Stricken

Unexpected good acting from some of the cast saves this low budget production from being a complete wreck.

Highly questionable character choices and weird direction/editing decisions, coupled with the cheap look of locations and non-actors on secondary roles pull this movie down.

There's a lot of better things to do with your time than watching this one.

The actors turn in some fine performances in this darkly comic portrayal of some friends who take a college hazing too far. The film as a whole portrays violence as a basic (even acceptable) fall-back for a mind pushed too far or a mind too bored to care. It's almost like you side with this whacko Banyon because he's the only one who feels somewhat real or alive. (Maybe even sympathetic?) The rest of the characters - accurately written and portrayed - are almost stoner versions of Stepford youths - youths who really need to get a life if this is what they call fun...

Upon viewing Mr. Chilsen's movie, Stricken, I noticed a few things about the man behind the camera. As a Psychology student, I couldn't help but notice a few things contained within the movie that seem to reveal a few things about this man. These themes seem to point to an objectification and seeming hatred of women. This could be caused by, suggested in the movie, repressed homosexual feelings suggested by the repeated homophobic "insults" spewed back and forth by the characters. Mr. Chilsen, a college professor, portrays blue-collar workers as abusive red-necks whose loathing of these college kids illustrates a superiority complex of the "educated" over "the working man." This hatred could stem from his upbringing in the working class town of Wausau. Where, judging from his psychosis, he was ostracized at an early age, forming a generalized hatred toward the people he viewed as rejecting him.

Many may disagree with me here...but I actually enjoyed this movie. It may be very low budgeted...and some of the actors here may have not been the BEST here, and the editing wasn't great, but it amused me. Banyon (played by Jamie Kennedy) was by far the best in the movie. If it wasn't for Jamie kennedy, this movie probably would not be good at all. Yes, Banyon may have been a little psycho and obnoxious, but still you couldn't help but feel sympathetic for his character. I say that if you enjoy dark independent films, you might want to take a look at this.

4 out of 5

This film is trash and people should run from it!If you have nothing to do keep doing it, because this waste of film has no direction what so ever. Even calling this so called self proclaimed director a film maker is blasphmee. No offense to Jammie Kennedy who is a wonderful actor and only took this crap for the money and hoping it might be done well. He should take his name off this trash and this film should be pulled off every where it sits. Lets hope this "director" never direct's any film again...uuuggghhh. I needed a flight bag to hold the vomit while watching this bad joke!