Notting Hill), Richard, who is leading the group, from the firm Palisade, the UK arm of an American arms company, whose selling antics have been quite prosperous in the part of the world the team are visiting. He says some cringe-worthy lines like “I can’t spell success without you” Other characters include Jill, a weapon designer, Maggie, a cool American, Billy, who is in love with Maggie, Gordon (Andy Nyman) the over-enthusiastic office geek, Toby Stephens as Harris, the smart, cool executive and Danny Dyer as Steve, the IT guy who likes to get high. In fact, he is soon getting off his head on magic mushrooms, making for some comedy moments that raise a smile, if not a belly-laugh. For example Danny Dyer who, when asked if he’s ever taken anything seriously, replies, “Yeah, ecstasy and weed.”
The film opens with a sequence of a man and two prostitutes running through the woods, getting snagged on various traps and perhaps meeting an untimely end…this gives you a feel for the film before we are introduced to the characters.
We meet them on their ‘tour bus’ and the film starts to get going when they encounter a tree blocking the road on the way to their luxury country retreat. They try to coax the bus driver to take them down another route, which they can see from the map will lead them to the same place, but he refuses, starts shouting in Hungarian and eventually does one, leaving the group to walk with their cases until they eventually find somewhere to stay, a rather run-down and abandoned building which Richard convinces them is their luxury hideaway.
It is here the film cranks up a notch, and there are some rather gruesome moments. While paintballing, Gordon falls victim to a trap, which severs his leg. Cue Steve trying to fit the leg in the fridge on the coach (which they found abandoned) in a bid to save it.
Another cast member loses his head, and is thus able to prove a remark he made earlier in the film, that a head can see for a minute or two after it has been cut from the body. The rest of the cast meet untimely endings, or have close calls with the group out to kill them. I’ll not give away too much, but there are a few gory moments.
Dyer struts through this film with his usual style, and ends it with the cracking line “Foursome?” when he finds himself alive and alone with three girls. Brilliant. He has some other belting lines such as “Shit, I’ve left Gordon’s foot on the coach, sorry mate”, after the incident with the man-trap.
Other great lines include: Steve: I Just saw a geezer in a balaclava with a suitcase... No…more of a travel bag.
Steve: [In response to Bill saying he likes Maggie] No offence mate, but you've got more chance of getting shit from a rocking horse.
Richard: There are no bears in Hungary. Unless we've crossed the border into Romania, in which case there ARE bears. If we're in Serbia, then... I don't know. Harris: That's really interesting, Richard. Tell me something: are bears required to stop at borders? Is there some sort of, I don't know, passport control for bears?
Gordon: [after he's lost half his leg and been in a bus crash] I think I've broken my arm
Harris: [after Steve finds a tooth in the pie] Bit young to be losing your teeth, Steve. Steve: It's not my tooth. Richard: What? Jill: Could it be the cow's tooth? Steve: A cow with gold fillings?
The DVD itself boasts a decent bundle of extras, with a good "Making of" section. This shows you some of the special effects (or not so special in some cases as the team were working in deepest, darkest Hungary). It features a lot of Danny Dyer, simply being Danny Dyer, smoking and swearing and basically being like the character he is playing. But this is well worth a look, especially when it shows you how they did the bus crash (They basically did by gettign a guy to crash/flip the bus - he only just makes it out unscathed.) There is an Easter Egg hunt, a few outtakes and a mock ad for the firm Palisade. There is also a deleted scenes section, but I never bother watching these - they were deleted for a reason and that usually means because they were no good!
This is a very watchable film, and is set firmly in the horror section. The comedy overlays the horror unfolding. There are some funny moments within the carnage, but the majority of deaths or genuine scary moments are straight. If there’s nowt on tv, grab a beer and give the film a go You won’t be shouting about it’s prowess from the rooftops, but you won’t be crying into your pint either. The film will be available from the usual shops that sell DVD’s with the usual price of between 5 and 12 quid. It’s a hire, not a buyer though in my view. Run time: 90 mins
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Hello there. As many British people might reply back to you, i also like British film, they seem to be a lot more real, whereas American films are so false, and canned. Very good review. I've wanted to see this film for a while, however, I've had mixed feeling about whether i should buy the dvd for 7 pounds, or if i should buy a film that i know i will like. i think i might rent this film. it seems like a film i should only see once, and then would probably get bored of it. Anyway, once again, very good review :)
just.bcoz 09.03.2008 18:26
Great Review!!! I didnt really like this film. My husband thought it was quite good though
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Apr 25th, 2007
(May 3rd, 2007)
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