Traqués

I thought I'd watch HOUNDED (2022) because the class subtext looked promising. It's a low budget British horror with a familiar plotline that reminded me of THE COLLECTOR and its ilk, about a quartet of thieves who break into a nice house only to find the tables turned on them by the owners. Before long the young 'uns find themselves pursued by a quarter of fox-hunting toffs with murder in mind...

This is one of those films that screams cheap throughout, with plenty of unconvincing moments and even a scene that openly rips off BREAKING BAD to poor effect. The most interesting part is the bad guys are played by familiar actors including Samantha Bond (Miss Moneypenny), James Faulkner (GAME OF THRONES), Nick Moran (a Guy Ritchie regular) and Larry Lamb (EASTENDERS). The gore is in short supply and the outdoor scenes strive for suspense but scream cliche instead.

Four pals are quite adept at ripping off wealthy country houses whilst their owners are off at a posh soirée or the opera or something, so are more than ready to break into the stately "Redwick Hall" and help themselves. Thing is, though, it's all a trap. After a bit of tasering they wake up in a field to meet the lady of the manor clad in finest hunting pink (Samantha Bond) who has had just about enough of the lambs trying to rule the lions, so she sets them free and tells them to get lost. Except, well before they get very far they hear some barking... Lots of barking... Yep, this isn't a fox hunt. These are banned, don't you know. This is an hunt for more of the lesser spotted two legged beastie and they'd better get a-running. So far, yes it sounds terrible and I am afraid that is doesn't get any better as they try to escape from their perilous predicament in one piece. I thought at first it was going to be a comedy. Bond's tongue is most definitely in her cheek and the presence of James Faulkner and Nick Moran encouraged me to think that there must a be joke coming along soon. Nope, the joke was on me, as this amateur bobbins took away ninety minutes of my life and left my wondering why on earth anyone thought this would work. Malachi Pullar-Latchman and Hannah Traylen take centre stage for the burglar's alliance but they make very little impact as the story takes just about every opportunity it can to underwhelm. If there's a cleverly disguised message here about the entitled classes or those who just take what they cannot afford themselves, then it was wasted on me as this just lurched, ridiculously, from silly to sillier. Skip it, I'd say.

I don't know why, can't explain the reasons, but I would have supposed that movie was directed by Ben Wheatley, some kind of social horror British film, rather offbeat, with a strange but daring topic. Yes, Ben Wheatley, at least at his early career. I recognize here the British touch, so subtle, surprising, quite different from the Hollywood standards. Yes, very interesting B Uk film. It uses the home invasion scheme, very popular since one decade now, even more, with the delightful social touch, I repeat, very suntle, using for instance characters from the suburbs, instead of hardcore criminals. They use characters in which many audiences, those to whom this film is mostly destined, can recognize themselves. Of course any moviegoer will recognize here the MOST DANGEROUS GAME inspiration. Rich against poor people, with a very unusual ending, that's the main positive point of this film. And as in any horror movie, you can admire and appreciate a "cosy" countryside landscape, British, the THE AVENGERS series from the sixties charm. France could do such a film, with the same topic. French countryside.... In the fifties, Roy Boulting made RUN FOR THE SUN, more or less the same topic; now Tommy Boulding makes also more or less the same topic too. It could have been set, and it has already been, in a desert area, in New Mexico state surrounding, with a small town, a rotten sheriff, a cattle baron fond of hunting....

Hounded was a surprisingly good film, I thought the acting was decent to the best it could be was not expecting samatha bond to be a villian but she plays the character in an unsettling way. She plays kathrine redwick, a wealthy person that larry lamb wants four teenagers to nick a dagger from, somehing they dont ask questions about. Chaz, vix, leon and and tod are down on their luck and chaz is tying to get his brother through college, but after getting caught in the ladies house the group finds themselves being chased by the four horsemen and dogs that know where they are going. Its pretty gory and grizzly in ways and you rout for the young ones. Overall i thought this was a pretty good thriller.

Just a bit of harmless ridiculousness. This film fails in so many ways. Biggest problem is you don't care about any characters, you actually root for the aristocracy (the funniest thing in this piece) who are trying to bring back a bit of order in this blighted society of ours. Really enjoyed watching the bungling "burglars" get what they deserved. In better hands this might have been a bit more of a thriller but I just found it predictable a bit boring and completely unbelievable. One of your mates gets ripped to pieces by a pack of hounds and you get over it in seconds. The hunted show no trauma after seemingly experiencing the worst of horrors.