The Collection (2012)

Summary
Arkin escapes with his life from the vicious grips of "The Collector" during an entrapment party where he adds beautiful Elena to his "Collection." Instead of recovering from the trauma, Arkin is suddenly abducted from the hospital by mercenaries hired by Elena's wealthy father. Arkin is blackmailed to team up with the mercenaries and track down The Collector's booby trapped warehouse and save Elena.

Genre : Horror
Country : USA
 
Cast :
Josh Stewart : Arkin
Emma Fitzpatrick : Elena
Randall Archer : The Collector

Director : Marcus Dunstan

My opinion  

“He will cut your balls off and feed them to you”

Are you a fan of "Saw" and other related torture movies, this will be your cup of tea. But if you were tired of the whole "Saw" saga after part three, you better skip "The Collection" because you can't call it very original. This sequel to "The Collector" (which I've never seen) begins impressive, has an anticipated open end and is terribly boring in the middle, with ridiculously improbable situations. It's never really exciting and ultimately it becomes a cat and mouse game in a big, abandoned hotel, full of deadly and insane booby traps and with rooms that look more surreal as time goes by. To make it somewhat entertaining, I recommend to get a scarf and hat and equip yourself with bells and flags, so that you can encourage the contestants as a real enthusiastic supporter.

Because of the short running time, there's no wasting of time at the beginning of the film. In a flash, we're informed that the city is attacked by a ruthless serial killer called "The Collector". We meet Elena (Emma Fitzpatrick) being towed along by some friends to an obscure secret nightclub. After a skirmish there with her boyfriend, she discovers a suitcase with Arkin (Josh Stewart) trapped in it. Arkin is a victim of the first film who survived and escaped his imprisonment. Only the nightmare starts back again here and short after you'll get to see the most hallucinatory massacre ever. I did something I rarely do. I re-watched that part twice in a row. Once this bloody part is over, you can say that you've watched the best part and from here on it's just a very long carnage. The creators of the film (especially the writer Patrick Melton, who is also responsible for "Saw IV, V, VI and VII") paid more attention to the level of sadism than the story itself. You can easily guess what'll come next. Elena is kidnapped by "The Collector" and Arkin is recruited as a guide for a group of mercenaries to rescue her out of the hands of this sadist.

Putting this film in the same league as "Saw", is for the latter a little unworthy. The concept of "Saw" was of a very different nature and was put together somewhat subtler. I must admit that "Saw" impressed me. "Jigsaw" kidnapped people because he felt they deserved it, because of the sins they have committed in the past. The choice they had was to save themselves from their situation in a painful way or simply die. "The Collector" had no exact plan in mind in my opinion. He's simply a psychopath who transforms his victims into grotesque artworks and saves it in formaldehyde. Or he uses them as a favorite pastime and tortures them brutally. His identity is not revealed in this film. It remains a sinister stranger who occasionally puts on a mask and starts killing brutally.

It's totally absurd to talk about character development, because that's missing completely. First you have the seemingly invincible killer who has a built-in GPS system because he always appears at the right time and in the right place in this fairly large hotel.  And next we have a bunch of mercenaries  who will solve the problem. The fact that the one they are hunting just reshaped a whole gang of disco goers into ready-to-eat barbecue packets, apparently doesn't impress them and they enter unfamiliar terrain seemingly carefree. Their fate is also in hands of one person who knew where this lugubrious building was situated just by using clues he carved into his arm. I would clear off and leave the job to a whole army of soldiers. 

There are also inexplicable moments in this film. The way they free themselves out of the metal cage is nonsense. And especially if you see how that person swings into action afterwards, as if it's hunky dory. Most serial killers in other slasher movies have a motive and a pattern. This "Collector" guy apparently doesn't have a clue about any plan and just goes on doing stuff. He kills, chops and cuts around, slices and assembles bodies, tortures and torments when he has time. He uses all kinds of instruments to achieve his goal (not like Michael Myers who invariably uses a butcher knife) and also he drugs a whole bunch of victims so they can be used as an army of zombies against intruders. And that's not all. He also has a collection of raging dogs and tarantulas. You see, there's enough variation.

Ultimately, it's just a mediocre film with a great deal of attention for the traps and the bloody effects of them. It's a tough film and the pace is very fast. So fast that you may have missed some slaughtering. Don't worry ! In the end you get a second chance to watch it again during the end credits. The end invites for a successor, but I'm sure I'm going to skip it.

My rating 2/10
Links : IMDB
 

Begin Again (2013)

Summary
Gretta and her long-time boyfriend Dave are college sweethearts and songwriting partners who decamp for New York when he lands a deal with a major label. But the trappings of his new-found fame soon tempt Dave to stray, and a reeling, lovelorn Gretta is left on her own. Her world takes a turn for the better when Dan, a disgraced record-label exec, stumbles upon her performing on an East Village stage and is immediately captivated by her raw talent. From this chance encounter emerges an enchanting portrait of a mutually transformative collaboration, set to the soundtrack of a summer in New York City.

Genre : Drama/Music
Country : USA
 
Cast :
Keira Knightley : Gretta
Mark Ruffalo : Dan
Adam Levine : Dave

Director : John Carney

My opinion  

"Are you really an A & R man? You look more like a homeless man." 

"Begin Again" is a modern fairy tale in which individuals are about to make a new start in their life and (coincidentally) begin again : the start of a new career, a new relationship, a new image or simply a new personal life. The amount of films with people who are on the brink of disaster, in a desperate situation and then by a twist of fate take control again, is endless. It's the same in this with music filled feel-good movie. Only the chosen princess in this tale, I personally think isn't such a success. Not a bad word about the acting skills of Keira Knightley, but the moment she starts laughing, I feel shivers going down my spine. And she laughs a lot in this film. The choice of Mark Ruffalo as the quarreling hit music producer and full time alcohol drinking future candidate clochard, contrasts sharply with this. An endearing and beautiful rendition. Fortunately, he didn't turn green during a fit of rage.

The whole story starts with an intimate and fragile performance by Gretta (Keira Knightley) in a dingy pub. She has just broken with her boyfriend, the rising star Dave Kohl (Adam Levine) who couldn't resist the temptations of his stardom and leaves his artistic better half for a female producer. Gretta is a songwriter who puts fragments of text and music on paper once and a while, trying to channel her deeper feelings in poppy sounding romantic tunes. At the same time the producer Dan (Mark Ruffalo) tries to cope with his own personal problems. He has lost his magic touch of discovering new talent and starts drinking a lot. As a result he's being sacked by his partner and co-founder of the record label. By coincidence he sits at the bar of this pub and he becomes enchanted by the song. Surrounded by a disinterested audience, he's the only one who realizes the potential of Gretta's song. And that's the beginning of the fairy tale. 

I've played in a band once and I was also fantasizing about the glory and fame. The attention, the innumerable people who listen to your music and know your song by heart, the number of fans who follow you unconditionally, the feelings you can produce within total strangers and the money we could earn with it. Unfortunately it remained a fantasy because we had two drawbacks: it wasn't exactly commercial music and we didn't live in the US, the country where your dreams can come true and where some poor guy can grow out  into a mega-star. Dan hears Gretta's song for the first time and he's touched by the innocence and simplicity. He's the only one who can imagine how a full orchestra could support this with sophisticated arrangements and turn it into a huge hit. For me this was the most successful and imaginative scene. It demonstrates why he was a brilliant music producer. The empathy and the ability to project a simple piece of music to something grander and overwhelming. The music, in my opinion a rough mix of Suzan Vega and Birdy, isn't my favorite genre. But that didn't matter at all. It's a wonderful laid-back movie that makes you feel relaxed. 

Unfortunately it's a film which progress is as obvious as that Easter Monday will fall on a Monday. As the dominoes begin to fall, you can predict what direction it's going and what the final outcome will be. The music career of Gretta goes as planned, the characters who lost each other somewhere reunite irrefutable and the decisions taken are as expected. No astonishing developments or unexpected endings. A simple film which gives you a good feeling and contains a positive message. But perhaps it's because my love for music is so big and I agree with the subtly hidden complaint against the music industry nowadays, that I appreciated this film. Today it's only the commercial aspect that counts and not the emotional value. Gretta made this already clear at the beginning of the film : "Sorry, what does beauty got to do with anything? I actually just think that music is about ears not eyes". 

I also admire Knightley who seemingly has sung the soundtrack by herself and she did this in a creditable way. She can, although she was out of tune a few times, still start a singing career in case Hollywood would turn its back on her. Also the supporting roles were exceptionally successful. James Corden as the helpful Steve who is musically talented, although his street performances were extremely bad. The ballad via voice mail was actually the musical highlight in this film. The endearing role played by Corden was brilliant. Hailee Steinfeld as Dan's daughter Violett, who's not satisfied with the attitude of her father, was spot on. Take a guess how that will work out ! Ceeloo Green as the savior Troublegum took care of the fun part. But mostly I was surprised by Adam Levine, front-man of Maroon 5 (Not that I knew him because it's not my type of music and I suppose it's reasonable commercial). The practical experience he gained in the music circuit was convenient I guess. I'm still wondering if the name Dave Kohl was a parody on that of the front-man of Foo Fighters. The combination of the singer with little acting experience and the actress with little singing experience was sublime. The only thing I'm sure of is that (and who has experience in sound recordings can confirm it) the recording of the demo will sound pretty lousy when you see what kind of amateurish material they used in a noisy metropolis like New York. For the rest, this was a sympathetic musical film with the versatile and colorful New York City as a setting. 

My rating 6.5/10
Links : IMDB
 

The Physician (Der Medicus) (2014)

Summary
When nine-year-old Rob Cole felt the life force slipping from his mother's hand he could not foresee that this terrifying awareness of impending death was a gift that would lead him from the familiar life of 11th-century London to small villages throughout England and finally to the medical school at Ispahan. Though apprenticed to an itinerant barber surgeon, it is the dazzling surgery of a Jewish physician trained by the legendary Persian physician Avicenna that inspires him to accept his gift and to commit his life to healing by studying at Avicenna's school. Despite the ban on Christian students, Rob goes there, disguising himself as a Jew to gain admission. Gordon has written an adventurous and inspiring tale of a quest for medical knowledge pursued in a violent world full of superstition and prejudice.

Genre : Adventure/Drama
Country : Germany
 
Cast :
Ben Kingsley : Ibn Sina
Stellan Skarsgård : Barber
Tom Payne : Rob Cole

Director : Philipp Stölzl


My opinion  

"Remember boy !
The more painful the treatment, the more they respect the Barber."

"The Physician" is a beautiful, old-fashioned adventure film, situated in the dark ages with its poverty and unsanitary conditions. In those days the church still had some influence so it punished any scientific progress because these odious practices were against the will of God. And despite the terrible poverty, they were showing up in a flash in order to extort the last money those poor people had, as a compensation for some ritual they've performed. The same happened to Rob after the passing of his mother. In these dark times people died of an innocent appendicitis or pneumonia. Rob is abandoned to his fate but sees a chance to travel with an itinerant quack who performs surgery in a questionable manner and sells healing potions most likely manufactured from horse urine. When Rob is told that in the distant Middle East, a man named Ibn Sina teaches medicine and puts this knowledge into practice, his decision made. He leaves for the Middle East to be educated by this wise man. The only requirement is that he must appear as a Jew. This also had some consequences for his foreskin

A fascinating historical film made in Germany ("Der Medicus"). First I was surprised that this was a German film since it has the look and feel of a Hollywood movie. In retrospect it's also a bit logical. The book this film is based on and written by Noah Gordon, was not a success in the US, but all the more in Germany. It was also massively viewed in Germany and they made a mini TV series out of it. The rest of Europe unfortunately will only enjoy this wonderful film when it comes out on DVD. It's a successful film with a lot of attention paid to the sets, costumes, music and CGI. If you add the even brilliant performances to it, you finally end up with an admirable and excellent product. The 150 minutes are over before you know it, because you are sucked into the story in a way.

The performances were extraordinarily beautiful. Tom Payne as the inquisitive and innocent looking Rob, Stellan Skarsgard ("The Railway Man," "Kill your Darlings") as the itinerant quack who takes care of Rob and at the same time knows absolutely no compassion sometimes. I didn't recognize Emma Rigby immediately, even though I only just saw her at work in "Plastic". Her fake appearance in that movie (botox treatment most likely) was transformed miraculously into a more natural appearance. But what elevates this film to a higher level, is the casting of Ben Kingsley as the Persian philosopher who wants to pass his knowledge to motivated pupils and at the same time exhibits an unprecedented hunger for knowledge. A masterful performance and a realistic portrayal of Ibn Sina, the Muslim physician, philosopher, physicist and scientist who made important contributions to medicine and whose studies were respected in Europe for a long time. Apparently Kingsley likes playing the role of a physician or psychologist. He has the appropriate appearance and his charismatic personality is perfect for it. Just watch "Shutter Island" or "Stonehearst Asylum" and you'll see.

But also the overall appearance of the film looks grand and wonderful. From shabby, dark and especially dingy London to the oriental scenes in distant Persia and the Madrasa College. The costume department has done its utmost best to display it as authentic as possible. How Philipp Stölzl and Jan Berger have shaped this film and managed to make a movie with Hollywood proportions, is admirable. The only drawback is that there are also some Hollywood cliches like the storyline about Rebecca and Rob. Fortunately they avoided to show epic grand battles and focused on Ibn Sina and the influence of religion in that time. The only thing that bothered me personally was the so-called gift Rob had. The timeless topics about health and religious fanaticism dominate this wonderful film. Some won't like the old-fashioned tone, but in the end I really enjoyed this medieval adventure film. A film set in an era when the Middle East was a source of knowledge and progress.

My rating 7/10
Links : IMDB
 

The Imitation Game (2014)

Summary
Based on the real life story of legendary cryptanalyst Alan Turing, the film portrays the nail-biting race against time by Turing and his brilliant team of code-breakers at Britain's top-secret Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, during the darkest days of World War II.

Genre : Biography/Drama/War
Country : UK/USA
 
Cast :
Benedict Cumberbatch : Alan Turing
Keira Knightley  : Joan Clarke

Matthew Goode : Hugh Alexander

Director : Morten Tyldum


My opinion 

“Cryptography is the science of codes.

Like secret messages?

Not  secret. That’s the brilliant part. Messages that anyone can see, but no one knows what they mean, unless you have the key.

How is that different from talking?

Talking?When people talk to each other they never say what they mean. They say something else. And you’re supposed to just know what they mean. Only, I never do. So how is that different?

Alan, I have a funny feeling that you’re going to be very good at this.”

Looking back, the above-mentioned conversation between Alan Turing and his school friend Christopher Morcom, is for me the perfect summary of the fascinating life of the intellectual mathematician Turing. The phenomenon he faced throughout his whole life had to do with "decoding". From an early age, Alan had trouble dealing with his fellow men. It was for him in a way a kind of cryptogram how to act and react towards his fellow men. A brilliant mind who simply couldn't grasp simple human interactions. At a later stage he was the one who designed a forerunner of the current computer and who formed the basis of the principles of artificial intelligence, in order to crack the infamous Enigma cipher, which was used by the Germans during WWII and which combination changed every 24 hours. An almost impossible task to do for a human being. But thanks to the pioneering work of Polish scientists in this area it was made possible by him, by building one of the first self-correcting computers "The Bombe". Ultimately this would drastically change the course of WWII and shorten this dreadful period with 2 to 4 years. So millions of lives were spared in that way.

This magnificent biopic highlights three important episodes in the life of Turing: his school period in Sherborne where he obviously was the center of harassment's because of his odd behavior, the war period which took place mainly at Bletchley Park where he and some staff members built the innovative machine and the postwar period. The result is a clever interwoven story that jumps effortlessly from period to period. I'm not a huge fan of these flashbacks normally but the Norwegian director Morten Tyldum succeeds wonderfully in making three parallel stories without too much confusion. Although most of the story takes place during the 2nd world war, it's not a typical war movie. So don't expect any heroic battle scenes. The emphasis is on the person Turing and his mental state that haunted him throughout his life. A hard, impatient, arrogant, narcissistic person who wasn't easy to work with. He had a profound distaste of explaining complicated theorems and he treated everyone in a derogatory way. Many of his traits appear autistic and point in the direction of Asperger syndrome.

What really impressed me in this film was the interpretation of Benedict Cumberbatch who impersonates the person Turing in a brilliant way. A realistic portrait in which the viewer is trying to decipher the riddle Turing. He managed to change your feelings regarding this genius again and again. From sympathy to irritation and than changing it into pity. One moment you passionately hate this bastard. The next moment you deeply admire him and you are outraged about the treatment this "war hero" underwent. A lack of appreciation for his impossible feat and the fact that it was only in 2009 one pleaded for a posthumous rehabilitation and the British government eventually offered its apologies. Although I also had a mathematical education and am working daily with computers, I must admit that I'd never heard of Alan Turing. This year there was a scene in "The Machine" I enjoyed, where a certain Vincent, also an A.I. expert, subjected certain software systems to a Turing test. Also a known procedure described in an article by Turing while working at the University of Manchester.

No doubt about it. This was one of the most interesting films of the last year with some masterful acting. Not only by Cumberbatch (and I put my money on him when it's about the Oscar), but also by Keira Knightley, who I usually dislike when she uses her exaggerated expressive smile again. Also the result of cracking the code and the taken subsequent actions, gave the story an extra dimension. There were some historical inaccuracies though : The machine never got the name "Christopher" (this was purely for increasing the drama content of the film), the impression one gets as if Turing was the initial designer and the fact that he wrote a letter to Churchill  on his own. But despite these trivialities, this was a successful tribute to a war hero. Unfortunately you can't prove this but I'm sure that without the commitment of this person, my vernacular probably would be German.
Donnerwetter ....

My rating 9/10
Links : IMDB

Outcast (2014)

Summary
A mysterious warrior teams up with the daughter and son of a deposed Chinese Emperor to defeat their cruel brother, who seeks their deaths.


Genre : Action
Country : UK/USA
 
Cast :
Nicolas Cage : Gallain
Hayden Christensen : Jacob
Yifei Liu : Lian

Director : Nick Powell

My opinion 

Cage can put this one on his "Senseless contribution to meaningless film that brings grist to the mill"-list, because this was a typical mainstream movie. It's been several weeks since I've seen it, and to be honest I can't remember much of it. That's usually a sign that it wasn't a very good film and failed to impress me after all. About Cage's performance we can be brief. As brief as the time he appeared in the film in an unconvincing way. Apparently Cage joined the club of action heroes who choose one soulless trashy movie after another just to collect some pocket money (with the exception of "Joe" I've heard). Even the fact of Anakin Skywalker waving dangerously with his sword in this adventure film, can't change the fact that the final result is disappointingly weak. Probably the pubescent teenage girls present in the audience will experience this as a plus point, but that's the only positive contribution I can think of. 

The story begins with Gallain (Nicolas Cage) and Jacob (Hayden Christensen) as two fiery crusaders in the Middle East where they spend their time with cutting up a few Muslims into pieces. Jacob however, with an extremely modern haircut, passes a for Gallain sensitive border and the two eventually go their separate ways. I found it astonishing that they ended up in China. That must have been a very long walk. In this medieval China the king's son Shing (Andy On) can whistle for the throne since the dying king appointed his youngest son Zhao (Bill Su Jiahang) as his heir. Out of fear of revenge, the king sends Zhao together with his charming sister Lian (Liu Yifei) and a royal seal to a safer place. Don't be amazed, but on the way to their safe harbor, they meet Jacob, who now looks more like a premature hippie under the influence of opium, who takes them under his wing.

It looks a bit like what Viggo Mortensen's job was, while being on the road with those hobbits in "The Lord of The Rings". A heroic warrior who acts like a security guard for some innocent and vulnerable young people. And although I always admired Nicolas Cage a lot, this became nevertheless a tedious and very bad movie. Not only has the subject been used a zillion times, there's also a pile of cliches and an atrocious acting Cage. Ultimately, he's not the central figure in this film, although he stands explicitly in the foreground on the movie poster. Obviously the Chinese princess falls for Jacob and the small Zhao looks up to him as a super hero whose adventures he followed for years in some comic magazine. Yep, nothing new under the sun. This movie is not even an alternative to pass your time on a rainy Sunday. Closing your eyes and taking a nap, would be more satisfying. Terrible action scenes (too close and nauseating shaking images) are being followed by incomprehensible fragments. I still can't understand that an army diligently seeks for the two royal children and still can't recognize them when they go into a town before their eyes. And how Jacob could kill an opponent who's riding a horse by using a bow and arrow at a ridiculous far distance and knowing that he usually stumbles around completely drugged, is absolutely ridiculous.

Eventually only Jiahang, Yifei and On acted convincing enough. I asked myself what fashion statement Cage wanted to make by wearing that absurd woolly hat at the end. That was a complete mystery to me. But eventually it matched his entire role : ridiculous. Now I understand why the Chinese distributor Yunnan Film Group ceased the release of this movie a few hours before the screening in thousands of cinemas. It probably has something to do with the Chinese have learned from a young age that they can never lose their face.

My rating 3/10
Links : IMDB
 

The Aggression Scale (2012)

Summary
When out-on-bail mob boss Bellavance discovers that $500,000 of his money is missing, he sends four hardcore hit men to send a "loud and messy" message to the suspected thieves' families. But when the killers invade the Rutledge home, they'll meet the household's emotionally disturbed young son Owen. Owen has a history of violent behavior, knows how to make lethal booby-traps and is about to teach these thugs some deadly lessons in extreme vengeance.

Genre : Action/Crime/Thriller
Country : USA
 
Cast :
Ryan Hartwig : Owen
Ray Wise : Bellavance
Dana Ashbrook : Lloyd

Director : Steven C. Miller


My opinion 

"Aggression Scale : (noun) A psychological test measuring the frequency of overt aggressive behaviors that may result in physical or psychological injury to others."

Actually it was my intention to begin with a quote from Owen, the teenager who's at the core of this bloody home invasion, but this is impossible because he says not a single word throughout the film. Not a sound even. I was expecting a typical B-movie but as the movie progressed, I was pleasantly surprised. You can call it "Home Alone" for adults ("The Aggression Scale is like Home Alone on crack." I read somewhere) : bloody, vicious and sometimes straightforward explicitly violent. Compared with Owen, Kevin looks like a wimp. And the viciously tricks and booby traps that Owen constructs for his attackers, are worse and more deadly than those of Kevin. 

 
Essentially the story isn't that extraordinary. A certain Bellavance (Ray Wise) just left prison and wants to leave to a safer place together with his son. The only problem is that his hard-earned money is stolen. Four loyal gang members are instructed to find the money. And this task is tackled in a simple way: you take a list of all people who had something to do with it and you start off from the top of this list. Those who can't answer the questions, are unceremoniously provided with some fresh ventilation holes. And that's the first image you get to see in "The Aggression Scale". Immediately a bluntly and senseless slaughtering. The victim didn't even get the time to answer the question anyway.  But it had effect, this "in-your-face" violence. I must admit I immediately sat straight after that moment. A real attention grabber that clarifies which direction it'll go.

What Lloyd (Dana Ashbrook) and his companions weren't expecting, was the presence of the young scion Owen (Ryan Hartwig) of the family Rutledge, which was next on the list. This silent boy carries a fairly destructive secret with him. The Rutledge family has just moved into their new home where they wanted to start a brand new life. Lauren (Fabianne Therese) isn't happy about this course of events and clearly shows that. She doesn't feel like babysitting the weirdo Owen in this reconstituted family. However, she doesn't realize that she should be happy that this youngster stands at her side.
 

Clearly it's a low-budget film, but one that was enormously appreciated by me. A fast-paced aggressive film that keeps your attention all the way. The continuous flow of violent scenes is perfectly dosed and the thoughtful actions of Owen make it interesting. Although he sometimes looked like a youthful MacGyver who used farfetched methods which were successful because of the necessary amount of luck and coincidence. Also the performances can be praised. Ray Wise, who of course became known as Leland Palmer in "Twin Peaks", his contribution wasn't extensive. But the moments he came into the picture, he managed to portray a ruthless gangster. Also known from "Twin Peaks" is Dana Ashbrook (as Bobby Briggs). I surely didn't  recognize him with that graying hair and rounded beard. He made me think of Ruben Block, the singer of Triggerfinger. But what charisma he exuded on the screen. The atmosphere changed immediately when he appeared. A threatening and unapproachable posture. He's surrounded by a few stereotype individuals : the mindless muscle bundle with a tremendous resilience, a moronic idiot and the cowboy-type with a "Je mon fou" attitude. But it's Ryan Hartwig who excels in his wordless role. In the beginning he looked like a retarded autistic boy but soon he grows out into a clever and inventive survivalist when he and his family are in danger The only one who irritated me immensely was Lauren. When trying to escape cold-blooded killers, you don't start running through the woods like a hysterical teenage girl screaming your lungs out. Luckily she calmed down near the end and gained control over herself again.

There are several movies that show how someone can collapse psychologically and starts to react extremely aggressive. "The Aggressive Scale" however, shows how far one can go in his aggressiveness. It's a disturbing thought that someone is unable to control his aggressiveness without medication and constantly threatens others. But it's a starting point that's suitable to weave a fascinating concept around. The best hidden item in this film was the way Owen and Lauren grew together. They began as two strangers who interacted apathetically with each other and end up as a kind of Bonnie and Clyde. Inseparable and deadly vengeful.

My rating 6.5/10
Links : IMDB