Director: Lucio A. Rojas
Year: 2018
Country: Chile
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Rape-Revenge; Exploitation
Plot:
Heading out on a trip together, a group of girlfriends stop off at a remote friends' house for a relaxing vacation trip only to come upon a degenerate soldier and his son who are leaving a trail of destruction across the countryside, and after getting caught up in the events set out to seek blood revenge.
Review:
This was an exceptionally graphic extreme genre outing. What really sells this one is the way it offers such exceptionally brutal and confrontational material from the outset. Opening on the image of a teenager forced to rape his beaten and bloodied mother at gunpoint is extreme enough yet once she's shot the fact that he keeps going on his own gives this a real punch to start this out with that only goes further from there. Once they arrive at the house as the home invasion factors heavily into this, they're beaten, threatened, raped in front of each other and sadistically mutilated in long, squirm-inducing sequences that not only understandably break them mentally but also become increasingly uncomfortable which is the whole point behind it and sets the brutality in motion for the final half.
That third half is where this one really lets loose by offering all manner of graphic and brutal efforts. Not only featuring the great sequence in the bar that shows him wiping out the rescue party singlehandedly in cold, brutal fashion, but the flashback to the brutality of the war featuring the stellar shootouts and plenty of graphic carnage that provides plenty of emotional and logical motivation for the ensuing rampage. With the confrontation in the factory full of endless corridors, trap-filled rooms and full-on confrontations that pile on the ruthlessness of the two to ensure they keep their legacy intact against their determination to stop them that keeps this moving along through the thrilling action, top-notch gore and a fantastically down-beat ending that helps to sell this one further.
The four main cast here also adds tremendously to the exploits on offer here. Catalina Martin as Andrea, the leader of the group, is an exceptionally strong and worthwhile leader who's always trying to lookout for the others and inserts enough reasonable doubt to be a voice of reason as the cycle continues on. Ximena del Solar steals the show as Julia, the sexually liberated and freer one that bounces back and forth between being likable and sleazy with her seducing everyone on the trip but is shown to be more capable as time goes on, making for a fantastic time here. Her girlfriend Camilla, played by Macarena Carrere, handles the fine line of the inner determination to stop them and has a fine strength about her that keeps us on her side. Dominga Bofil as Magdalena isn't as memorable due to being the sacrificial lamb to start things off but is overall still a likable presence for being the first one to attempt to stop the group before her demise.
Part of what makes the film so unflinching is the message behind it all. The political ramifications of the film, going back to the original time in the flashbacks showing the way all the different soldiers and police forces have been corrupted by the effects of war around them is an intriguing contrast. As the war around them rages on, the effect is has on those caught up within it, who are shown to have to be just as cruel and barbaric as those participating in the atrocities, creates a wholly chilling concept of always begetting violence and perversion. As the old guard in this society has to continually prey on the next generation to survive, they're forced into ever more extreme exploits to overpower the stronger one, creating the violent culture personified here. Some of this ends up making the film run longer than it should but that's the main issue here.
Overview: ****1/2/5
While the film is just a tad too long for it's own good, there's so much to enjoy here that that comes from it's exceptional brutality, unflinching realism and overall tone that it holds itself up as a fantastic exploitation offering. Heartily recommended to any and all fans of the extreme side of cinema or those looking for this type of genre fare while those unable or unwilling to handle the subject matter should heed caution.
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