Timo Rose's Beast

To refer to this unwatchable pile of dreck as a movie is to do it a great service. Basically a home video that they somehow got money behind to pay for a couple cameos, some gore, and a hilariously over-the-top musical score, BEAST's poor effort is made all the more funnier by the obscure director proudly putting his signature in the title.

This is a tough film to give a fair review because the audio and picture quality are so bad that it's not even easy to tell what is going on at any given time (if you bother trying). The film opens with two different shots of people in different cities blurting out long emotionless speeches Ferris Bueller-style into the camera (wow, I could watch this all day...). It's never made clear but becomes apparent that they're supposed to be talking to each other over a video phone or something! Things actually manage to go downhill from there. Judith O'Dea from NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD cameos with a few sentences into the camera (lame, easy way to get a cheap cameo - I know because I've used the technique before myself) in a similarly listless scene she is probably quite embarrassed to be associated with. And even though it's not like she's exactly a Shakespearean performer herself she comes off much better than the lion's share of the cast.

Fitting in with other German gore films like the works of Andreas Schnass and Olaf Ittenbach, this film looks like it put all its effort into (you guessed it) the fake body parts and blood. Unfortunately the mayhem is so badly shot and edited that the only enjoyment comes from the disassociation between what you're seeing and hearing. Werba's score is so overly bombastic and dramatic (complete with a full chorus of people screaming "BEAST!") and contrasts so sharply with the amateur hour acting and auto-focus home video that my main reaction was one of confusion mixed with amusement.

Truly though this film is just a dull experience and a pathetic attempt by a director better suited to just be an SFX guy for someone else who knows what he/she is doing.

This is the third film that I have seen which has been directed by the German director Timo Rose - previous ones being Fearmakers and Barricade - and it has served to heighten the regard that I have for him as a film maker and actor. I particularly liked the manner in which the story covers the adventures and traumas of three pairs of individuals with contrasting personalities. Firstly, we have the dynamic,werewolf chasing duo played by Timo and Joe Davison, in a sometimes Laural and Hardy style, and then there is the brother and sister pairing played with skill and empathy by Raine Brown and Joe Zaso whose relationship becomes increasingly tense as the story relating to the condition of Joe's character unfolds. Finally, we have Yassmin Pucci and Andre Reissig as a couple of crazed candidates for anti-social behaviour orders.

The first half of the film coasts along at a casual pace with the focus of attention shifting between the development of the story in relation to the three pairs of characters but then the pace is suddenly accelerated when all six come together in a volatile explosive cocktail mix into which is blended the shadowy presence of Lydia played by Eileen Daly in a special appearance to give the cast list a further international dimension with members from various European countries and North America.

In addition to the main players, I was particularly impressed with the performance of Yassmin Pucci in the role of a vicious tomboy who would fit easily into one of Russ Meyer's films. Also, I was pleased to see the young German actress Tanja Karius obtain a further opportunity to briefly grace the screen in one of the minor roles. She has previously appeared in Barricade and Fearmakers and having gained valuable experience I expect her to be rewarded with more substantial roles in the not too distant future.

Finally, I enjoyed the end scene which featured an appearance by Manoush who never disappoints with her ability to make the maximum impact in the shortest possible screen time - the icing on the cake!