The Unforgiving

Plot synopsis:
[From film's own website]Rex Dobson (Ryan Macquet) and Alice Edmonds (Claire Opperman) find themselves stranded alongside the R106, a freeway just outside Johannesburg. Waiting for help, they are abducted by a masked madman who does unthinkable things to them. Both survive, but wish they hadnt. As their stories unfold, it is clear that the truth of what happened that fateful day is far worse than anyone could imagine.Investigating the crime is Detective James Hirsch (Michael Thompson), a police officer who is used to doing things his own way. The two survivors are thrown into separate interrogation cells and Hirsch questions them relentlessly about the details surrounding the events they describe.What follows is a brutal account of what happened to the two survivors. Told in an unconventional narrative structure, The Unforgiving tosses and turns between points of view and characters as the film builds to its horrifying climax.Rex retells the story of how he found himself in an abandoned, rural farm house, chained by his ankle to a large slab of concrete. After numerous attempts at escaping, he is beaten to a pulp by his masked assailant and chained to a wall in an old barn. Time passes and he slowly regains consciousness to find that he is not alone anymore. Vincent Davies (Craig Hawks) is in a frantic state as he's also been tied up. The two play each other off as they try to figure out exactly what is going on. However, just as they begin to make some headway, their masked tormentor returns, injecting them with heroin and dragging Rex to a dilapidated compound. Tied and gagged, Rex is forced to make a phone call.Meanwhile, in a chlorine-green interrogation room, Alice reluctantly remembers what happened to her. The last thing she can recall is having a plastic bag pulled over her face as her attacker attempts to suffocate her. After a series of brutal blows to her face, Alice is left clinging on to life. Through the bloodied plastic bag she sees her assailant walking away. She manages to get to her feet, and desperately uses what little energy she has left to try to run away. But she does not manage to escape. Instead, she is caught again and savagely raped.As Hirsch tries to figure out the events of what happened that day, different truths emerge. Is Alice's morphine addiction hampering her perspective? Is Rex hiding something behind his cocky yet traumatised exterior? Has the search for the killer become too personal for Hirsch? And where does Vincent fit into the sequence of events? How are these four different characters connected?

Tags: violence, plot twist

Review:
Fair effort.
I have no what the budget of this film was but I'm guessing it's pretty darn low.
A pity this was completely ignored on its theatrical run out here considering it's an okay-ish little suspenser.
It's not really a horror film - at no point is the film ever truly disturbing and this, essentially, is my main problem with it.I think it was marketed as a balls out gore to the wall horror film and it just isn't.
You can't compare something done on this budgetary level to something like a "saw" or a HOSTEL.
The characters are very underwritten, the dialogue pretty dodgy containing way too many clichés for my taste, some of the performances are a bit flat and there just isn't any real gore.If you're out to make a gore film you have to show the gore - you can't just splash blood in someone's face, grade the $hit out of your picture (overdone in my humble opinion) and use way too many closeups to the point of the viewer saying - okay so where the %uck are we?
If you have a needle - show it going in - don't imply it.
You're marketing the film as an all out bloodbath but then all you're doing is teasing the audience.The editing is tricksy and needn't be so.
The script is tired and somewhat cliché ridden - we've seen it all before with more money and done better, but, and this is a big BUT, for a South African film this is leaps and bounds ahead of most of the crap that litters our screens.At least these kids tried to make a halfway decent movie.
At least they've produced something very flawed but also watchable at the same time and they deserve a tip of the hat for that.
Well done for taking the time and at least trying to make a good movie guys...and for that they deserve a solid six out of ten at least.Long live South African genre films may there be many more to come!
Long live the new flesh!.
Interesting & Clever Film made on a Shoestring Budget.
The first half an hour of the film feels like a SAW rip off, but the film shoots off in a very different and exciting direction in the second act.
The film uses a very novel way of telling the victims' stories, and this keeps you engaged as it builds to a bloody climax.
The film uses the idea that the audience thinks they are watching a SAW or HOSTEL and flips those expectations on its head.The film is inspiring to see what you can get away with on a very limited budget, and I'm not talking about Hollywood limited budget, I'm talking about bare knuckle, no budget filmmaking.The film won't win any Oscars, but I am interested to see what these guys can do given even a B Grade straight to DVD American Budget.The cinematography is very original and the editing is outstanding.
The script could be a little more original but the actors cover the flaws in the script with decent performances..
Given the current genre of Horror movies out there i watched this movie with out any lofty expectations and almost purely based on the reviews of the many others who seemed to have a favorable opinion of it.
Add the fact that the budget used to make this film was minuscule and i truly felt that i was about to be hoodwinked.
I was locked in from beginning to end and was very pleasantly surprised.
Definitely one of the more suspenseful horror movies i have seen in a while.
Now having said that, this is the kind of movie that requires your full attention and while the movie provides enough interest to captivate most viewers, I admit i had to watch it again after seeing the ending.
I did so without hesitation though because it was an enjoyable enough of a movie to do so.
I don't know anything about making films but i would think something has to be said about a director and a cast that can make such a decent film with so little.
Easily worth watching!.
The South African answer to SAW and HOSTEL..
Two survivors of a brutal attack by a masked man are interrogated by a police detective, the survivors both tell their account of grisly events more shocking than anyone could've imagined.Unlike with other films that I'll just simply buy I decided to rent THE UNFORGIVING before buying it, this being a South African production shot on a shoe string budget I had to find out first whether or not this film was a professional job or did it look like it was shot with a cell phone camera.When it got started I was pleasantly surprised by how well the film actually looked, the storyline itself immediately established the mood, set up the tone and maintained a steady pace throughout, it even at times came off as a SAW rip off but at a certain stage it started turning the whole concept on its head and went towards a more intriguing and exciting direction and at latter stages it seemed to merely reference SAW but it never at any time felt like a rip off.The acting was very good considering this is practically a first time cast, the actors all did a very good job for them to be considered for future projects.Also unlike both SAW and HOSTEL its not an all out gore fest, its actually pretty tame in the gore department, its more content with the plot than with gore but I can honestly say the climax is pretty intense.Overall, THE UNFORGIVING can stand tall alongside SAW and HOSTEL as one of the best known films of its genre..
Not Bad, yet...(small spoilers, no give-aways).
Being a South African, i was excited to support this movie so i rented it from my local store.
I know of budget constraints and all other challenges facing a local production, but i do feel the dialogue could have been done better, as well as the acting, it felt too South African soap opera-ish (ala Sevende Laan), the actors were not convincing at all especially the cop and the villain.
As there were only 4 actors in this movie, that should tell you something.
There were too may plot holes, escape for the victims could have been easily achieved.
The worst line in the movie for me was "...the clock face may tell you what time it is, but i think its time for you to start telling me the truth".
Some improbabilities, being able to limp off after having your knee cap drilled through, having your head smashed (really hard) into tar numerous times (consecutively) and still surviving (no brain damage) and still be able to run around as if nothing happened, being stabbed twice and not dying after hours of bleeding(not to mention bleeding form other orifices as well).
The worst part for me though was the music and its timing (or lack off), there was no build up, everything was all loud all of the time, no silence before the big "ta-da", just continuous synths and strings and big bass, sometimes even drowning out the dialogue, you have to use music as if its a character in the movie.
And lastly the HD camera work (doccie style) was a lil too erratic, with heavy music and a vibrating pic, things got a bit nauseous.
The twist in the movie had a bit of redeeming quality, but because of the above mentioned personal issues with the movie, i was zoned out before it even happened.
Can't wait for your next effort though, with constructive feedback (nudge, nudge...) i am sure it gonna be off the chain..
I'm not sure what movie other reviewers were watching here...ten star reviews??????
crazy or what??????
this was just rubbish!
this was just rubbish!
If this is ten stars then what do you give great movies like saw or hostel?
I tried to stay interested but I was bored...very bored...I did like saw...7 or 8 stars easy...and I love films that follow suit...so what if its already been done...long as its good then why not...but this just ain't...the camera just wants to give me a headache!
I mean zoom out for fu@ks sake!
I couldn't see anything!
It just felt like it was one scene all the way through...a nice bit of blood...but no more so than that...I simply could not recommend this...sorry...Maybe i'm missing something here with this one...mmmmmmmmm...but i don't think so...could have been a good film...just ain't....
Not what you think..
If you can find this movie you have to watch it.
I was lucky enough to watch it on the cinema and I can tell you I was really impressed.This is a great example of no budget filmmaking.
I would love to see these guys working on bigger films - I think they would really kick some ass!This movie was made for no money, but the filmmakers use this to their advantage.
Using cleverly created scenes where you see everything in Close-up- Alastair Orr creates a sense of confusion and disorientation, with a narrative that tosses between different points of views and times.
You never really know what is going on until the end, where it all comes together very nicely.
This is a gem of a little film - even if the gem is painted black..
Cheap torture porn.
THE UNFORGIVING is a cheap, digital torture porn indie flick from South Africa.
Half of it is shot in extreme close up with lots of motion blur designed to give any right-minded viewer a headache.
Another nail in the coffin is the rubbish editing that takes place throughout.
The police procedural plotting feels like mere padding while the rest is nothing more than a lame-o SAW copy..
Not a bad little movie..
I don't know what I was expecting when I watched this for the first time.
Do not expect a slasher/bloody/gory/saw type of film.
It is more avant garde than anything else, and a lot of people aren't going to understand it - but isn't that the thing with violence?
It's never clear cut is it?
The movie uses a very strange way of telling the story, I don't want to give too much away, but it deals with flashbacks and flashforwards in the same time line.
I've heard the film cost R40K to make, that is 1/3 of paranormal activity - so the film is rough around the edges, it's far from polished.
The acting is good, Michael Thompson (The Detective) is great throughout.I have noticed that this film has some International Distribution which is great for a little film like this.Some people are going to hate this film, but the filmmakers haven't gone out to change the world or prove a point, they've just made a little film that is very interesting to watch, and if you view it under those terms, you are in for a treat.