I don't usually discuss the movies with Lisa until reviews are both written (or at very least until we've both seen it) but I texted her twice about this one; After I'd seen it "This week's movie is 'Last house' [on the left] with a Train instead of a forest...", and before that, while still watching the movie, "If something were to happen in one of the movies that I know is going to piss you off royally, would you prefer to be forewarned, or remain spoiler free?"*
Because of that first text, this is going to be a short review, because of the 2nd, I'll be running off to witness Lisa's outrage as soon as I'm done here.
[spoilers follow]
So, We have 2 naive girls traveling alone for festivities (this time it's Christmas, rather than last houses' birthday), Who meet a gang consisting of 2 men and a woman, wind up anyone with them and get raped and killed; the gang ends up at the parents' home, where they are made welcome, the parents find out their daughter is dead, the gang realizes where they are, the parents realize who thier guests are, and a swift and unsatisfying revenge ensues...
When I said this movie is a lot like last weeks, I really wasn't talking broad strokes!
The rapes of the girls are handled well again; they are horrific and NOT for titillation (see boob count) and the attacks are, if anything, even nastier than the ones in last week's movie (The virgin is deflowered with a knife!) BUT in one of only two major deviations from Craven's movie, the woman was not originally part of the gang (which leads us to Lisa's presumed rage)
You see, before out 5 characters transferred to an otherwise deserted train, our male antagonists had already met out girls on a rather busy train... on that same train, one of the guys rapes a rather well-to-do woman....
You see, he follows her into the toilet, pushes her against the sink, and molests her, but then just before it becomes actual rape...
She consents, fucks him, and joins the gang.
Really.
Now, it turns out that she's as psychotic as the guys (possibly more so) but the point is that, in that scene, a sexual assault, not a role-play; and actual (in the context of the movie) sexual assault is portrayed as pleasurable, and leads to consensual sex.
In a move passed uncut in the UK.
Despite the fact that the BBFC say "a scene of rape or assault in which the attack is portrayed as, or appears to be pleasurable, desired or desirable and in some cases inconsequential is likely to be cut."
Whether it should be cut, I'm on the fence with; at the end of the day it's fiction, but I find the contradiction interesting.
There's one other deviation form the plot, right at the end, but since it's the only part of the film NOT spoiled by watching last week's movie, I'll leave that alone.
So anyway, If you didn't like Last House on the Left, If you did like Last House, you probably still won't like this, because you've seen it already.
Meh.
Boddy Count: 4
Boob Count: 0
Most Memorable Death: Don't Jump from Late Night Trains.
*She opted to remain unspoiled.
Please use the comments bellow only to comment on this post - to write your own review, please comment on the main post for this movie.
Showing posts with label Late Night Trains. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Late Night Trains. Show all posts
19 May 2012
Late Night Train - Lisa's Review
*** Spoilers ***
If you are a regular reader (are there any?) and are reading this review, you could be forgiven for wondering if you have been here before... as in last week. This movie IS 'Last house on the leftt' with the forest being replaced by a train. The actual similarties are uncanny.
Here we have the same 2 naive girls Lisa and Margaret, who board a train to spend Christmas with Lisa's parents. Its all very steady and plodding along, I'm getting rather bored and very irritated by our female stars who are doing nothing to ingratiate me to them. Throw into the mix a couple of one dimensional thugs (who we are introduced to as they mug Santa!). Of course the same 2 guys make their way onto the same train with Lisa and Margaret. Initially they help the guys hide from the ticket inspector in the loo's but grow steadily more wary of them due to their changing behaviour and aggression.
A scene which initially REALLY pissed me off was the first sign that our bad guys are scum when one of them attempts to molest a rich female passenger in the train toilets. The reason for my disgust is the woman is about to get raped but decides she is actually quite enjoying it. I mean COME ON!!!! My disgust later turned to a nodded Hmmmm as this females character is uncovered. She makes the 2 bad guys look like 'Bert & Ernie'. This is one good thing I would say for the movie is that her character is well and truely one of the most depraved, remorseless, sick female characters on film I have ever watched. Unusual to see this and there should be more of it to be honest.
So, our 2 girls change train when we have a stop due to a bomb scare but they find the 2 guys and their new female 'friend' onboard the same train. They force their way into their carraige and the nastiness well and truely commences. I'm not going to go into full detail, but needless to say its not nice and I did not enjoy watching it. What I would say though that most of the horror is implied and left to our own minds.
The attacks are brutal, violent and obviously sexual as you can tell a mile off that is going to be the emphasis in the movie. We have the innocent virgin (as in LHOTL) and we keep flitting back to Lisas parents preparing for the girls arrival for Christmas in high spirits (again much like the parents in LHOTL for the birthday party).
What is rather shocking is how much the attacks are pushed by the new female member of this little gang. She seems to be the sick mind behind it all. There is the stereotypical humiliation, stripping, rapes, abuse and violence. Another passenger is even pulled into it all when he is caught watching some action, but he manages to run off.
One girl is so terrified, when she manages to escape into the toilets, she throws herself from the train and ultimately to her own death just to get away from them. There is also a VERY uncomfortable scene with the other young girl (a virgin) being 'broken in' with a knife. She dies from blood loss and they throw her body and possessions out of the train.
As with last weeks movie, the gang 'coincidentally' end up in the home of one of the murdered girls parents (I won't bore you with details) and again, like last week an item worn by one of the gang members gives the game away and we have the start of the revenge of the parents.
Frustratingly AGAIN, like last week it just doesn't cut the mustard. It isn't satisfying. It wasn't enough for me. This movie spends an age setting it all up and the revenge of the parents is over in a heartbeat, whats more is that the blonde nasty cow gets away with it all as she claims the guys tried to atack her too! Wheres the justice in that? What was the point? We are left wondering what is going to happen to her at the end of the movie.
I wouldn't say this was a bad movie. It is LHOTL rehashed and in my humble opinion, it doesn't do the job as well. I wouldn't say avoid it, but I wouldn't say rush out and see this now! If you've seen one of these, you've pretty much seen them all. Change of subject matter please!!!!
Please use the comments bellow only to comment on this post - to write your own review, please comment on the main post for this movie.
13 May 2012
WEEK 52: Late Night Train
Alternate Titles : Night Train Murders, Last Stop on the Night Train, Don't Ride on Late Night Trains, Torture Train, The New House on the Left
Year: 1975
Reviews / Author Comments due: 19/05/2012
Feel free to use the comments section of this post to add your own reviews and thoughts about this movie.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)