Exploited

I've sat through many a big budget horror film that was far, far worse. Here's what I'll say. The film held my attention throughout. The characters were interesting, and the acting strong. The film has a polished and professional look and feel -- certainly as professional as any mainstream Hollywood horror genre film. The film also kept me guessing about the killer and it did not have that typical "third act letdown" that so many horror films have.

Usually gay movies (not Oscar-bait bs) are terrible. Really terrible. Usually they're romantic comedies. This is not that. This is a very nicely-produced movie and it even features good actors. There should be more movies like this: it's sexy, fun, stupid, suspenseful, and campy. Either you like that combination of things or you don't. I do.

These filmmakers by the way should have made Cold Moon Over Babylon. The villain in this, although he doesn't have an exposed hairy chest, conjured up in my mind what I imagined Michael McDowell's villain to look like. Unfortunately that book was made into a film sans McDowell's gay sensibilities and completely blew chunks.

Exploited's user rating definitely should not be hovering around the 3.5 territory. If you ever wanted to like David DeCoteau's gay genre flicks but couldn't, this movie is a giant step up from those. And while I'm beyond sick to death of gay coming out stories, this one doesn't count because it has so much else going on. Worth a watch.

If you look at my review history, you can tell that my taste in films is not bad. If I tell you a movie is bad, believe me. But when I tell you a movie is fun, enjoyable and even sexy, believe me more. This is one of those movies. To me, gay films fall into two categories; exceptional (Brokeback Mountain, Free Fall, ect.) and unwatchable (almost every other gay movie). This movie was so well done, I began to wonder why I haven't seen these people before. The cast had great chemistry and the film was shot with a stylish eye, as if the people involved in the creative side of it had some actual talent. It was fun watching all the characters interact with each other's and they were all capable and competent actors that really sold the story.

Speaking of the story, it was actually kind of original and an interesting take on how people deal with situations in the age of IG and revenge porn. I didn't see some of twists coming, although I accurately identified the killer within the first 30 minutes (pay attention to everyone). The story got a bit confusing towards the end, simply because they throw so many relationships and interactions at you at once, but the ending was satisfying and made an already good film that much better.

Overall, it started off as a sexy thriller that evolved into a more serious film that was still really enjoyable. I don't normally give such high praises to movies, especially gay films since they tend to be so hit and miss, but this one is a winner!

Side note; It seems like those giving this movie a bad review are either homophobic/lame or (most likely) have bad taste. Look at their review and watch history before you take anything they say at face value. 99% of people have horrible taste in movies, music and art, so remember to do your own research before you listen to people with poor taste.

The movie has a strong opening that creates a curiosity to see what happened, and where the story is going. The acting is fine - for this kind of movie. I don't think 'slasher' films are known for their superb acting, or scripts.

There are so many holes in the story, though, that it starts to become distracting. Particularly the last minutes of the film, where characters seem to be coming out of nowhere, without any reasonable motivation to be there in the scene at all.

So, yes, the 'exploiter/hacker' isn't too hard to figure out. But the big reveal at the end is usurped by the earlier scene when you think - "Oh, hell, who else could it possibly be!?"

People you saw being murdered, stabbed through the heart, magically reappear alive and well. Some of the situations are simply silly if for no other reason than the characters that show up in them.

There are gay characters, but I wouldn't really characterize it as a 'gay film.'

If you have nothing else to do, and want to watch a mystery whodunnit sort of movie, it's an option.

But, for the record, it's NOT about, as the blurb suggests, "A college freshman becomes obsessed with the previous owner of his school issued laptop." It's a thumb drive, and his wasn't issued to him by the school. But how it ended up in his possession is one more thing that is shown, but not quite explained. Was it stashed in a draw? Who put it there? Did it belong to the roommate? Was it left in the room by last year's occupant?

Right off the bat, the premise isn't really explained. I guess I'm a stickler for details. This missed a lot of them.

If you want to watch a homoerotic horror then you definitely need to add it to your watch list. As far as B level horror is considered the acting is satisfactory and the filmography is as good as can be expected. Having attractive men as the characters in focus is a nice change from the genres norm and the plot is engaging the whole way through. Some graphic scenes of rape are depicted and as the title suggests, you almost feel exploited watching it as the character's scenes up to that point want you seeing more of him and you get it in an uncomfortable way. The ending has a few plots holes that doesn't end in a totally satisfying way... its definitely worthwhile if you've exhausted your watchlist and are looking to be entertained for the night.