Frontier(s)
3/4
Starring: Karina Testa, Aurelien Wiik, Maud Forget, David Saracino, Chems Dahmani, Jean-Pierre Jorris
The version being reviewed is the unrated one. For the record, the original cut was rated NC-17 for Extreme Sadistic Graphic Violence and Gore
"Frontier(s)" will only appeal to those who have a high tolerance for violence and horror. This is an extremely violent horror film that will turn off most of the people who view it. "Saw" has nothing on this movie.
A group of thieves have been interrupted in their getaway. One of them, Sami (Adel Bencherif) has been shot and is gravely injured. They split up with Yasmine (Testa) and Alex (Wiik) taking Sami to a hospital while Tom (Saracino) and Farid (Dahmani) head for a B&B on their way to Amsterdam. It is there that they run into a horrific family of neo-Nazis who will literally put them through hell.
How can I describe how violent this movie is? I don't think I can. A lot of this stuff, such as stabbings and related maiming, is common for this sort of thing. What makes this film different is the way Xavier Gens directs it. He has a keen sense of atmosphere and puts us right down in the bowels of this nightmare with the protagonists. He shakes the camera, but does so effectively. This increases the amount of tension (which is considerable to begin with). Gens also holds nothing back. The most extreme moments are shown in their full graphic, bloody glory.
The performances are strong across the board. I was with the heroes every step of the way, and was actively wishing for the villains to suffer appropriately brutal ends. Briefly, I want to mention a few of the performances. Leading the pack is Karina Testa. As Yasmine, Testa is terrific. Not only does she show fear with consummate skill, she shows the psychological toll it is taking on her. Next up is Maud Forget, who plays the tiny voiced and deformed Eva. She's chilling as the twisted, doll-like wretch. Jean-Pierre Jorris is absolutely chilling as the psychotic leader of the family. He's the ultimate horror psychopath, and a lot of that has to do with his frightening performance. Also worth mentioning is the fact that Samuel Le Bihan, who played Fronsac in "Brotherhood of the Wolf," appears as Goetz, one of the villains. I hope my love of the character won't be lessened after seeing this film.
Let me state again that this is absolutely, unequivocally not for kids or the faint of heart. Even I, a huge horror buff, had to turn away a number of times during this film, and there were times when I thought I was going to vomit. I'm not kidding. Now that I'm going to sleep, I'm going to put something on that will take my mind off of it. Like "Planet Earth."
Starring: Karina Testa, Aurelien Wiik, Maud Forget, David Saracino, Chems Dahmani, Jean-Pierre Jorris
The version being reviewed is the unrated one. For the record, the original cut was rated NC-17 for Extreme Sadistic Graphic Violence and Gore
"Frontier(s)" will only appeal to those who have a high tolerance for violence and horror. This is an extremely violent horror film that will turn off most of the people who view it. "Saw" has nothing on this movie.
A group of thieves have been interrupted in their getaway. One of them, Sami (Adel Bencherif) has been shot and is gravely injured. They split up with Yasmine (Testa) and Alex (Wiik) taking Sami to a hospital while Tom (Saracino) and Farid (Dahmani) head for a B&B on their way to Amsterdam. It is there that they run into a horrific family of neo-Nazis who will literally put them through hell.
How can I describe how violent this movie is? I don't think I can. A lot of this stuff, such as stabbings and related maiming, is common for this sort of thing. What makes this film different is the way Xavier Gens directs it. He has a keen sense of atmosphere and puts us right down in the bowels of this nightmare with the protagonists. He shakes the camera, but does so effectively. This increases the amount of tension (which is considerable to begin with). Gens also holds nothing back. The most extreme moments are shown in their full graphic, bloody glory.
The performances are strong across the board. I was with the heroes every step of the way, and was actively wishing for the villains to suffer appropriately brutal ends. Briefly, I want to mention a few of the performances. Leading the pack is Karina Testa. As Yasmine, Testa is terrific. Not only does she show fear with consummate skill, she shows the psychological toll it is taking on her. Next up is Maud Forget, who plays the tiny voiced and deformed Eva. She's chilling as the twisted, doll-like wretch. Jean-Pierre Jorris is absolutely chilling as the psychotic leader of the family. He's the ultimate horror psychopath, and a lot of that has to do with his frightening performance. Also worth mentioning is the fact that Samuel Le Bihan, who played Fronsac in "Brotherhood of the Wolf," appears as Goetz, one of the villains. I hope my love of the character won't be lessened after seeing this film.
Let me state again that this is absolutely, unequivocally not for kids or the faint of heart. Even I, a huge horror buff, had to turn away a number of times during this film, and there were times when I thought I was going to vomit. I'm not kidding. Now that I'm going to sleep, I'm going to put something on that will take my mind off of it. Like "Planet Earth."
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