Not a Reflection of Reality

Rating: Null/10 (29 August 2006)

It seems that most of the comments post-TIFF are much more favorable to the film than all the negativity which swirled around earlier this year. That does reassure me about the general film-going public.
Anyway, overall it is really not a bad film. I liked it about as much as "Cabin Fever", which I do recommend for cable viewing.
For those people that get hung up on the image of Slovakia, here is some clarity: this no more more a realistic portrayal of Slovakia than "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is a realistic portrayal of rural Texas. Again, it is just an "off the beaten trail" nightmare story. So, please, to the Slovaks who have been offended -- the movie is not meant to be taken seriously.
I do like the comment from one Slovak who suggested that perhaps a better setting would be in Russia beyond the Urals. I have to agree, but I do not think you would get very many backpacking young tourists out there. Maybe one could have had had the protagonists kidnapped in Slovakia, then a train ride taking days, followed by truck ("lorry"), then barge, etc., until they arrive at an abandoned factory in the Ural Mountains, where all the ultra-rich are constantly ferried in and out via helicopter. That may have added some extra dimensions of fear and anxiety, including what would have been derived from the difficulty of escape.
I suppose what I am getting at is that there were some good ideas here that could have been better developed. This is no horror classic, and falls short of "High Tension".
Finally, to those people that absolutely hated this movie for the reasons referenced below: a) anyone who turns to horror movies to validate notions of geopolitics is just an idiot -- this is not "Hotel Rwanda", nor is it meant to be; b) if you have the type of girlfriend that would be shocked to see scenes of (fake) torture when you tell them that you are taking them to see a movie about torture, then she is an idiot; and c) people that take umbrage on the use of the "g-word" when discussing a film depicting brutal acts of sadism and inhumanity probably also are more shocked when gangsters use the "n-word" than when they are robbing, killing and dismembering people. I guess you hated "GoodFellas", too, huh? Talk about having your priorities bass-ackwards. Do you have any fun at the movies?