The film of 2004

Rating: 9/10 (18 October 2004)

I am not an easy person to please when it comes to films. I am picky, I gripe at minor points, I'll happily rant about something for hours. So it was an incredibly nice surprise to see this low budget shocker. Having gone to the cinema on a whim, I had the choice between this or Resident Evil 2. I stand by my choice. The acting, whilst a bit shaky, seemed to fit the mood of the film. The story was inventive, the bad guy the most interesting movie villain since Se7ens murderer. In fact, probably more interesting. The camera work was amazing, using fantastic techniques to highlight panic, and the film was filled with enough misdirection to keep me guessing throughout. And then we get to the ending. Wow. I'm not sure I've seen a better ending. As I was walking to the cinema, I was even moaning about conclusions in recent films, and how difficult it is to end a story in a satisfactory manner. But then having seen this, my faith is final acts has been restored. As the credits rolled in the cinema, I was sitting there, open-mouthed, trying to comprehend what I had just seen. It took me most of the walk home, it was that good. Put simply, this is easily the best film made this year. And to not see it is an act of masochism. 10/10