Horrific

Rating: 5/10 (26 August 2007)

I cannot decide whether Hostel is a commentary on the history of European torture and an analogue to the Holocaust, or a nasty, sadistic, cynical and juvenile mix of soft-porn and gore designed to appeal to, and up the ante for the 'Saw' cinema-goer market. Who knows what went through the mind of its creator. Reviewers comment on the realism of the effects. Well it was realistic enough for me. How do they know what the bottom portion of a leg separated by a chainsaw looks like unless they've seen it? What is obvious is that Hostel uses a very American POV about Europe, to the point of satire. The Czech Republic, a perfectly charming recent addition to the European union is depicted as a grimy, post-Industrial hellhole generally populated by the criminal, insane, perverted or a combination of all three. One thing to consider is that torture, an unavoidable part of our European heritage - and now our heritage industry - is an aspect of life that America as a nation, is too young to have experienced. Of course, now they are making up for lost time, and the irony is that some former East European states are giving them the facility to engage in it. Then again, who knows? Also, torture, beyond its role as an instrument of the state and ideology, but as a hobby pursued with a complete lack of humanity, has happened within our lifetime, where some of the events depicted here, may well have happened. Is this film making us remember that, or forgetting it? Certainly, anyone who regards the blowtorching of an eyeball as entertainment, has, in my opinion, deep issues. Likewise projectile vomiting brought on by sheer terror, and other episodes of voyeuristic sadism. I found all of those deeply disturbing to watch, as much as because they had nothing to do with the plot, but were designed to be enjoyed in their own right - to give the viewer a rush. Sadism one step removed. Sensation has to be the lowest form of artistic merit. I just hope some viewer isn't inspired to try and go one better in terms of realism.