A couple (The Foxes!) take a bad turn and end up broken down by an old hotel. During their stay, Mr. Fox plays some unmarked tapes that look like snuff films. Noticing the cameras in their room, they realize they are to be the next video taped murders, and must find a way out.
Amy - Kate Beckinsale
David - Luke Wilson
Mason - Frank Whaley
Mechanic - Ethan Embry
Killer - Scott G. Anderson
Written by - Mark L. Smith
Director - Nimród Antal
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I FINALLY got around to catching this. Was it worth the long wait? Eh.
The synopsis basically covers the entire movie. Hotel room, snuff enthusiasts, will they survive, end of movie.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy seeing a completely straight-forward movie once in a while, but this one left me wanting after the end.
The acting is fine, especially from Frank Whaley as the hotel manager. He definitely seemed like someone that would be into snuff movies, and despite some over the top moments was pretty captivating.
The really interesting thing, at least to me, was the whole "snuff" angle, especially in the context of the film industry right now. With people like Bill O'Reilly and his ilk proclaiming violent movies like Hostel and Saw to be "torture porn," one step away from snuff, could this have been a shot at that idealism? Is this where our fascination with death and violence will lead us? Unfortunately none of this is explored, but I did end up thinking about it...more than likely due to having watched a short documentary on the history of snuff.
I guess my major gripe is the ending was way too neat and tidy. The rest of the movie can almost be described as Grindhousian, in that the film is gritty, there's very little story, sets are minimalist, deals with provocative material...but the pretty little ending kind of messed all that up. One or two better choices and I probably would've given this a better score.
As it stands, I say rent it, but don't look for anything groundbreaking...except for funny guy Ethan Embry playing a total psychopath. Nice choice there, though I wish we could've seen him more!
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I FINALLY got around to catching this. Was it worth the long wait? Eh. ...









