The Tortured

Directed by: Robert Lieberman

Starring: Erika Christiansen, Jesse Metcalfe, Bill Mosely

Synopsis:The lives of middleclass couple Elise and Craig are destroyed when their son, Benjamin, is abducted in broad daylight and subsequently murdered by a child killer called Kozlowski, who is caught soon afterwards. However Kowzlowski is able to plea-bargain his way to a lighter sentence, outraging the distraught parents. Obsessed with revenge, the couple conspire to kidnap their child’s killer and make him pay...slowly, and painfully...

Review:

“The Tortured” takes a long hard look at the sort of “prison’s too good for ‘em” revenge that tabloids always scream for in indignation whenever a paedophile/rapist/serial killer is given a seemingly light sentence. The film itself doesn’t necessarily agree with that point of view, and it’s protagonists are put through the emotional, moral and philosophical wringer as they carry out their plan.

To begin with, the cards are definitely stacked in the couple’s favour. We see Kozlowski preparing his pre-murder ritual, while a frightened Benjamin cries out for his daddy. Kozlowski is a dangerous psychopathic schizophrenic, taking on the personas of a young bratty girl (probably his sister) and his domineering, raging father, whist projecting his own abused childhood persona on his victim, reliving the hell he went through as a young child. Kozlowski is portrayed as an absolute monster, and having borne witness to him, the viewer can’t help but crave retribution.

The death of their son has driven a rift between Elise and Craig and the only thing that gives them purpose is the chance to payback Koslowski all the pain he’s caused. Their plan is simple and effective, albeit fraught with danger, and allows them to abscond with their prisoner without harming anyone else.

The second half of the film deals with the torture itself. However, it’s not just Koslowski being tortured, its Craig and Elise’s soul. The torture scenes are pretty grim without being overly explicit, but the audience is left in no doubt how much pain is being inflicted. Things start off fine, and you almost get a sense that Craig and Elise are finding some solace in their actions. But soon the film turns everything on its head, bringing into question whether an eye for an eye is always the best course of action, or even relevant under certain circumstances. The film’s ending is a complete gut-punch, underlining the liberal perspective with a thick black marker pen.

Director Robert Lieberman is an old hand at this sort of procedural, having directed Fire In The Sky and numerous tv episodes over the years. The film is very well shot and acted, refreshingly devoid of the usual tic’s jamming up this genre, such as quick-fire jump cuts, overly styled credit sequences, etc. The sequence where Craig and Elise execute their plan to abduct Koslowski is the film’s highlight in my opinion, full of nervous energy and tension, and concludes with one of the most spectacular vehicular crashes I’ve seen for a while.

Verdict:

Whilst a lot of people will dismiss this as “torture porn” (a moniker I despise), The Tortured tries to provide a balanced argument on the subject of revenge.

7 out of 10 (MikeOutWest)

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