Good Enough

Rating: 6/10 (22 February 2006)

If you couldn't hold your lunch after watching Saw, Hostel will be far worse. But it's also far worse than Saw from a plot and horror perspective.
Hostel tells the story of two Americans and one European (Paxton, Josh, and Oli) who are traveling through Europe drinking, partying, and sleeping with as many girls as they can. They are the stereotypical characters: Paxton is the Alpha male leader, Josh is the shy sensitive one, Oli is the big honest fella. In Amsterdam, tired of all the "tourists" and the sex for sale, they meet young Alex who tells them of a country that's full of young women without any virile young men, and they're all beautiful and looking for Americans.
Off they go to what looks like paradise: a posh hotel with young peers, and they're even forced to room with two gorgeous and sexy women (Natalyz, Svetlana).
Of course, this is when heaven turns to tell, and their hostel goes from bondage to torture.
If we had more empathy for the main characters, we'd care for them during their struggles, but instead, it's only the gore that we care for, and enjoy.