Pimped

Two housemates, Lewis and Kenneth, befriend a young woman, Sarah. Their motives are selfish and malevolent but seemingly-fragile Sarah might just have a surprise or two in store for them.

I had low expectations before watching this but was impressed initially and with the plot development. Some interesting, unexpected turns of events, gritty violence, a tight plot and dark atmosphere made for reasonably compelling watching.

Unfortunately, however, writer-director David Barker could not sustain the quality throughout (despite the short running time) and things fizzle out towards the end. A great pity as it promised so much at one stage. Ultimately it is quite disappointing.

Why they call it Pimped I have no clue, they could have called it anything else it wouldn't matter. Seeing the low ratings it got here I wasn't expecting too much of it. The beginning is a bit slow and you wonder what it's all about but the second part makes up for it so to me it's worth a watch. Don't expect award winning acting but it's certainly not bad either, far from that. To me it's worth a six star rating as a seven star rating is a good movie, not exceptional but that I would watch again. A six star rating is good but only for one viewing. Pimped is easy entertainment, nothing too difficult.

"A stylish subversive treat, a bon-bon spiked with ground glass..." - FilmInk "Utterly, creepily convincing" - The Australian "Slick ripper...thriller" - Jim Schembri 3AW

This film is not for everyone. It's a highly stylised genre piece, which asks the audience to think more ... to consider what if? Who can you really trust, who do you really know? Fans of "You" will enjoy the psycho thriller aspect, fans of "Gotham" will enjoy seeing Benedict Samuel (Mad Hatter) wrecking havoc. Read the critic reviews - they get the themes and discuss in an intriguing manner.

It's not often I wish a movie wouldn't end but that's exactly how I felt at the rather abrupt conclusion to Pimped. Which is funny because the opening 20 minutes didn't pull me in at all, but then out of the blue this movie revs up and keeps motoring on pleasingly and Ella Scott Lynch is the main reason for this, her character Sarah displaying all the hallmarks of being a mentally disturbed, dangerous young lady. The execution in this is amazingly effective and I wanted to see more but it ends after 75 minutes which was disappointing because we don't know how things pan out for Sarah.

It's a rape revenge type of thriller that spins off in an unexpected direction and had me wondering what would happen next. Clever movie making, excellent direction and some funny bits mixed in, makes for a titillating viewing experience that I really didn't want to end. That and the first 20 knocks it back so I'll settle for a respectable rating of 6 stars.

Pimped is tightly scripted thriller, surprising me with it's themes. I wasn't expecting a genre film that dealt with issues of identity, while also building to a climatic end based around the abuse of a woman. Ella Scott Lynch is remarkable in her roles, so too Benedict Samuel. I saw this in the cinema in Sydney and it has stayed with me since. Beautifully shot with a soundtrack that was intense and minimal at the same time. This really moved me on a number of levels.