I seriously disliked, no, make that detested, Roth's first effort, and I couldn't understand all the hype. I almost didn't bother with Hostel because of this but I'm glad I did. With the exception of one cast member, I actually liked all of the main characters and I felt that there was a build up of tension throughout that results in an extremely satisfying pay-off. Roth's direction shows a maturity and skill that wasn't apparent in his debut and he manages to build an atmosphere of escalating dread and hopelessness very effectively.
Yes, it's not a classic, and yes, the ending is extremely contrived but the film succeeds far more than it fails.
Ian Woolstencroft
· 3 years ago
Excellent review. Rarely have I seen a film that so insults the intelligence of the viewer. You forgot to mention that after mowing down the three people in the road he then turns the car around to finish one of them off with the bad guys still on his tail! Or that he just happens to have a bag full of bubblegum in the car to bribe the street gang who he conveniently learned earlier could be bought with a bag of sweets! I will say this though – the film did leave me with the urge to torture one American director and I’d gladly pay the money I’ll save from never seeing another of his films for the privilege. After all it’s the least I can do to return the favour after being tortured in the cinema by Mr Roth and his latest cinematic ‘masterpiece’.
All Comments
I seriously disliked, no, make that detested, Roth's first effort, and I couldn't understand all the hype. I almost didn't bother with Hostel because of this but I'm glad I did. With the exception of one cast member, I actually liked all of the main characters and I felt that there was a build up of tension throughout that results in an extremely satisfying pay-off. Roth's direction shows a maturity and skill that wasn't apparent in his debut and he manages to build an atmosphere of escalating dread and hopelessness very effectively.
Yes, it's not a classic, and yes, the ending is extremely contrived but the film succeeds far more than it fails.
You forgot to mention that after mowing down the three people in the road he then turns the car around to finish one of them off with the bad guys still on his tail! Or that he just happens to have a bag full of bubblegum in the car to bribe the street gang who he conveniently learned earlier could be bought with a bag of sweets!
I will say this though – the film did leave me with the urge to torture one American director and I’d gladly pay the money I’ll save from never seeing another of his films for the privilege. After all it’s the least I can do to return the favour after being tortured in the cinema by Mr Roth and his latest cinematic ‘masterpiece’.