toddly6666

I'm a quantity over quality person. I prefer one shocking violent scene than a lot of tame not-so-memorable violent scenes. You can all label IRREVERSIBLE whatever you want, but it's a damn violent film. The fire extinguisher scene and rape scene are two of the most violently disturbing scenes I've ever seen on film. What I mean by "violence porn" (aka violence a la mode, not violent sex), when IRREVERSIBLE came out, I remember people wanting to see the movie for the fire extinguisher scene, just as people are curious to see THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE.

What's a better term for this type of film? Violence eye candy? I don't know...

RAMPAGE is surprisingly a serious dramatic film as well, and almost realistic since there have been nutcases like this going on rampages in USA. What I like about this film is that the main character is not nutty, it's just that he's been desensitized. And he doesn't display the usual cliched warning signs that he's a disturbed individual. When they interview people that knew of people going postal, a lot of times they are described as pleasant people. This movie is more realistic than the cartoonish FALLING DOWN.

notkevinbacon

I agree that those two scenes are two of the most brutal scenes I've ever seen on film (and I am a big "video nasties" fan). I won't lie, that was one of the main reasons I wanted to see the movie. But in a lot of ways I think the movie is the antithesis of "torture/violence porn" or whatever you want call it...

Original Desmond

is this out on bluray ?

toddly6666

nope!

Baron Of Hell

I thought it was going to be about the game also, but the trailer looked interesting. I'll give it a shot on netflix.

On a different note I wouldn't call Irreversible violence porn. Violence porn to me is your average Friday the 13th movie or maybe 300. The kind of violence that you cheer and laugh at and leaves you wanting more. There was nothing funny or exciting about the violence in Irreversible. The violence wasn't even the main focus of the movie. The first scene was off putting. It was put there to make you think WTF is going and how did they get to this point. Then as the film goes back showing the viewer what the cause of the violence is. The rape as brutal as it was wasn't the most shocking thing to me. The most shocking thing was the guy that walks in on the rape and then just turns and leaves. Then the movie rewinds more and you see this loving couple that you just want to warn to stay home today.

If you are going call Irreversible violence porn then you would have to do the same for Boys don't Cry. Then maybe you do which is ok I guess. To each his own.

toddly6666

Here's a good review of RAMPAGE from Twitchfilm.com. I find it funny how a lot of critics are a bit embarrassed about calling this a good film just because of Uwe Boll's infamous history.

Ever since I watched Uwe Boll's Postal I've been keeping an eye on his work. Mind you, from afar, but still close enough to spot any interesting works. It sure paid off as Uwe is back, presenting a film with the power to silence even the harshest of naysayers. You might not appreciate Rampage, but it's difficult to miss the talent he puts on display here.

Don't call me a fan of his work though. The man obviously has the talent to make a good/fun film, but in between those gems there's a large pool of considerable crap. Some of it intentional no doubt, but crap nonetheless. There's a strange gap in quality that exists in Boll's work, reminding me a little of Miike's oeuvre. Sadly, the overall balance in Boll's body of work in a little off, making most of his films a serious gamble.

Rampage is a film that settles itself between the gritty portrayal of Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (not the Robert Downey Jr. film), the nihilism of Nakajima's This World Of Ours and the stylistic realism of Van Sant's Elephant, zooming in on a young guy mad at the world in general. Boll's portrayal is far from subtle or nuanced, but because of that it has to potential to appeal to a crowd with a soft spot for rebellion. It's a film that feels as if it was directed by its main character, which is always a big plus in my book.

The story is centered around Bill, a 23-year old boy who doesn't have a bad life per se, he just has very little to look forward to. Comfortably dulled down by his somewhat unruly parents he wanders through life without much sense of direction. That is, until one day he feels the need to break his boring life with a gun slinging rampage. Using the internet for supplies, he sets out to make the world take notice.

Rampage has a gritty look, reinforced by the shaky hand-held camera work. It works well for most of the film, though from time to time Boll seems to be shaking his camera around a little too much just for the sake of fake-realism. These moments are rare but do detract a little from what's happening on screen. Apart from that it might not be a particularly beautiful film but the visuals are extremely functional and work remarkably well.

The soundtrack is a another real asset to the film. Dark and uncomfortable, atmospheric and grim. Boll's choice of music is spot on as it really makes the atmosphere more tangible, only improved by further tweaking of background noises. The mix of atmospheric sound manipulations and a solid soundtrack really reinforce the gritty, uneasy vibe coming from Rampage.

Performances of the actors are not as solid though, with the welcome exception of the main character. Brendan Fletcher does an awesome job with Bill, combining his smarts and likeable sides with a mean and dark undercurrent. He's actually quite scary and believable even though the film isn't always dead serious. Other actors are less talented, especially Bill's parents never manage to convince. It would've been nicer to get some better actors in those secondary roles, though it never really hurts the film as a whole.

People expecting an action film might be a bit disappointed. There's plenty of shooting and killing going on, but it's never presented as cool or exciting. Boll's vision is mean and bitter, always cold and heartless. People die without a second thought or a dash of compassion, such are the motives of the main character. It means no cheering for the good guys in this film.

Those expecting a true character piece will be equally disappointed. There's much rampaging in the film and apart from the start and finish there's very little character development. There are even a few absurd scenes tucked away in there, granting the film a dark comedic rim, though Uwe makes sure these scenes never intrude on the general bitter atmosphere.

The middle part is a little repetitive, but things pick up again when the climax is nearing. There's a big turning point where the film could've gone both ways, luckily Boll is man enough to pick the only right ending for his story leaving his audience a little dazed and overwhelmed when the end credits start rolling across the screen. If it had gone the other way, I probably wouldn't be writing this review right now.

Rampage is a pretty relentless film, but considering its concept and themes the execution is pretty spot on. No politically correct endings, no censorship, no concessions. It's a very simple and straight-forward film, yet very pure and honest at the same time. But above all, Rampage is quite simply a solid film which hits all the right spots. Kudos to Mr Boll. I'm still not convinced I should check out everything he makes, but I'll be sure to keep an eye out for further gems.

d2cheer

Wow... I do find it interesting that so many have liked this. I found it unwatchable and barely made it to the end. Uwe Boll is a director that I have heard about but I have not to my knowledge seen one of his films until now. So as far as I know I did not have any preconceived notions about him or his films. It was an interesting concept but I felt it was poorly excuted. One bias may have been the "shaky" cam god I hate that crap and find it very hard to watch; that may have one reason I didn't enjoy this as much as the rest of you.

Tarantino

It's on Netflix Watch It Now if you're interested.

Gunde

I agree it's the best thing Boll has done, but I wouldn't call it great.

Original Desmond

i enjoyed it, was interesting and disturbing in a different way

therock69

picked it up today at walmart for 10.00

glassdragon

Well to be fair, anyone who downloaded that movie deserved the "stupid" tax they were given, and 1200 dollars is quite low. In some other countries they will cut off your hands and stone you for being that dumb.

auto

I enjoyed it....for what it was. I'm pretty easy to please with a free Netflix viewing.

redrum

best. uwe boll movie. ever.

Rival11

Damn, throw me in the camp of really liking this film. I'm willing to bet there are A LOT of people that hate Boll who will not post in this thread and admit they like this film......I only bring that up cause I'm one of them who almost didn't

Here's why this film works for me: There is no line drawn as to why people are who they are and why they do what they do. Sure the film touches on the money is not everything & we are all zombie themes but what really makes it work is the way it doesn't try to force feed you anything....AT ALL. The main character is crazy obviously but it makes you think as he is from a good (supportive) family. So WTF??? This flick just has something about it. I've been getting back into the movie game as of late but have been bored with most I have seen (not all but most).....this film had me interested from start to finish.

bluthswede6

According to the netflix Xbox app, this movie will be taken off the streaming service this month. I'd recommend anyone on the fence give it a shot. I had nothing but contempt for Uwe Boll and his terrible films before viewing it, but I really enjoyed it. The lead actor did an amazing job keeping everything believable and though Boll did a lot of his wonky over directing tactics, I still found the story fresh and worth the time spent watching it.

Baron Of Hell

I watched it and thought it was interesting. The take on the main guy was different from anything else I seen. Still hate Boll in general or rather his movies but this one was a watcher.

Charlie Goose

An absolute piece of shit. Brutal bloody violence masquerading as social commentary. No wonder Uwe Boll is so demonized around here.

Pizza

Wait a minute. I'm reading positive comments and people saying they're planning on catching a Uwe Boll fil? Did everyone on this site get paid off? I didn't get a check.
Oh, I see. This is an old thread. I must not been hanging around when the payoffs went around.

LosingMyMind

Great flick. Pick up the 3D Blu-Ray, when you get the chance.

Baron Of Hell

Yeah I bought two. One to open and one to keep mint.