The Unforgiving

Given the current genre of Horror movies out there i watched this movie with out any lofty expectations and almost purely based on the reviews of the many others who seemed to have a favorable opinion of it. Add the fact that the budget used to make this film was minuscule and i truly felt that i was about to be hoodwinked. Not at all. I was locked in from beginning to end and was very pleasantly surprised. Definitely one of the more suspenseful horror movies i have seen in a while. Now having said that, this is the kind of movie that requires your full attention and while the movie provides enough interest to captivate most viewers, I admit i had to watch it again after seeing the ending. I did so without hesitation though because it was an enjoyable enough of a movie to do so. I don't know anything about making films but i would think something has to be said about a director and a cast that can make such a decent film with so little. Easily worth watching!

Two survivors of a brutal attack by a masked man are interrogated by a police detective, the survivors both tell their account of grisly events more shocking than anyone could've imagined.

Unlike with other films that I'll just simply buy I decided to rent THE UNFORGIVING before buying it, this being a South African production shot on a shoe string budget I had to find out first whether or not this film was a professional job or did it look like it was shot with a cell phone camera.

When it got started I was pleasantly surprised by how well the film actually looked, the storyline itself immediately established the mood, set up the tone and maintained a steady pace throughout, it even at times came off as a SAW rip off but at a certain stage it started turning the whole concept on its head and went towards a more intriguing and exciting direction and at latter stages it seemed to merely reference SAW but it never at any time felt like a rip off.

The acting was very good considering this is practically a first time cast, the actors all did a very good job for them to be considered for future projects.

Also unlike both SAW and HOSTEL its not an all out gore fest, its actually pretty tame in the gore department, its more content with the plot than with gore but I can honestly say the climax is pretty intense.

Overall, THE UNFORGIVING can stand tall alongside SAW and HOSTEL as one of the best known films of its genre.

I'm not sure what movie other reviewers were watching here...ten star reviews?????? crazy or what?????? this was just rubbish! If this is ten stars then what do you give great movies like saw or hostel?

I tried to stay interested but I was bored...very bored...

I did like saw...7 or 8 stars easy...and I love films that follow suit...so what if its already been done...long as its good then why not...but this just ain't...the camera just wants to give me a headache! I mean zoom out for fu@ks sake! I couldn't see anything! It just felt like it was one scene all the way through...

a nice bit of blood...but no more so than that...

I simply could not recommend this...sorry...

Maybe i'm missing something here with this one...mmmmmmmmm...but i don't think so...could have been a good film...just ain't...

Being a South African, i was excited to support this movie so i rented it from my local store. I know of budget constraints and all other challenges facing a local production, but i do feel the dialogue could have been done better, as well as the acting, it felt too South African soap opera-ish (ala Sevende Laan), the actors were not convincing at all especially the cop and the villain. As there were only 4 actors in this movie, that should tell you something. There were too may plot holes, escape for the victims could have been easily achieved. The worst line in the movie for me was "...the clock face may tell you what time it is, but i think its time for you to start telling me the truth". Some improbabilities, being able to limp off after having your knee cap drilled through, having your head smashed (really hard) into tar numerous times (consecutively) and still surviving (no brain damage) and still be able to run around as if nothing happened, being stabbed twice and not dying after hours of bleeding(not to mention bleeding form other orifices as well). The worst part for me though was the music and its timing (or lack off), there was no build up, everything was all loud all of the time, no silence before the big "ta-da", just continuous synths and strings and big bass, sometimes even drowning out the dialogue, you have to use music as if its a character in the movie. And lastly the HD camera work (doccie style) was a lil too erratic, with heavy music and a vibrating pic, things got a bit nauseous. The twist in the movie had a bit of redeeming quality, but because of the above mentioned personal issues with the movie, i was zoned out before it even happened. Can't wait for your next effort though, with constructive feedback (nudge, nudge...) i am sure it gonna be off the chain.

The first half an hour of the film feels like a SAW rip off, but the film shoots off in a very different and exciting direction in the second act. The film uses a very novel way of telling the victims' stories, and this keeps you engaged as it builds to a bloody climax. The film uses the idea that the audience thinks they are watching a SAW or HOSTEL and flips those expectations on its head.

The film is inspiring to see what you can get away with on a very limited budget, and I'm not talking about Hollywood limited budget, I'm talking about bare knuckle, no budget filmmaking.

The film won't win any Oscars, but I am interested to see what these guys can do given even a B Grade straight to DVD American Budget.

The cinematography is very original and the editing is outstanding. The script could be a little more original but the actors cover the flaws in the script with decent performances.