Chop

Lance Reed (Will Keenan) is forced by a psychotic stranger to confront his duplicitous past. Seeking retribution for a crime, the man forces Lance to reveal his innermost secrets by systematically removing his limbs.

Will Keenan ("Terror Firmer") and director Trent Haaga are Troma veterans, and it shows. They take the fun of low budget and bring it here, in full force. I am actually surprised Lloyd Kaufman makes no cameo. (Who does make a cameo? Actually, Camille Keaton of "I Spit on Your Grave". Nice touch!)

You have to enjoy dark humor -- maybe even Troma humor -- to fully appreciate this. Should it be funny that a stranger terrorizes this guy's life and tortures him and his family? You know, probably not. But it is. Very, very funny.

CHOP is the directorial debut of Deadgirl screenwriter Trent Haaga.

Will Keenan (Tromeo and Juliet, Terror Firmer) breaks down on the highway and is picked up by a stranger (Timothy Muskatell), who shots him with a tranquilizer.

What follows is crazy, and funny, and a bit gory. First his brother, then his wife, and Lance (Keenan) still doesn't know the stranger and why he has it out for him.

Things just get worse and worse for Lance. His past comes roaring back in retribution for his crimes until it all ends with him finally remembering the stranger - a perfect ending.

This one feels like it goes on and on. A man is stalked and taken brutal vengeance upon by a mysterious figure from his crack-smoking past. Going after his family and eventually, his body parts, the antogonist won't stop until the protagonist remembers and apologizes for a transgression he can't remember! Although it's not as confusing as it sounds, it's twice as tedious. The plot is ambitious enough but the (over) acting is usually obnoxious, with occasional decent moments. The premise is creative, but silly. The special gore effects sequences range from 'meh' to pretty good, but nothing outstanding-that is, when the camera doesn't cut away from the violence. By the end of the film, I had quit caring about the big reveal and was saying "big deal..."

A man gets a ride from a truck driver when is car beaks down in the middle of a canyon. The truck driver seems friendly at first, but before long, he's tied the man to a chair, hacking off his limbs one by one, that is, after destroying everything else in his life first. Apparently, he had wronged the truck driver years before and the driver won't stop until he can recall what he did. Mostly unstressful black-comedy/horror hybrid, as the plite of the unsympathetic protagonist fails to generate any tension and 'trying-too-hard-to-seem-clever' script boasts only a few laughs. That being said, it's still better than 'Hard Candy.'

I don't regret watching Chop but it isn't a movie I would watch again in the future. It's all a bit low budget but it's watchable. People rating this with the highest score are just exxagerating as there are thousands better movies than this one. The acting is just okay, nothing great but nothing cringing either. I could see the end coming from miles away but it wasn't bad actually. In short, I watched much worse movies so I can't complain but I watched tons of better ones as well.