Donkey Punch

Donkey Punch is more than competently directed, almost every aspect of it is superbly executed - save for the tiny matter called screenplay. The plot is so tired words cannot begin to describe it. There is not one event that cannot be foreseen from miles ahead by anyone who has seen more than two thriller movies in recent years.

The director is obviously very talented, and even the acting is above average compared to this type of fare (I'm looking at you My Bloody Valentine 3D with your silent movie-type overacting) but the plot is such a bore and there is a distinct lack of suspense throughout that instead of generating thrills it almost put me to sleep.

Any real chance of characterization sinks as soon as the characters begin to do awfully predictable and silly things, just for the sake of packing a punch to the audience - which in turn fails because everyone can see them coming.

And to think that British public funding is going to such stinking waste of material and talent is beyond comprehension. I am all for subsidizing mainstream films but Donkey Punch is a knockoff of dozens of movies we have seen, most of them better written.

Just a touch of originality would have elevated Donkey Punch to at least an average level, as it is now it is just not worth the time and investment. On the plus side: the soundtrack is awesome.

The girlfriends Lisa (Sian Breckin), Kim (Jaime Winstone) and Tammi (Nichola Burley) travel from Leeds to Mallorca, Spain, to spend a couple of days together having good-time on the beach. They meet Marcus (Jay Taylor), Bluey (Tom Burke) and Josh (Julian Morris) in a bar where they steal a bottle of champagne for fun. The young men tell that they are the crew of a motor pleasure yacht and they invite the girls to visit the vessel, where they introduce the chief-engineer Sean (Robert Boulter). The seven youngsters use ecstasy and smoke the powerful Russian Ice; Bluey talks about kinky sex including Donkey Punch and Dirty Sanchez; and they decide to navigate to the Mediterranean deep sea to see the sunset. The easy Lisa has sex with Bluey first and then anal sex with Josh; Vic has sex with Marcus and Tammi stays on the main deck talking to Sean. When Josh decides to practice Donkey Punch on Lisa, he accidentally kills the girl, in the beginning of a nightmarish gore night.

"Donkey Punch" begins erotic, with three sexy actresses very exposed, and ends gore after a weird accident. The title refers to a fictitious and mortal practice of anal sex, when the penetrated partner is punched on the head or neck to tight the anal passage and increase the orgasm of the partner. The greatest surprise in the story is that none of the partners use condom, i.e., all of them has unprotected sex. "Donkey Punch" will never be nominated to any Award, but it is entertaining and I liked it. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Prazeres Mortais" ("Deadly Pleasures")

Olly Blackburn's classy but nasty thriller 'Donkey Punch' takes a number of standard tricks of the genre: the isolated location, the failing communications equipment, a steadily rising body count; and adds one of its own, namely the lethal fall out from the use of the obscure sexual technique of its title. The opening portions are almost unwatchable, as one waits to see who is going to fall victim to this manoeuvre, against a discomforting backdrop of youthful hedonism. Yet the movie only strengthens as it goes on, the director underlays the mounting gore, uses music impeccably, and there are honest, gutsy performances from the cast. Fundamentally, this becomes a movie about what ordinary people will do to survive in extreme conditions; not pretty, but I found the basic psychology believable. Overall, much better than expected.

I can't understand why such an entertaining film is getting so many negative reviews. I found Donkey punch to be a good film on so many levels. It had an original story line. Strong parts for the female actors. A nice balanced build up to a crescendo of violence. Fab music and some nice photography.

It doesn't have any big name actors or any obvious lead, but that only makes it more refreshing. I have watched this film twice and while it may not be to everyones taste it is a piece work to be proud of. All in all a great job by Oliver Blackburn and the team. I will be looking out for more of his work, for sure.

I was pleasantly surprised by this film. The Leeds lasses on a jolly girls excursion made it seem quite parochial, to the extent that the Yanks will probably need subtitles, and there is a central moral vacuousness (in the deeds) which is nonetheless appropriately dealt with in terms of who gets what and how. Very often this kind of film leaves you frustrated in terms of dénouement, but I thought that comeuppance was most appropriately dealt out and the ending doesn't let you down, inasmuch as you can figure on how things might develop post-movie (imagine this going to court!). I thought the acting was really good, there was a good dose of (black) humour and the film could be read on many levels (as much as a class conflict as anything else). Great little film, hard to spot the low budget.