by Mike Schoonveld:
PLOT:
Annie’s life is in jeopardy after she witnesses the murder her friend, Mary. As she runs through the woods, escaping for her life, she comes across Kyle, a recluse sheltered from the outside world and everyday chaos. Against his better judgement, Kyle helps Annie when the cops show up at his door. Things get ugly when Annie and Kyle look for Mary’s body, only to find that its been moved. The cops close in on Kyle and Annie, leading up to a final, bloody showdown where truths are revealed and you find yourself asking…’who is The Victim?’
REVIEW:
Actor Michael Biehn (Aliens, The Terminator, The Abyss) marks his directorial debut with this fun, sleazy, sexy grindhouse thriller. A lot of people may not know what grindhouse means, or what category to put it in. To me, ‘grindhouse’ means sleaze, sex, drugs, crooked cops, and over the top acting, which The Victim has (a serial killer is even thrown into the mix). It’s not meant to be taken seriously. It’s just a fun movie to watch. There’s no gore until the end, which still isn’t that much. The sex scenes between the girls and their “partners” are fully clothed (except the scene involving Biehn and real-life wife, Jennifer Blanc). Made on a fairly low budget with the help of friends, family, blood, sweat, tears and all the good luck in between, The Victim sets itself apart from other thrillers on the market. Biehn plays Kyle, a recluse who lives in the woods far from the city life and chaos of the world. He’s gives a good performance as the lone, scruffy woodsman and it’s nice see him in ass kicking action. Not only did he direct but also wrote the screenplay based on a story by Reed Lackey.
Michael’s real life wife, the very gorgeous Jennifer Blanc (Among Friends, The Divide, Treachery) plays Annie, a stripper who seems to have her head securely screwed on tight. Yes, she likes to party and have a good time, but that doesn’t mean she’s oblivious to her surroundings. Jennifer, who became a Broadway star at 13, gives a great performance here and doesn’t tend to go too over the top. She also produced the movie under Blanc/Biehn productions, which is her first step into the producing world.
Danielle Harris (Halloween, The Last Boy Scout, Hatchet 2) plays Mary, Annie’s best friend and fellow stripper with an unhealthy cocaine habit. Danielle is good in the short amount of screen time she has (she is only shown in flashback sequences) and it seems she is finally able to break away from the child actor type cast, taking on a more adult and serious role. Most fans of Harris have given their initial reaction to her role in this film, most of it negative. I like Danielle, and have been a fan since “Halloween 4” and watched her grow up in the public eye. It’s nice to see her playing adult parts rather than the teen who always gets killed. Her opening sex scene makes you uncomfortable because she looks uncomfortable doing it.
Ryan Honey (TV’s ER, Alias, NCIS) and Denny Kirkwood (Never Been Kissed, TV’s The Practice) play Harrison and Cooger, respectively. Harrison is a recently promoted detective on his way to making Sheriff. Cooger is his partner, a guy who just seems to live in Harrison’s shadow. Both actors give good performances but Cooger is the one you feel a bit sorry for after being brought into the madness created by Harrison. Does he want out? Can he handle the pressure of covering up a murder? It’s two questions that never reveal an answer, but then, that would just deviate from the story. Honey plays Harrison as a straight up vindictive prick you can’t help but disliking the moment you first meet him. After the first few minutes, you get the sense he isn’t all there. His opening scene with Harris comes off with the right amount of perverted creepiness and threat, that you hope she gets up and runs.
THE FINAL WORD:
Fans of Biehn will enjoy this film, while more mainstream audiences will brush it off as just a worthless, trashy film. There are a couple scenes that do seem to slow the pace of the film, but those can be over looked. They’re not the reason to watch this movie anyway. Michael took great pride in his first time directing efforts and it shows, getting great performances from his actors. The scenery is great (it was filmed in Topanga Canyon off Malibu) and the story flows with ease.
So is it worthy of your attention? This reviewer says yes. If you’re looking for a fun movie filled with sex, drugs and hot girls, then The Victim is the one for you.
The Victim is now available on DVD/Blu-Ray.
Rated: R
Running time: 83 minutes.
Mike is a newly appointed contributor to DarkMedia. Covering mainly movies, there’s nothing that gets his blood going like a good horror film, old and new. When he’s not writing or watching horror, you can find him catching re-runs of television shows like I Love Lucy, The Simpsons, and Reba, among many. Last year, Mike was able to flex his writing muscles by submitting a screenplay to the Shriekfest Film and Screenplay festival where he was a finalist for “Best Feature Screenplay.” While he didn’t win, that hasn’t stopped him from pushing forward to establish a screenwriting career in horror. You can follow Mike on Twitter at @horrorguy30, Stage32.com and you can check out his blog at horrorguy30.blogspot.com.
Mike is currently working on two scripts: Slicer: The Sauk County Massacre (formerly titled Hell Weekend) and The Haunting of Willow Falls Manor.
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