Action ou Vérité

This movie was actually a nice little surprise for me. I started watching it thinking, "here we go, another teen revenge horror". But once it got going it went well. The "spin the bottle/truth or dare" thing actually worked for me. The movie had a couple of surprises and there was a bit of a plot twist near the end. The characters were actually played well as they were annoying, but in a good way as I was waiting for things to happen to them, but intrigued to see how they would react. And at the end the film doesn't end the way you would think, as it didn't have the usual ending that a lot of these kind of teen horror movies have, and that was a good thing as I wasn't expecting it. So I give this film a 7 out of 10.

My quick rating 5,5/10. This is a revenge flick that definitely goes that extra mile to focus on the back story as much as the torture of the participants. The youths think they are going to a party for some kid they made fun of (hey, morons, why were you invited again?) and of course, revenge is on the menu. But the subtle twists in this movie make it stand out(especially towards the end). The acting of the kids (young adults, whatever) was surprisingly good but part of me thinks they were just being themselves, not acting (which is fine). The scares are minimal as this is much more psychological thriller in nature. Te payoff ends up being worth the trip (95min). As in most horror movies these days, the male dominant bad guy tends to get real clumsy and forgets how to fight (considering he was military, this seems a bit strange) but doesn't deter much from the film. It seems with all the recycled horror there is, movies such as this have a hard time standing out since they are good, but just can't make any leap above what has already been done. Enjoyable nonetheless.

Lets get the bad out the way first. The plot is as old as the hills and for everything to fall into place the characters have to make some shockingly bad life choices. The budget is not massive and sometimes its shows.

But saying that i really enjoyed this film. The acting is very solid, the antagonist is very believable. The rest of the cast deliver sterling performances and despite zero nudity the female cast are as sexy as hell.

The real star of the show though is the camera work. The majority of the shooting is stylish, well lit and well composed. Even the obligatory spinning of the bottle has a certain beauty about it.

The violence is brutal without being sickening (no one goes all 'Hostel') and there are numerous tense moments. The soundtrack is pretty good as are sets and locations.

The plot starts to unravel near the end (like 90% of horrors) but keeps it together enough not to spoil it.

A very slick and professional film considering the budget.

When the movie began, I wondered if I was watching a British version of the 1987 classic "Slaughter High." A teenage prank goes wrong and a year or two later the tormentors are all invited to a "reunion." They arrive only to discover they're the only ones present. To make things stranger, our antagonists are forced to walk through a muddy path that leads to an old cabin despite the fact that the manor was clearly deserted.

However as soon as they meet the brother of the one they victimized and begin playing the same game used to humiliate him (a mix of Truth or Dare and Spin the Bottle) This is when the feeling of dread begins to mount and it doesn't let up until the end.

Overall, it was suspenseful, yet a few illogical inconsistencies require a fair amount of willing suspension of disbelief.

My Rating

C +

Truth or Dare – CATCH IT (B) Truth or Dare, a party game becomes deadly. As an independent British movie, I think it does a great job in creating a brutal psychological suspense thriller. It's not boring, cliché or above all mediocre. The cast is simple perfect which makes it more fun to actually enjoy it. David Oakes has become the ultimate bad boy, I have seen David Oakes ruining lives in period dramas "Pillars of the Earth" and "The Borgias". Watching him in modern avatar was a surprise and I have to say he did a good job. The supporting cast Liam Boyle, Jack Gordon, Florence Hall, Janie Jaques, Tom Kane and Alexander Vlahos has done a nice job keeping the tension going on till the end. On the whole, it's a fun entertaining torturous thriller with A Twist in the end. Watch it!