Offensive

Just watched this on the horror channel and the movies are usually a bit pants but this one is a real surprise and no mistake; so much so I had to write this review right away before my utter enthusiasm for this film is put in writing.

Gets you right in the guts, you really feel for the old folks and it mirrors what is going on in London and virtually every city in the UK and in many places in europe so really resonated with me. The one reviewer who gives it 3 stars obviously lives in a plush neighbourhood with no crime and has never encountered the feral and utterly evil youth in our society today so really does not understand that the kids in this film are actually tame compared to what I have seen in my time as a police officer and in my home town of Glasgow; Try googling James Bulger or Charlene Downes mate, now that is true real life horror and disturbing!

I have to laugh at the one reviewer who thinks its cliche and too gory lol he obviously has not got a clue about what horror in the context of a movie is and wants to pontificate at great length over pointless comparisons with Death Wish - really?

As a horror fan the violence is glorious and got my horror glands pumping and I dont think i have had sweat running down my brow or jumped up and down demanding a kill for such a long time, WOW this film is a topper for such a low budget and no mistake. The pure terrorising of the old folks was done slowly and built up to a crescendo in a gloriously well directed way teasing us viewers in each scene and demanding retribution until it exploded on screen and gave the viewer release of the built up tension and satiated our thirst for non-stop bloody retribution and this is what horror is all about; this director knows what makes a good horror revenge film and I cannot wait to see more of his work if this is a taster of what is to come.

The acting is fine and the whole film just beats most of the trash horror that has been coming out of the US of late so do not listen to the usual 1-3 star single critic on this one - give it a go and you will be in for a gloriously head mashing, leg splitting, hammer-mungous and spade-tastic revenge treat!

A retired American couple inherit a French country house but must spend 12 months there in order to gain possession. They become terrorised by a loathsome gang of vicious teenagers but eventually snap and bloody revenge is in order. There are many flaws in this British movie. Despite being set in rural France (and it does use some nice locations) everybody here speaks fluent English. Russell Floyd looks good as the husband but his English accents keeps slipping out.We have a couple of comical cops who just seem to pop up all over the place at convenient times. There is an English teacher who plays a completely pointless role. Offensive is a bit of a slow burn but when the husband sees red and turns into a Charles Bronson type character crossed with a Hobo with a Shotgun (or shovel in this case) the violence, laughably far fetched as it is at times, goes into overdrive. Trust me, this is a violent, gory film. Fans of gore will not be disappointed. I couldn't help but root for our senior citizens. But I just couldn't help laughing at how it was all staged, pretty comical and very predictable. Not sure if that was the film makers intention but at least I enjoyed it.

Well done to director Jon Ford for creating the brilliant horror/revenge thriller Offensive. If you enjoy revenge thrillers like Death Wish and Harry Brown then you'll love Offensive. A retired couple are targeted by a cruel gang of street youths with disastrous consequences. Offensive definitely kept me on the edge of my seat throughout and had some very tense and disturbing scenes which fans of the genre will love. I won't give anything else away so please go and check out Offensive as you won't be disappointed.

In spite of some very wooden acting, this is actually rather enjoyable if you like a bit of blood and gore. Turn off your brain for ninety minutes, suspend reality, and you may enjoy this too.

Offensive tells the story of two passive well-mannered retirees from the United States who emigrate to the French countryside and become vicious guilt-free (and expert) serial killers of a gang of anti-social murderous teenagers and co-conspiring cops.

Does that sound a bit far fetched, even for a horror film? Wait until you see some of the finer plot points.

I'll admit, the film does an excellent job of making us dislike the gang of youths and want the adults being terrorised to unleash a bit karma upon them. It even gives us a little bit of satisfaction when the revenge does finally start, so it's not a bad revenge horror/thriller in that sense; and while it's gory it's not over the top in the way that we've seen in many "torture porn" films over the years.

The problem is, it's all a bit too ridiculous even if our belief is suspended to the maximum amount. There are just too many absurd events and explanations within a short space of time, intersected with some extreme murders, for it to eventually become a bit of a chore and thereby preventing it from being as good as the likes of Ils (aka Them).

Perhaps it suffers from the fact that, unlike most horror films, this story has a greater sense of reality since most people have been in a situation where they've felt or been intimidated and harrassed by a group of people, such as those seen in the film, making it more difficult to forgive the unrealistic elements like we can with films containing immortal masked killers.

If you like revenge films then you'll probably enjoy this to some degree, but you may find it difficult to love due to how farcical some of it is.