The Price We Pay

Movie was an intriguing idea that could've been really good but the performances were pretty cheesy and I find it ironic that Stephen Dorff feels confident in slamming Marvel movies then does crap like this. It's on par or maybe a half step above Sci-fy channel fluff. I've never seen a worst performance by Emile Hirsch and like I said...the special effects just weren't up to par. Gave slight vibes of Barbarian which was so good but this just completely lacked the depth, performances, special effects and cinematography of a decent horror movie. Sad considering the directors resume contained Midnight Meat Train and No One Lives...the latter being much better but No One Lives was still a lot more enjoyable than this.

With such a great cast you'd think they could've done more? It's worth a watch for any gorehound but be warned - the editing in particular is f'in awful. The end credits also have a comically cheesy track? I have no idea what they were thinking.

That said, it's a decent idea for a plot and the cast do a pretty good job overall. I didn't hate it, I didn't love it, but if you're stuck for something to watch and are in the mood for some decent gore (the practical sfx are genuinely impressive) I'd say give this a go.

Be warned about the editing, though. It really is quite terrible. Headache territory at some points.

This is a decent one-time watch thriller/gore-fest B film that has the Blumhouse production feel to it. It was well directed, with a decently paced cohesive script, that offers plenty of thrills and gore for this genre's fans. It's nothing revolutionary we haven't seen before, but it was done right and it worked well. The comfortable 86 min runtime was used effectively. All casting and performances were great, especially the lovely Gigi Zumbado and Stephen Dorff, but I didn't like Emile Hirsch's character, who was more annoying than convincing, especially with his hilariously lame Harry Potter glasses. Omitting the geek glasses would've gone a long way for his character. Nevertheless, still a well shot film, with the exception the cinematography was too dark in many scenes, but the score was on point for a B film. A well deserved 7/10 from me.

Kitamura's films don't always work for me, but I've already realised that it's not just the fact that the director mixes things I really like with things I don't like so much...in fact, it has a lot to do with my state of mind and how I "dive" or not into the film. After the suffering of boredom that was Night Sky (previous film at Grimmfest), I had to refill myself with 500ml of Monster Energy and was prepared for the worst, so all that came was...music to my ears.

As a relatively serious thriller, this works well for almost two full acts, with some good characters and others as annoying as vuvuzelas in my ear for 90 minutes. Then, when everything starts to get more predictable and repetitive, the film pulls out its secret weapon: absurd levels of gratuitous violence, blood everywhere, and some of the most original scenes in recent times. I laughed at and that was the intention. The last act is brutal, it's over-the-top, but it's really fun and this dose of adrenaline was all I could ask for after the traumatic experience I had before. In the midst of a well-known cast, it was the young Gigi Zumbado who proved to be an excellent surprise.

Emile Hirsch and Stephen Dorf both play great roles and they do it well. The storyline is a bit played out but there are some very imaginative blood and gore scenes that keep you watching.

I was very impressed with Emile Hirsch's acting in this movie. He plays the perfect maniacal crazy that you just want to hate. And Stephen Dorf plays an army medic who is hired to help out on a heist that goes severely wrong.

It's a solid B++ movie I would definitely recommend it to others. If you like the blood and gore genre. This movie will be on the top of the blood and gore B++ genre.

Watch it for yourself and find out!!