Excellent Visuals and Special Effects

Rating: 6/10 (31 January 2006)

This movie is visually jarring and in many ways disturbing. At the same time it probably points to a truth that similar "hunting operations" do exist in some odd pockets of this world for the ultra-wealthy, So, I don't consider this horror story pure fiction. It has a share of nudity (mainly women, why not also some of the men?) but the nudity is not really gratuitous because it adds to the plot line. That is the main problem with this movie though--there is a very thin plot here. Basically you know the plot from the advertising and there is no character development, no strange twists or turns (relatively speaking), no revelations, epiphanies--not even the seeds of a sequel. I think Amsterdam gets a slap in the face as only a place for sex and soft drugs--Amsterdam is a lovely city to visit, has a great deal of culture and is a place to experience just for the free attitude of its inhabitants. I thought it interesting that this movie was set in Slovakia--kind of hearkens back to the Frankenstein, Dracula horror movies--perhaps the movie is stereotyping that part of the world too? The guts and gore are not as bad as I heard, but they are still not for the faint of heart. This movie would most appeal to teenage boys I think. This movie is not a "Salo" (which had a plot and some artistry to it despite it being as disturbing as "Hostel") more on the order of a "Caligula". I went to see it out of curiosity, wouldn't see it again.