A appalling great idea ruined

Rating: 5/10 (26 March 2007)

The first time you see Hostel, you're in for a shock. Not the shock that sends you scuttling for the door, more the kind of shock that gets you scratching your head puzzled. Sure, European babes with ridiculously hot bodies, no taste and ample generosity sounds good (Perhaps it was an promo ad for Tourisim Board of Amsterdam ) . . . for a road-trip movie. Perhaps this was director's Eli Roth's method of settling the audience in a certain mood and then turning the tables on them instead of the usual "whendoigottagripmychair" wait. If so, it was carried way,way too far.
It's when the horror starts that a hint of what all those awesome posters promised begins. I'm not revealing anything, but the idea and setting really taps well into those subtle, unconscious fears. The xenophobic fear of the unfathomable visage of East Europeans, the desolate industrial culture,white slavery and the alienation of a tourist who realizes who perhaps stayed a bit too long and starts to see the postcard picture slip. That and the core of the plot -the frightening possibility of the "hobby" practiced being a contemporary reality when that thrill of power can't be sated enough. It's not that big a stretch of imagination. To give the director his due, the moral horror is slightly explored further in the scene with the gung-ho American.
But that aside, for reasons unknown, when it comes to the actual crunch, the director pulls short. Perhaps it was the studio's time limit - but there was a heck of a possibility of exploiting the idea further. The character development was sketchy and Ollie's euro "openess" was ridiculous. The only truly funny touch was the cameo by director Takeshi Miike (The oriental dude in the shades outside the art-house) and man was that apt!
It's worth giving a shot only if you don't know the plot and don't mind the money spent. To really get the goods which this movie promised, I'd recommend you watch Takeshi Miike's "Audition" and "Ichi The Killer". A fair bit of warning - you won't be the same ever again :)