Film Review

09 January 2009 12:42 BST

Donkey Punch

Directed by Oliver Blackburn, out July 18th in cinemas, starring Jaime Winstone, Tom Burke, Nichola Burley, Julian Morris, Sian Breckin, Jay Taylor, Robert Boulter, 98 mins.

In a nutshell...

Brit horror-thriller flick from debut director Oliver Blackburn

What's it all about?

Three girls meet a group of guys while partying in Spain. In the mood for some illicit action, the guys take them onto the luxury yacht they are crewing and decide to continue the party out at sea. The hedonistic atmosphere of drink, drugs and sex soon shatters when a horrific accident occurs. With only those on board knowing the truth of what happened, the group quickly turn on each other until it becomes a battle for survival as they drift alone in the middle of the ocean.



Who's in it?

Up and coming actors Jaime Winstone (Kidulthood and Bullet Boy), Tom Burke (I Want Candy, The Libertine), Nichola Burley (Love + Hate) and Julian Morris (Cry_Wolf) all star.

The movie is directed by debutante Oliver Blackburn and co-written by Blackburn and David Bloom

Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars

The movie was well received at the Sundance Film Festival where it was showcased earlier this year. Not an Oscar short-lister but fans of the genre should appreciate this violent and well produced low-budget thriller.

What the others say

"It is viscerally intense in places, and unusually sexy and hedonistic, despite its tragic unfolding, but if you're after a serious UK horror flick The Descent (2006) is far scarier, more stylish and ultimately more memorable." - http://www.horrorphile.net/donkey-punch

"Its sex, gore and some of its Ibiza-culture characters may not make it a critic's film, but it's definitely an audience's movie. In the UK alone, where Nick Love's broadsheet-slated geezer dramas have a lucrative working-class fanbase, Donkey Punch ought to make a lot of money. The twist in the tale is that this scary, truly edgy film deserves to." - Damon Wise, Times

So is it any good?

Possibly the most tedious 90 minutes of my whole movie viewing existence, Donkey Punch sets itself up to be an edgy British horror but results instead in a soggy offering of gore over substance. Where Dead Calm (1986) did the thriller out at sea with pace and tension, this film fails to conjure up an ounce of sympathy for its characters who suddenly descend into murderous and back-stabbing individuals with little to tell them apart. Rather than being left guessing as to who is going to be picked off next, it is a more a case of wishing the yacht would go the way of the Titianic and finish off the whole group of twentysomethings all at once.

To give it some credit, the film is well-acted and slickly produced for a movie with a limited budget. The relatively unknown but talented young actors hold the film together as the reckless hedonism turns to utter fear.

Despite the actors, however, gratuitous sex scenes and a painfully predictable storyline mean this film has little else to merit it other than the occasional laugh at the often humourous script and the many scenes of eye-closing gore for true horror fans.

Gore? Yes. Thriller? No.

3/10

Nova Maxwell

To visit the official Donkey Punch website, click here

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