Roth is getting better

Rating: 8/10 (26 September 2005)

I didn't like Cabin Fever much, too jokey, too many half wit characters and a really uneven tone. Hostel is a real improvement. Roth has learned how to pace things better (seems a little too slowly for some of the posters here) and he pitches a tone of dread that slowly works into menace that then gets into hysterical terror. Also, a better story (not super original but not too derivative) and a solid cast. The first act sets up the characters nicely, without over- explaining or weighing them down with irrelevant back story. When it comes, the gore is intense but you could say not gratuitous. If someone paid $25k to kill me, I'd imagine they'd want to savour it and make it as painful as possible. Roth actually deserves props for holding back - he teased us with the toe severing of the 1st Asian woman but restrained himself. Then when it's appropriate, the splatter brakes are removed and anything goes. Tarantino-esquire? Paxton going back to rescue the Japanese woman is straight out of Zed's pawnshop. But that crazy gungho American torturer was in a league of his own. One false note: you can justify the 2 evil women being perfectly placed for vengeance but throwing in Alexei was a bit much.