I'll Never Die Alone

It's one thing knowing there will be violence and another to have it going on for an extended period of time. I'm not a big fan of the rape&revenge genre in general, but this is really something here. Maybe there is a "softer" version out there but if you watch the one that you are supposed to watch it will take a toll on you (or at least it should).

Having said all that, what is even worse, when it finally comes to the "good" part, the one where the victims are going on a revenge spree ... it feels fake. There is no equivalent to what was done to them and to what they dish out. So even in that department it fails to deliver (us from evil) .... "Acting" does not help too much either

When Meir Zarchi made I Spit On Your Grave in 1978, he would never have comprehended the legacy that his film would eventually generate. Seen as one of the more controversial of the named video nasties, it and the genre it has recently been generating is making waves again.

This Argentine roughie must rank as one of the more effective and respectful homages to Zarchi's film. Except that here, experienced micro-budget horror director, Bogliano, takes the genres usual conceits and batters the viewers conscious for the entire duration.

Filmed in the stark sunshine of a remote part of Argentina, a group of four young girls drive past a battered and bloody body of another girl. After taking the body to the local police, upon leaving they are followed by a trio of hunters who show little mercy.

Anyone who has seen I Spit On Your Grave or, indeed, last year's remake will know the direction the film will turn. The violence is very naturalistic which will repulse the unweary. Add to this a relentless, uneasy soundscape that permeates throughout (think Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 1974) which is both grating and disturbing in equal measure. A brilliant example of effective low budget film making, using subtle sound techniques to off put the viewer, making you forget any budget limitations (there are noticeably a few).

The performances from the four leads are pitched perfectly. Bogliano not too indulgent with giving background detail, although a sense of compassion is forced upon us. This is especially true following the brutal ordeal that the group go through. Directly after the violent assault(s), there can be very few scenes as disturbing or powerful in recent memory as the reaction that the group's youngest member conveys, her character completely broken.

Whether anybody would want to watch such fare is really an individual choice. But there is no doubt that this is the real deal - a modern grindhouse film without the retro trappings currently being thrown at us. Granted, there are references abound (see who the film acknowledges in its opening credits for further clues), particularly from the original grindhouse movement (Thriller: A Cruel Picture is covered on a number of occasions for instance), but No Morire Sola remains a horrific horror ordeal. A true video nasty.

Attending horror conventions you were noticed that this would become an instant classic. To have so much fuss it must have been something special and face it, how many Argentinian flicks do make it to Europe? Adrián García Bogliano had made already a lot of flicks and even wrote them but naturally by doing it in Spanish it never got any of our attention.

No Moriré Sola is a straight in your face grindhouse. If you could dig the original rape/revenge flicks like I Spit On Your Grave (1978) then I should recommend this one too. The story is written in a few sentences but ho, it really works.

It works because it doesn't contain arty farty shots or CGI. It works because the overall look of this flick is cheap. No flashy effects or colour grading. It works because it goes slowly to involve towards the roughness at the end. Due being a revenge flick it doesn't have too much gory shots, it is even a bit low on the red stuff but the brutality is what gives you the creeps. The rape scene is also really slow and it goes on and on from one girl to another. On that part the girls go full frontal and even now and then a guys dick is shown. So for those with a weak stomach I wouldn't recommend it.

It's one of those flicks that could happen, being at the wrong place at the wrong time and seeing that something isn't right, of course to us South America is known for its corruption which is exploited here too.

The acting was believable especially from the 4 girls getting into trouble. And the score did at a bit of weirdness all over this flick.

I'll Never Walk Alone is for the grindhouse/exploitation buffs, others will be offended in a way Irreversible did.

Gore 2/5 Nudity 3,5/5 Effects 3/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

Rape/revenge movies aren't supposed to be enjoyable. And this is not enjoyable but it's a great piece of film making and a great addition to the genre. For many, it may feel far too slow and even dull, but that's where the strength and power of the movie lies. As with Funny Games, the director refuses to rush through the mundane, forcing the viewer to acknowledge the reality simulated on the screen. An exploitation director wouldn't spend 3 minutes on burial, let alone on a long shot of it.

Adrián García Bogliano also takes defies convention by keeping the soundtrack minimal and ambient emphasizing the dull horror of not only the rapes, but of the revenge.

The huge accomplishment of this movie is in getting the words "subtle" and "rape/revenge movie" into the same sentence.

All the puritan movie-critics that once labeled "I Spit on your Grave" as the worst, sickest and most gratuitously exploitative horror movie ever made (I'm looking at you, Mr. Roger Ebert) are warmly advised to stay a million miles away from this Spanish/Argentinean co-production called "I'll Never Die Alone" (lovely title, by the way). Every element that made the aforementioned Rape & Revenge milestone a "class-sick" are intensified several times here, making this one of the most unpleasant, repellent and disturbing cinematic experiences I ever witnessed. We're talking vastly extended and shockingly graphic rape sequences, uncomfortably long moments of silence, aggregating acts of retaliation, a pounding grunt soundtrack and an overall ambiance of nausea. Unless I overlooked a title, this is the first genuine throwback to the most infamous sub genre of horror of the 1970's. With the emphasis nowadays lying on torture-porn flicks and tributes to Grindhouse movies, the department of Rape & Revenge movies somewhat got pushed into oblivion lately. These new torture flicks are quite sick and mega-violent, yet none of them come even close to recreating the gritty atmosphere and level of intensity of such flicks as "House on the Edge of the Park", "Fight for your Life", the original "Last House on the Left" and of course "I spit on your Grave". With "I'll Never Die Alone"; director Adrian Garcia Bogliano impressively brings back the sickest type of 70's exploitation cinema and I'm convinced many fans of the era will welcome this film with wide-open arms. The plot is very basic and straightforward as it should be. Four young girls on a road-trip through the most rural countryside of Argentina witness the murder of another girl by a trio of poachers. As they stop by the nearest police station to get help, the trio's leader also turns out to be a higher ranked authority figure. Immediately after leaving the police station, the girls find themselves pursued by the poachers' jeep. They are barbarically raped and mutilated before the strongest once have a chance to fight back. The rape sequences are particularly excruciating because A) they are shot integrally and B) because the four lead girls appear to be incredibly young. They honestly don't look a day older as 18, which makes the shock-impact all the more intense. And either they are all four naturally gifted actresses or they were genuinely terrified during the shooting, as their facial expressions during the rapes and the rage in their eyes seem frighteningly legitimate. The bloody vengeance parts are reasonably grueling as well, including someone getting hammered to death and another bastard getting strangled by barbwire. The unsteady cinematography and raw editing may appear amateurish and low budget like, but it actually just epitomizes the raunchy tone of the film. If you are sick and tired of the nowadays exaggeratedly hyped torture flicks like "Hostel" and the numerous "Saw" sequels, try and get your dirty little hands on this authentic hardcore-to-the-bone exploitation effort.