Donkey Punch
3/4
Starring: Nichola Burley, Julian Morris, Jamie Winstone, Jay Taylor, Tom Burke, Sian Breckin, Robert Butler
The version being reviewed is unrated. For the record, the theatrical cut is rated R for A Scene of Strong Sexual Content involving an Aberrant Violent Act, Graphic Nudity, Violence, Language and Drug Use
"Donkey Punch" looks to be a British exploitation horror flick. Lots of T&A, even more violence and mayhem, and plenty of hot sex. While it has all three (in copious quantities...), looks can be deceiving. From the start, the film looks to be the sex-and-blood movie that I described, but by the end of the movie, it has turned out to be something quite different.
Three friends named Lisa (Breckin), Tammi (Burley) and Kim (Winstone), are taking a vacation in Mallorca, Spain. Tammi's relationship just ended, so her friends are trying to get her to have a good time. After a day of clubbing, they run into four hot guys who as it turns out work on a yacht. Marcus (Taylor), Bluey (Burke), Sean (Boulter) and Josh (Morris), invite them on the yacht for a night of sex, drugs and partying. After determining that they can't be too loud when in the harbor, they sail out into the open sea. Then the partiers go down below for some fun with each other...and that's when things go horribly wrong.
This isn't a slasher movie. It's really a dramatic thriller about people in a bad situation that, because of the decisions they make, inadvertently make things infinitely worse. Unlike most thrillers of this ilk, it doesn't rely on cheap shocks and plot twists. The film is smarter than that. The characters analyze their situation and act accordingly. Of course, different motivations and misunderstandings can have deadly consequences in such a situation like this.
The acting is great, which helps us accept the characters and their situation. For the most part, they're on an equal playing field, although Julian Morris (a regular on TV's "Pretty Little Liars") and Jay Taylor (whose character can be charismatic and sexy or ruthless, depending on the situation) deserve special mention. Tom Burke is good, but his accent is so thick that it's hard to understand half of what he says (this goes for the majority of the actors, although Burke has the most trouble).
I like how director Olly Blackburn doesn't settle for the lowest common denominator. He allows things to unfold naturally, which sometimes changes the genre here and there. Some of what happens doesn't hold up, even on cursory reflection, or we wonder why one character did something, but the majority of it does.
This is not for the squeamish or the puritanical (the sex is pretty hot, and I believe all but two of the actors spend quite a bit of time sans clothing...then again, the Brits have never been shy when it comes to that sort of thing), but it's not sleazy. And that's what makes this movie so good.
Starring: Nichola Burley, Julian Morris, Jamie Winstone, Jay Taylor, Tom Burke, Sian Breckin, Robert Butler
The version being reviewed is unrated. For the record, the theatrical cut is rated R for A Scene of Strong Sexual Content involving an Aberrant Violent Act, Graphic Nudity, Violence, Language and Drug Use
"Donkey Punch" looks to be a British exploitation horror flick. Lots of T&A, even more violence and mayhem, and plenty of hot sex. While it has all three (in copious quantities...), looks can be deceiving. From the start, the film looks to be the sex-and-blood movie that I described, but by the end of the movie, it has turned out to be something quite different.
Three friends named Lisa (Breckin), Tammi (Burley) and Kim (Winstone), are taking a vacation in Mallorca, Spain. Tammi's relationship just ended, so her friends are trying to get her to have a good time. After a day of clubbing, they run into four hot guys who as it turns out work on a yacht. Marcus (Taylor), Bluey (Burke), Sean (Boulter) and Josh (Morris), invite them on the yacht for a night of sex, drugs and partying. After determining that they can't be too loud when in the harbor, they sail out into the open sea. Then the partiers go down below for some fun with each other...and that's when things go horribly wrong.
This isn't a slasher movie. It's really a dramatic thriller about people in a bad situation that, because of the decisions they make, inadvertently make things infinitely worse. Unlike most thrillers of this ilk, it doesn't rely on cheap shocks and plot twists. The film is smarter than that. The characters analyze their situation and act accordingly. Of course, different motivations and misunderstandings can have deadly consequences in such a situation like this.
The acting is great, which helps us accept the characters and their situation. For the most part, they're on an equal playing field, although Julian Morris (a regular on TV's "Pretty Little Liars") and Jay Taylor (whose character can be charismatic and sexy or ruthless, depending on the situation) deserve special mention. Tom Burke is good, but his accent is so thick that it's hard to understand half of what he says (this goes for the majority of the actors, although Burke has the most trouble).
I like how director Olly Blackburn doesn't settle for the lowest common denominator. He allows things to unfold naturally, which sometimes changes the genre here and there. Some of what happens doesn't hold up, even on cursory reflection, or we wonder why one character did something, but the majority of it does.
This is not for the squeamish or the puritanical (the sex is pretty hot, and I believe all but two of the actors spend quite a bit of time sans clothing...then again, the Brits have never been shy when it comes to that sort of thing), but it's not sleazy. And that's what makes this movie so good.
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