[Eden Lake]
Plot:Refusing to let anything spoil their romantic weekend break, a young couple confront a gang of loutish youths with terrifyingly brutal consequences.

Cast:Kelly Reilly, Michael Fassbender, Tara Ellis, Jack O'Connell, Finn Atkins, Thomas Turgoose, James Burrows, Thomas Gill, Shaun Dooley, James Gandhi, Bronson Webb.

My Thoughts:Good picture.

Review:"Eden Lake" is the latest pic to come out of the survival-horror subgenre. It's been a subgenre relegated mostly to video games, but now it can be used for horror films as well. Films where the good human or good humans, encounter a bad human or bad humans. They'd usually be called slasher movies, but when they are minus the teens, minus the nut in a costume, and minus the string of systematic demises....I refer to them as survival horror films.

"Eden Lake" follows a young couple -- Jenny and Steve....who decide to head to Eden Lake for a romantic weekend getaway. While there, they encounter a group of thuggish youth, what the Brits would refer to as Chavs. Their encounter begins as a simple annoyance, with the kids refusing to turn down their loud music, and intriduign on the couples one-on-one time. But Steve can't let go of the rudeness of the teens, and decides to go looking for them, things escalate, leading to the teens jacking the couples ride. When they come to relciam their car, and it's belongings, one of the youths draws a knife, and as a struggle ensues....one of their dogs is killed.

This unleashes the gangs brutal fury upon the couple, leaidng to a fight for survival in the woods as the teens pursue Jenny and Steve relentlessly with a strong intent to kill. What makes "Eden Lake" work is the great performance by Kelly Reilly as Jenny. The film unfolds as you would expect it to, with Steve eventually being incompacitated...leaving Jenny to have to fend for herself against the violent and evil group of youths, led by Brett...who is quickly established as the gangs leader, tough...and willing to kill and draw blood at the drop of a hat. His influence over the others is so strong that he even manages to get them to join in on the killing from time to time, and of course has them help him pursue Jenny.

Along with Reilly's performance as Jenny, Jack O'Connell's performance as Brett also make the film work very strongly from a character standpoint. He's really a great villain, despite his age. And on some level...you feel that even without his minions behind him, he'd still be a formidable enemy for the young couple. "Eden Lake" certainly doesn't skimp on blood, gore, and violence. The film has it all, from multiple stabbings, tongues being severed, and people being set ablaze. It's a pretty brutal 90 minute ride...but also manages to deliver in suspense and action as well as graphic violence.

There are alot of typical directions that the story takes however, when it comes to Jenny and the youths. It's a gimme that Jenny will have to evolve from the beautiful, gentle, school teacher...to the tough hottie fighting to escape the woods with her life. And it's a gimme that the youths will eventually begin to have their numbers dwindle as the good guy or in this case girl, finally begins to get the upper-hand. Which does indeed happen...but it's done in a way so that the viewer can cheer on these developments rather than become annoyed by them. But the one thing that makes the transitition so interesting is Jenny's character.

She is a school teacher who eventually has to resort tomurdering children and being a bit selfish and heartless in order to survive this horrific situation she's been thrown into. So watching Reilly's character evolve, is one of the films most intriguing moments. The ending of the movie lives up to all of what came before it, and delivers not only lots of excitement and suspense...but one hell of a twist ending which might seem unfair in the big picture, but it's sure as hell sure to be controversial and shocking...that's for sure. "Eden Lake" is a great horror/thriller which offers non-stop thrills, lots of gore, and a hard-hitting finale as a conclusion to it's story.

Positives:Kelly Reilly and Jack O'Connell's performances, good kills, a solid story, and lots of thrills, chills, action, and suspense.

Negatives:I felt the ending was unfair somewhat.

Overall:Three and a half out of four stars.





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