Cannibal

Going into Cannibal I was aware of a few things. I knew that it was based on a true story that involved two German men and cannibalism. I also knew that there was a good amount of gay sex and lots of weiners flippin and floppin all over the place. Well, the movie is indeed about two Germans with a incredibly rare fetish and it is also full of sex and male nudity. But I also came to realize that this movie has some of the best gore fx I've ever seen. So if any of this stuff itches you the wrong way, the best path to take is to avoid this movie. But if you're looking to widen your horizon and/or just check out an extreme, yet very well made movie, this is definitely a must see.

Like I said the movie is about two German men, 42-year-old computer expert Armin Meiwes and 43-year-old engineer Bernd Brandes. Armin through his accomplished computer skills and perseverance sets out to find someone who would help assist him accomplish his deepest desire. Through hard work and many meetings with people he eventually finds Bernd. From the moment they meet face to face you instantly realize that this movie is gonna get serious, fast. Reason why I'm saying this is the first thing Bernd says to Armin is "I'm your flesh" and then an intensely sexual yet loving stare follows. Remember what I said above with the extreme subject matter? Well, that's what follows. For many of you the reason you're watching this film is to get a better idea of what transpired between these two men. And believe you me, you'll get the idea. One thing I didn't expect from this movie was the way they chose to tell the story. I was expecting the film-makers to show them in a different tone, a tone more fitting to this type of subject manner. I came away from the movie with a sense that I just saw a love story, one of the grossest love stories I've ever seen, but a love story. I really only have two gripes with this film. One of them being the dubbing was kind of weak, and two I would have enjoyed a follow up after the closing scene, telling us exactly how the true-life story ended. Minor nit-picking, but it would have upped my score.

Cannibal was directed by first-time director Marian Dora. And I have to take my hat off to him, he did a really nice job. The shots of the movie were intense, the dialog was minuscule yet powerful. The acting seemed inspired, the gore fx were unbelievable. The movie brought home the bacon and fried it in the pan....big time. Cannibal is an incredibly strong flick that should appeal to many people, even though most will be scared away by the penis shots and sex. Truthfully, there's so much nudity in it, after a while you're not even noticing it anymore. If you like strong flicks and aren't afraid of a little sex and blood, check this baby out. 9 outta 10.

The film's best aspects - THE GORE. I am a medical professional and work emergency medicine, so let me say first hand this gore is next level. So much so I'm skeptical how it is created morally... To be quite blunt, I believe MD uses animal carcasses to film and manipulates these to resemble humans moreso.

The good - the ability to disturb the viewer. Amongst the divine homosexually unappealing nature and over the top "awkward" individual personality this movie digs deep. The plot (although small) drags on appropriately to ensure your mind is unable to escape what it is seeing. Some may find this "boring, slow, unnecessary" but I ensure you this director knows what he is doing; and he does it well.

The bad - quite frankly for the genre there isn't much bad. If your here as a result of any other pieces of his work (MDE / Voyage etc) you know what your getting into and this movie offers a decent plot in addition to expected content. If not you'll hate this movie as it DOES NOT appeal to "Hollywood horror" fans.

Overall 7/10 would recommend to the few true horror fans. Family and friends not so much.

Cannibal (2005)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Based on the true story of Armin "Rotenburg Cannibal" Meiwes, the German man who posted a wanted message on the internet looking for someone who was willing to be killed and eaten. Directed Marian Dora has created one of the most vile, repulsive and disgusting films I've ever seen. Having seen all the Italian cannibal films I thought I could handle anything but that wasn't the case with this film. Just how bad was it? I actually had to stop the film and throw up once. Reluctantly I went back and watched the film and just grew sicker and sicker. The film leaves nothing to the imagination and shows us everything. The director has only around ten lines of dialogue and everything else is just built up with atmosphere and mood. This atmosphere is of pure nastiness and this comes through in the final third of the film where the killing and eating actually starts. Apparently this film follows the real events very closely and lets just say it starts with a penis being cut off, fried and then eaten. This is where I lost it but the film keeps going. It's hard to rate this film because it's technically well made but I really can't recommend it to anyone due to the subject matter and brutality.

"Cannibal" by Marian Dora is based on a gruesome criminal case of Armin Meiwes.Meiwes,the self-confessed cannibal from Rohtenburg admitted that he had met a 43-year-old Berlin engineer Bernd Brandes,after advertising on the internet and had chopped him up and eaten him.Meiwes cut off Brande's penis and fried it for both to eat,then stabbed his in the neck with a knife and dismembered the body.Over the next few weeks he defrosted and cooked parts of Bernd Brandes in olive oil and garlic,eventually consuming 20kg of human flesh before police finally turned up at his door."Cannibal" is very graphic and filled with scenes of rough homosexual activity.There are several truly revolting images including penis chomping and later castration scene that made me squirm in my seat.The evisceration and dismemberment of Brandes is shown in unflinching detail.The direction by Marian Dora is flawless as is the acting of two main characters.The minimalist score by Jim Thirwell creates truly oppressive atmosphere of darkness and despair.Overall,"Cannibal" is a grisly and very disturbing shocker that is recommended only for fans of extreme cinema.9 out of 10.

Marian Dora's 'Cannibal' is based on the real-life case of German sicko Armin Meiwes, the Rotenburg Cannibal, who killed and ate Bernd Jürgen Brandes, the willing 'flesh' he found via an online forum. Sparing no detail in its depiction of the gruesome crime, the film is one of the most gruelling viewing experiences I have ever endured, easily rivalling such disturbing works as August Underground Mordum and Aftermath.

Those who successfully make it past the film's scenes of man-lovin' will be confronted with some of the most disgustingly realistic and gut-churning scenes ever committed to film, including a penis severing guaranteed to leave men squirming in their seat, the nauseating sight of the almost-dead victim vomiting and emptying his bowels as he is carried to a barn for slaughter, the prolonged butchering of his corpse by his naked killer (including time out for a bit of entrail fondling and stump licking), and the final consumption of the meat.

While it's hardly what I would call an enjoyable experience (it certainly won't be getting a re-watch from me anytime soon), Cannibal is an effectively disturbing piece of no-holds-barred film-making that succeeds in reminding the viewer what a messed up world we live in. For being so balls-out (rather too literally at times), I reckon it's gotta be worth at least 7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.