Caged

Starring: Zoé Félix, Eric Savin, Arié Elmaleh, Ivan Franek, Igor Skreblin, Philippe Krhajac

Synopsis:

Three doctors take a detour in a war torn country to find themselves kidnapped by masked men who harvest organs and sell them on the black market.

Review:

I've seen this described as "torture porn" a moniker given to a type of survival horror purportedly created by Eli Roth when he made the Hostel movies. For me, it's just another marketing term that makes little or no sense.

Caged is a well made movie but generally misses the mark on tension and horror, both of which have been done so much better in similar movies. Tension is built from the unknown. For the most part we are ignorant as to what fate will befall the characters so we're kept guessing. But, I began to lose interest as this ploy went on just a little too long. In an effort to try and remain slightly outside of the genre it appears to want to be in, the movie fails to generate that interest. Anyone expecting prolonged torture scenes will be disappointed. I cite Haute Tension as a comparison. The scenes without violence were far more tense but Caged is a let down in that area. Some will disagree. Maybe I've seen too many movies of this type now.

Like Hammer's recently released Wake Wood , Caged begins with the horrific death of a child by attack dog. This scene serves to show how Carole (played by Zoé Félix) has developed a phobia of dogs. This should lead to an incredibly tense scene later in the movie but it's not well executed. Showing prolonged periods of the captives in their cells doesn't generate tension, in fact it generated tedium for me.

The chemistry of the lead characters (built up in the first act) should lead to a more emotionally hard hitting impact when the first victim is revealed to have been hacked up and missing all of his vital organs, but I felt little.

Zoé Félix is very good as the no-nonsense Doctor finding herself in a seemingly no-win situation. Once again, we have a lead heroine who can not be viewed as just another victim. She has a strength and this is exploited nearer the end of the movie. The rest of the cast are also effective.The movie is well shot, and the directors employs some good effects with the camera to draw us into the movie.

Summary:

A well made film that misses the mark on gore and tension. Caged is more a psychological thriller that is dressed up as "torture porn" and for this reason it may alienate it's target audience. It's definitely a movie for those who don't like too much blood and guts in a recipe for horror movies.

5 out of 10 (Wayfarer)

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