Hostel... Compelling, Disturbing... BRILLIANT

Rating: 10/10 (6 April 2006)

This is an edit of my previous review, I wrote that review when I first came back from seeing the film, I thought it was brilliant, apart from it's slow start. However, I have since returned to see it and I want to take back my one negative comment.
SPOILER
The film starts with the three friends Josh, Oli and Paxton touring Europe in an attempt to get Josh laid, before being directed to "the Hostel". I suppose in my first viewing I was too prepared for instant gore, violence and torture and therefore didn't truly appreciate the necessity of this.
END OF SPOILER
The need for this slow start is to introduce our characters, we find out who they are, what they like and the fact they are fun-loving young guys who are just out for a good time! And this makes what happens to them in the future so much more scary, we feel as Paxton does when he sees what has happened to his friend... utterly destroyed and we think "how can this happen to such a nice guy" without that slow start the scenes of torture would not be as shocking as they were.
For anyone who has seen the film, compare how you felt for Josh and Paxton as they were tortured, and then for the Chinese girl as she was... you felt squeamish but because you had no relationship with her, you felt almost passive at her suffering.
Overall the film is about human nature, but is a bit more complicated than good and bad... Roth isn't saying that we have good and bad people in this world...
SPOILER
... what he is saying is that everyone has the ability to be good and bad, just some people exercise more of the other. The "hunter" who tortures Paxton, is hesitant at first, he still attempts to torture Paxton, but for a split second we feel he may change his mind because the good is coming out in him.
Once Paxton has escaped, he gets a chance to kill the Dutch Businessman... and he does... Paxton becomes bad and whether Roth wants us to, we ultimately end up thinking... is it right?
END OF SPOILER
So do I recommend Hostel?... the answer... YES... But watch it and all the time ask yourself, Why has Roth done this like this? and What does he want us to think? Don't dismiss it because of the graphic violence it depicts.
A BRILLIANT FILM!