The Victim

Ultra-low budget private effort at a throwback to what was known as Grindhouse Movies. A deliberate attempt to be lurid with lazy film making and exploitation sub-genre subject matter. The more gore (H.G. Lewis), nudity (Roger Corman/Russ Meyer), the better and with great colorful posters and titles (Bloody Mama, The Gore Gore Girls) they would attract audiences and the public with taboo breaking bad flicks.

Most of them were pretty awful, with an occasional sleeper hit and a later discovered cult classic (The Texas Chainsaw, Massacre, Ms.45. Basket Case). But unless you are willing to go way over the top (Tarantino & Rodriguez) or somehow find a great script or story, the results are predictably, almost always BAD.

The trouble with setting out to make a bad movie (Attack of the Killer Tomatoes) is that it usually results in nothing sensational. LIke this Movie. The charm of an Ed wood movie is that he was not winking at the audience, he was trying really hard and the result was a primitive style that endures.

There may be kudos for an attempt, but eight hundred thousand dollars is hardly chump change, even in the independent film world, and this comes off more like someone saying lets make a gritty movie while we're on vacation, rather than an auteur deciding, well we only have a few bucks and a lot of willing folks so we can do this thing.

This movie is lacking sensationalism with unattractive nudity, has mundane violence, no surprises and is ultimately uninteresting, not entertaining, or worth the effort.

I watched this movie yesterday and it held me and I was always interested in where it was going.

Why people are giving it one star because they feel some reviews are biased means the whole rating of this movie is incorrect.

Terms like "worst movie I've ever seen" seem ridiculous as it is not. Ghost rider 2 came out and that was my vote for worst recent movie.

some acting was good some was cheesy and cardboard but overall it didn't affect the movie as most was fine. If you are going to pigeon hole it I would say grind house would be a good place to put it. Don't expect Shakespeare.

I would definitely watch another movie like this again but won't watch this movie again as after the first viewing there is nothing to be gained from another viewing.

I felt more obligated to write this review to negate the extremely overinflated reviews here than to exact my own personal revenge against this catastrophe of a "movie".

I only noticed one truthful review, hidden amongst the pack of fans who gave offensively high numbers of stars, and really, for a small independent movie, it's to be expected. But, even in allegiance to a favourite actor, I can't imagine the willpower it must have taken for them to type out their drivel.

Okay, so now actually onto the movie.

I've seen my fair share of exploitation movies; some good, some bad. What Biehn has managed to do is create the absolute worst, and I don't mean that it's incredibly graphic - it lacks any sort of gritty impact or violence. Well, it has plenty of sex, that has to be something, right? Nope. Instead of creating an homage to grindhouse, I like to think that he has invented a sub-genre called outhouse.

Lousy direction, ridiculous writing, sloppy editing, a laughable soundtrack, a cast that has the combined acting versatility of a single plank of wood, and no story. Packed full of moody driving sequences with conversation reminiscent of old people talking about the day's weather. Now, I have to emphasise that the writing is really, really bad; it violates our intelligence. Nevermind that The Victim was filmed in under two weeks, it was probably written in under half an hour.

Ryan Honey playing the corrupt cop was just painful to watch, easily the worst combination of casting and acting I've had to put up with. Danielle Harris was only marginally better, but still utterly useless. I really don't know what was up with Biehn, who just raised his voice when he was angry, or his wife's inane ramblings.

If you've ever seen the TV series Lost, then I'm sure you'll have hated those Kate centric episodes with her terrible flashbacks. If you watch The Victim, then you'll be treated with flashbacks a hundred times more redundant and boring. I was with two friends at this screening and every time a flashback popped up we couldn't help but let out suicidal groans.

I went to this screening with an open mind, but I had checked the reviews on this site beforehand and, well, they were very easy to see through. Save yourself from becoming a victim to this travesty - I am not exaggerating in the slightest. Thankfully, it hasn't had a wide release as of the time of writing this review, but it will probably be torn to pieces when some delusional distributer puts out there.

Avoid.

For a thriller, then "The Victim" was as predictable and 'by-the-book' as they come. Everything that happened in the movie, you saw it coming a mile away - well, except for the ending, which I found to be really great, especially as Michael Biehn delivered it so gracefully.

The story in "The Victim" is about Kyle (played by Michael Biehn) who lives isolated as a hermit in a small cottage in the middle of nowhere. Then one night a Annie (played by Jennifer Blanc) comes banging on his door, pleading for help, claiming that she is being followed and that the men killed her friend Mary (played by Danielle Harris). Following that, two officers of the law, James (played by Ryan Honey) and Jonathan (played by Denny Kirkwood) shows up at the cottage to ask Kyle some questions. Something is not adding up here, but what? The acting in the movie was alright, nothing extraordinary or remarkable though. But people did alright with their given characters and roles.

Despite being very predictable, then "The Victim" was actually entertaining and had a nice ending. There was a good and constant pace to the movie, which was alright, and the movie never slowed down and became dull. It was just a shame that the movie suffered horribly from its predictability.

As for the soundtrack to the movie, well personally I didn't find it the least bit interesting or suitable, but of course, we all have very different taste in music. I just found this soundtrack unsuitable and the songs didn't really fit into the mood of the movie.

There are far better thrillers out there on the movie market, but still, "The Victim" is good for a single watching, as it just doesn't have the contents to support more than a single watching.

Just got done watching the movie and it was awesome!! Very good plot, just enough action to keep you interested. A very enjoyable film. One not to be taken too seriously, but keeps you thinking. Would very much like to see it again when it is released.

The actors did a wonderful job, and for Biehn's directorial debut, he has proved that he can get the job done. Filming a movie in 12 days is phenomenal!

I will be sure to tell everyone about "The Victim" and start planning my "Victim" release party! Can't Wait!! Thanks for allowing us the chance to preview it!