(REVIEW) "BEATEN TO DEATH" PULLS NO PUNCHES
Hype seems to be a necessary evil these days, and it comes with compliments and consequences. Hype can be an effective tool to help garner interest, create excitement, and more directly increase sales/box office numbers/etc. The efficacy of hype, however, is a bit of a mixed bag. Films that can deliver on and exceed expectations often have less hype than films that rely almost entirely on it. While this is not always the case, it is a safe generalization that we all most likely have some experience with. Take the recent Blumhouse HALLOWEEN TRILOGY. For many die-hard fans, the series offered a mixed bag of results ranging from “better than expected” to “what the fuck is going on here”. Take the marketing for HALLOWEEN ENDS as an example. What was promised was a final showdown between Laurie and Michael, which we got, in the last 20 minutes of the movie. The rest of the film preoccupied itself with an entirely different narrative that just barely overlaps to create some consistency with the franchise’s primary antagonist. The success of that choice is not the topic we are here to discuss, instead, it is a reference point for WELCOME VILLAIN’s recent theatrical release, BEATEN TO DEATH. Is this Australian Exploitation flick as brutal as the hype says it is, or has the marketing beaten the film to its own demise?
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
A desperate choice leads Jack down a path that leaves him beaten and bruised as he struggles against man, nature, and his own insanity.
HOW IS IT?
The trailers for BEATEN TO DEATH would have you believe that this film is about nothing more than a man who is getting, well, beaten to death. As non-descript as that trailer is, it isn’t that far from what you get here, for better or worse. On one hand, BEATEN TO DEATH manages to live up to its namesake almost right from the jump. On the other bloody and bruised hand, BEATEN TO DEATH also realizes that this premise makes key aspects of filmmaking like a story and pacing somewhat difficult. It is fair to say that BEATEN TO DEATH does not disappoint, but it also doesn’t give the viewer enough to care beyond the halfway point.
The “story” is as straightforward as you could get. We see a man who is literally getting the piss punched out of him until he turns on his attacker and kills him. While it may seem odd to start the film at the supposed end, we come to find that this is really just the midway point. From there, our basically nameless character “Jack” attempts to escape to freedom only to be continuously brought back into a world of bloody pain. Where BEATEN TO DEATH succeeds is in the visceral nature of the violence presented on screen. Make no mistake, this film pulls all the punches and lands them with copious amounts of carnage. It follows a trend a lot of recent horror movies have deployed by presuming that the protagonist can really take a beating, far beyond what the average person may be able to stand. To some extent this provides entertainment, but it also is a one-trick pony that starts to wear on the believability relatively quickly. The kind of violence Jack endures becomes almost comical in the sense that there is no way he would have survived this experience. Even with the suspension of disbelief, there isn’t enough going on around Jack for anything else to matter.
Which brings me to the storytelling mechanics and the non-linear approach the film takes. Moving between different points in time with no context as to what order things are happening in can be an interesting device, but it has to serve a purpose. The biggest fallacy the film commits is taking this non-linear approach when a more linear one would have done a better job of building tension. In this context, the film doesn’t benefit from this and instead suffers from having jarring pacing that makes the latter parts of the film feel like a slog. One might assume the reason for telling the story this way is to break up the intensity, but instead has the opposite effect where it feels like you’re going from adrenaline rush to melatonin-like malaise. Had the filmmakers opted to tell the story more directly, it may have actually increased the tension while not disrupting the natural flow of events that gradually started to make things more intense. To the film’s credit, it does have one hell of an ending. And for all of its faults, it is extremely well-made at a technical level. From the cinematography and lush outback landscapes to the makeup effects that are occasionally wince-inducing it is clear there is a lot of talent behind this production, if only they could have fleshed things out more and not used kitschy devices to shake up the story.
LAST RITES
BEATEN TO DEATH is a well-made and sufficiently brutal film, even if the plot is thin and the storytelling is wonky. While this one isn’t likely to be on repeat for anyone, it is worth a watch, especially for those who enjoy some good old-fashioned beatdowns.
THE GORY DETAILS
Directed By
Written By
Starring
Where can you watch it?
Beaten To Death will be released in theaters nationwide on September 1, 2023! Check your local listings for showtimes.
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