The Victim

For a thriller, then "The Victim" was as predictable and 'by-the-book' as they come. Everything that happened in the movie, you saw it coming a mile away - well, except for the ending, which I found to be really great, especially as Michael Biehn delivered it so gracefully.

The story in "The Victim" is about Kyle (played by Michael Biehn) who lives isolated as a hermit in a small cottage in the middle of nowhere. Then one night a Annie (played by Jennifer Blanc) comes banging on his door, pleading for help, claiming that she is being followed and that the men killed her friend Mary (played by Danielle Harris). Following that, two officers of the law, James (played by Ryan Honey) and Jonathan (played by Denny Kirkwood) shows up at the cottage to ask Kyle some questions. Something is not adding up here, but what? The acting in the movie was alright, nothing extraordinary or remarkable though. But people did alright with their given characters and roles.

Despite being very predictable, then "The Victim" was actually entertaining and had a nice ending. There was a good and constant pace to the movie, which was alright, and the movie never slowed down and became dull. It was just a shame that the movie suffered horribly from its predictability.

As for the soundtrack to the movie, well personally I didn't find it the least bit interesting or suitable, but of course, we all have very different taste in music. I just found this soundtrack unsuitable and the songs didn't really fit into the mood of the movie.

There are far better thrillers out there on the movie market, but still, "The Victim" is good for a single watching, as it just doesn't have the contents to support more than a single watching.

We were lucky enough to see this film at the Horror Fest in Louisville, Ky this past weekend and it was so much fun to watch. It certainly kept us entertained and how cool is it to watch a movie with the stars themselves right there with everyone. The movie was great and I recommend everyone who gets a chance and likes a good thriller with humor to see it!! I know I will buy it as soon as it is released. The cast was wonderful and I feel honored we were able to share the experience with so many fellow fans of the genre!! This movie was filmed in a very short time frame and rivaled some of the big budget movies playing now. I guess that makes Michael and his wonderful wife brilliant!!

Ultra-low budget private effort at a throwback to what was known as Grindhouse Movies. A deliberate attempt to be lurid with lazy film making and exploitation sub-genre subject matter. The more gore (H.G. Lewis), nudity (Roger Corman/Russ Meyer), the better and with great colorful posters and titles (Bloody Mama, The Gore Gore Girls) they would attract audiences and the public with taboo breaking bad flicks.

Most of them were pretty awful, with an occasional sleeper hit and a later discovered cult classic (The Texas Chainsaw, Massacre, Ms.45. Basket Case). But unless you are willing to go way over the top (Tarantino & Rodriguez) or somehow find a great script or story, the results are predictably, almost always BAD.

The trouble with setting out to make a bad movie (Attack of the Killer Tomatoes) is that it usually results in nothing sensational. LIke this Movie. The charm of an Ed wood movie is that he was not winking at the audience, he was trying really hard and the result was a primitive style that endures.

There may be kudos for an attempt, but eight hundred thousand dollars is hardly chump change, even in the independent film world, and this comes off more like someone saying lets make a gritty movie while we're on vacation, rather than an auteur deciding, well we only have a few bucks and a lot of willing folks so we can do this thing.

This movie is lacking sensationalism with unattractive nudity, has mundane violence, no surprises and is ultimately uninteresting, not entertaining, or worth the effort.

I felt more obligated to write this review to negate the extremely overinflated reviews here than to exact my own personal revenge against this catastrophe of a "movie".

I only noticed one truthful review, hidden amongst the pack of fans who gave offensively high numbers of stars, and really, for a small independent movie, it's to be expected. But, even in allegiance to a favourite actor, I can't imagine the willpower it must have taken for them to type out their drivel.

Okay, so now actually onto the movie.

I've seen my fair share of exploitation movies; some good, some bad. What Biehn has managed to do is create the absolute worst, and I don't mean that it's incredibly graphic - it lacks any sort of gritty impact or violence. Well, it has plenty of sex, that has to be something, right? Nope. Instead of creating an homage to grindhouse, I like to think that he has invented a sub-genre called outhouse.

Lousy direction, ridiculous writing, sloppy editing, a laughable soundtrack, a cast that has the combined acting versatility of a single plank of wood, and no story. Packed full of moody driving sequences with conversation reminiscent of old people talking about the day's weather. Now, I have to emphasise that the writing is really, really bad; it violates our intelligence. Nevermind that The Victim was filmed in under two weeks, it was probably written in under half an hour.

Ryan Honey playing the corrupt cop was just painful to watch, easily the worst combination of casting and acting I've had to put up with. Danielle Harris was only marginally better, but still utterly useless. I really don't know what was up with Biehn, who just raised his voice when he was angry, or his wife's inane ramblings.

If you've ever seen the TV series Lost, then I'm sure you'll have hated those Kate centric episodes with her terrible flashbacks. If you watch The Victim, then you'll be treated with flashbacks a hundred times more redundant and boring. I was with two friends at this screening and every time a flashback popped up we couldn't help but let out suicidal groans.

I went to this screening with an open mind, but I had checked the reviews on this site beforehand and, well, they were very easy to see through. Save yourself from becoming a victim to this travesty - I am not exaggerating in the slightest. Thankfully, it hasn't had a wide release as of the time of writing this review, but it will probably be torn to pieces when some delusional distributer puts out there.

Avoid.

(2011) The Victim PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER

A serial killer of missing prostitutes and escorts is on the mist of small town, co-written, directed and starring Michael Biehn as he plays. Kyle Limato recovering from a criminal past of six years. And while staying at his isolated cabin in the woods, an escort/ prostitute, Annie (Michael's real life wife at the time, Jennifer Blanc also credited as co-producer) spots his cabin and runs towards it. And by the time Kyle opens the door, Annie is frantic about an incident in which she tries to explain about two people looking for her as a result of her friend, Mary (Danielle Harris) accidentally killed by homicide detective, James Harrison (Ryan Honey credited as co-executive producer). Det James then convinces his friend, who also works in law enforcement, as DEA. Jonathan Cooger (Denny Kirkwood) to become an accessory. It's because Annie is kind of a witness to her friend, Mary's murder committed by James Harrison who accidentally broker her neck after making out with her in the middle of the woods. The first place they drive up to is Kyle's isolated cabin and it is just a matter of time they are going to cross paths again.

Michel Biehn is not bad as writer/ director except that it is way too contained to just this environment. Whereas, don't know enough about Kyle at all such as, did he used to have a job, and what was he doing before he was sent to prison, and for what did he do before he got out? In other words, how did he make his income? For his character is as ambiguous as the actions of the two detectives. Had Biehn received a much bigger budget, it might have been interesting.