Balade Meurtrière

I really did enjoy this film. It was brutal, tension filled, and I liked the fact that these many acts of violence weren't just "cause we wanted too" but that there was an actual reasoning behind it.

The directing was brilliant, the sound design was spot on, the performances were top notch... my only complaint is the script. It starts off so strong but loses its way towards the end. I think for a film that answers most of your questions, the ending just leaves you with more that you didn't even know you had. I also think the running time was just a tad bit long.

But these are just my own opinions. I truly think if you love thrillers or slow burn horror (this film definitely gives off horror vibes) than it is definitely worth your time.

Maybe my english isn't that good.. but the dialogues were weird and most of the time didn't make any sence... it was hard to understand what they were talking about even with Greek subtitles.. haha... but if i skip this, the movie was pretty good.. it had some brutal scenes that came up out of the blue, it had a dark back up story and what did happened is food for thought about violence, about revenge and what i finally kept on mind is that doing something bad and do nothing to stop something bad, live on the same place. It's more like drama but with strong elements of horror! It's a movie for 6 stars but i 'd give one more for two reasons, it was a New Zeland production and because action started up quickly without boring intro stuff...

Easily the darkest and most intense road movie I've seen since Robert Harmon's The Hitcher. Great acting, cinematography, the lot. There isn't much light here, given the circumstance of the story. But it comes highly recommended, as it completely drew me in.

The scheme of a couple abducted by a group of psychopaths reminds me OPEN SEASON and PENTHOUSE, in a disturbing, nasty, insane atmosphere, where audiences feel dizzy nearly all long the movie. It is not always very clear and fully explained, you have to watch and listen it very closely. Not for all audiences, not for Hollywood crap films fans. Don't watch it with your parents in law around the poultry, this is not entertainment. This is actually a complex psychological study which maybe needs to be seen several times. This is not a gore, horror movie, nor a thriller, perhaps more a bloody and brutal drama. There is also a bit of Michael Haneke's FUNNY GAMES, but just a bit.

I was really liking the movie at first. It showed the family, they got along, what they did on their trip, basically getting to know the main characters. Then the bad guys show up. Still suspenseful, but after a short period I'm baffled why they made the decisions they made. And the ending was so stupid, which made me really dislike the film even more.

What I figured was going to be a 7 or an 8 at first but after all that it gets a 5.