Hostel does shock violence well

Rating: 5/10 (7 January 2006)

Generally speaking, I was disappointed by Hostel because of the lack of connectedness to any of the characters. In order to have a context for the violence, the film would have benefited from some sort of an understanding as to how the victims or aggressors end up in the dark underground world that provides the tension in the film. Of course, too much of an emotional connectedness to the characters may have made the film a little too intense, yet some sense of humanity beyond simple statements of future plans would have provided a context beyond the shock of violence and torture. That being said, the scenes of violence were well crafted and seemed to evoke the desired response in the audience. If movie violence is your thing you may not be disappointed. Do not take these comments as a statement against films with violence as a theme or backdrop, as a fan of Natural Born Killers I get how violence can play a role in a film. As far as Roth's films are concerned, I enjoyed Cabin Fever, but felt like this movie didn't evolve past the violent surface and would recommend it as a rental or matinÃ©e.