Surprisingly Excellent

Rating: 10/10 (18 June 2006)

A first glance at Hostel made me remember the first time I saw Saw. A bloody, gory, thought-provoking, weirdo mess that was just entertaining. Hostel (on the same hand, just maybe a different finger)accomplishes the same thing, except, this movie made it feel real. Who the hell cares where they were, but we do know it was somewhere in Europe, which is foreign, which is automatically creepy. Europe is supposed to be cozy and warm, and the first 40 minutes demonstrate the friendliness. But when people start to get... hostile, things turn bad. I won't spoil anything but I do want to say that Jay Hernandaz's acting was impressive. Eli Roth is also a very underrated director and both of these men prove their surprising brilliance through one scene(of the many, especially in the second half.) That amazing bit where Paxton is tied to his chair, scrambling, screaming and throwing himself about... until he hears the chainsaw, and stops, slowly grabbing the chair-support bar as it gets closer, and closer. Brilliant director. Great acting. Excellent ending. All in all, its definitely worth a watch. And what a watch it is.