Donkey Punch
Donkey Punch Robert Boulter, Sian Breckin, Tom Burke, Nichola Burley Director: Olly Blackburn
It was a clever piece of marketing to name this film after a sex act that, like 'tea-bagging', we all pretend to know all about, even when we don't. Or don't really want to.
And it worked. This low-budget British thriller, made in just a few days, was apparently the talk of the last Sundance film festival and was snapped up by film distributors the world over.
More fool them. For once the heart-pounding frenzy of drug-taking and below-deck fiddlings are over, director Olly Blackburn is left with nothing out of the ordinary.
The premise - fit young things gather on a luxury yacht for a bit of fun, but what to do when it all goes way too far? - shows promise. But a lack of any depth in character - in fact you end up hating them all - means Blackburn is forced to rely on sudden bursts of violence to maintain any interest at all.
Simple techniques often give us the biggest frights - and low-budget high-seas thrillers such as Phillip Noyce's Dead Calm (1989) did it all so much better by remaining relatively low key.
There's a certain sleazy, soft-porn style to Blackburn's touch, and he allows the Mediterranean settings to sparkle. So it will be interesting to see where he goes next. But the whole exercise leaves you feeling just a bit grubby. Extras: Deleted scenes; making-of Donkey Punch featurette; director interview; cast interviews; director commentary.
