With Chop, screenwriter Trent Haaga (Citizen Toxie, Deadgirl) tries his hand at directing with awful results. His would-be comical torture porn film may be less self-indulgent than the Saw films, but it is almost equally moralistic and definitely weaker in technical terms, which should tell you quite precisely how bad it is.
The film's premise is its strongest suit. It involves a recovering drug addict named Lance who crosses path with a very zealous everyman whom he has wronged in the past. The latter eventually kidnaps and tortures his former tormentor in order to pry out an admission of guilt, but Lance confesses to other crimes instead, for which the antagonist is prompt to find victims willing to join him in bloody retribution.
While many important plot points are established only in passing, with crude gestures devoid of emotion (such as the stroking of a crack pipe in order to establish Lance's former addiction), the narrative manages to draw you in somehow, mostly by veiling the nature of Lance's crime against the antagonist and making you wanting to know, even though you will necessarily suspect something so mundane as to jokingly defuse all dramatic tension.
Unfortunately, said intriguing narrative is marred by incredibly unimaginative direction (only halfway does the film break the chain of shots/counter-shots) and a crippling ambivalence between genuine drama and flat-out camp. The awfully limited lead is caught in a similar bind as he struggles to deliver both the lighthearted moments of comedy and the dramatic moments of tension, often grinning or sulking at grossly inappropriate times.
Look closely at the actors' faces. Notice the unease. It is as if the
pair was involved in a mid-term film school project...
Some inspired gore and a decent turn by Timothy Muskatell as the antagonist manage to elevate the whole a bit, but not up to par. The film almost peaks during a grotesque sequence in which a leather-clad S&M freak menaces to cut off the bound protagonist's leg and fuck the stump, carefully selecting the location where he wants to jizz. But as the action is cut short (by a non-collaborative ringleader), so does the film proves its lack of dedication toward its own would-be twisted material. Had there been some stump-fucking, I might have given the film an extra half-star for daring to go the extra mile. But as things stand, there's nothing novel enough here to recommend the film.
In the end, one could say that Chop is either a limp Header or a campy Saw, both of which are awfully bad. There's very little redeeming value here save for a couple of good jokes, which is sad for Muskatell, who does his best as the baby-faced psycho. Narrowly saved by the rather funny "twist" ending, Haaga's first film is best forgotten.
1,5/5 Some intriguing ideas are nullified by mediocre execution in this amateurish torture porn variation.
The film's premise is its strongest suit. It involves a recovering drug addict named Lance who crosses path with a very zealous everyman whom he has wronged in the past. The latter eventually kidnaps and tortures his former tormentor in order to pry out an admission of guilt, but Lance confesses to other crimes instead, for which the antagonist is prompt to find victims willing to join him in bloody retribution.
While many important plot points are established only in passing, with crude gestures devoid of emotion (such as the stroking of a crack pipe in order to establish Lance's former addiction), the narrative manages to draw you in somehow, mostly by veiling the nature of Lance's crime against the antagonist and making you wanting to know, even though you will necessarily suspect something so mundane as to jokingly defuse all dramatic tension.
Unfortunately, said intriguing narrative is marred by incredibly unimaginative direction (only halfway does the film break the chain of shots/counter-shots) and a crippling ambivalence between genuine drama and flat-out camp. The awfully limited lead is caught in a similar bind as he struggles to deliver both the lighthearted moments of comedy and the dramatic moments of tension, often grinning or sulking at grossly inappropriate times.
Look closely at the actors' faces. Notice the unease. It is as if the
pair was involved in a mid-term film school project...
Some inspired gore and a decent turn by Timothy Muskatell as the antagonist manage to elevate the whole a bit, but not up to par. The film almost peaks during a grotesque sequence in which a leather-clad S&M freak menaces to cut off the bound protagonist's leg and fuck the stump, carefully selecting the location where he wants to jizz. But as the action is cut short (by a non-collaborative ringleader), so does the film proves its lack of dedication toward its own would-be twisted material. Had there been some stump-fucking, I might have given the film an extra half-star for daring to go the extra mile. But as things stand, there's nothing novel enough here to recommend the film.
In the end, one could say that Chop is either a limp Header or a campy Saw, both of which are awfully bad. There's very little redeeming value here save for a couple of good jokes, which is sad for Muskatell, who does his best as the baby-faced psycho. Narrowly saved by the rather funny "twist" ending, Haaga's first film is best forgotten.
1,5/5 Some intriguing ideas are nullified by mediocre execution in this amateurish torture porn variation.
