First of all, yes, I know this movie is four years old. I totally meant to see it when it came out, because it sounded intriguing, and the real-life case it was based upon has always fascinated me as an example of the selfishness and casual cruelty that humanity is capable of. But what can I say? I never got around to it. Life intervened. It wasn't playing anywhere near me. Blah, blah, blah...Good thing that my lady put it on the NetFlix queue, then, huh? Because I'd honestly forgotten all about it.
This movie is basically just a fun, gory good time.
For those unfamiliar with its story, or with the real-life case that inspired it, it boils down to this: a party girl is driving home drunk one night and hits a homeless man due to her own negligence. She drives straight home and parks in her garage, and rather than help the man, leaves him there to die while she goes on about her life. That's the basic story, but it gets a lot more fun from there. Among other delights, this movie features one of the best deaths by writing implement I've ever seen. Too late for this list here, unfortunately, but if I ever do another one, it's in.
The performances of the two leads are fantastic. Stephen Rea makes you feel every second of this man's pre-crash degradation and post-crash agony. It's a bravura performance, and who thought that a sleazy little exploitation flick is what Stephen Rea needed to rescue him from the acting doldrums in which he'd been drowning? As for Mena Suvari, an actress who I've frankly never liked, she is trashy and selfish and violent to exactly, but no more than, the degree needed. It's a truly fine and unlikeable performance by an actress I've discounted for a long time. Perverts will also appreciate her extended topless sex scene.
This is just a short, mean little number that I can't recommend highly enough. If you're a fan of the outre Lovecraftian films of director Stuart Gordon, give this more down-to-earth but no less bloody outing a try.
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