disgusting, overrated, pointless
Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction
View MoreIf you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.
View MoreOne of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
View MoreWatching this 'movie' was an awe-filled exercise in simulated audience participation. The viewer is quite aware - on one level - that it is a movie within a virtual reality show but on another level does prove - if one watches it to the end - that we are fascinated with pain as long as it is not our own to borrow a phrase from the writer. The truth of one statement certainly lingers..."Debt is better than any treaty," and finds its equally horrible juxtaposition that "Sin is nothing without judgment". I cannot say this was a likable movie and no doubt the lesson is as ironic as the statement "Being innocent didn't make anyone not get beat up." If nothing else the viewer goes on a philosophical journey into man's inhumanity to man's steps at civilization versus being civilized. Still appropriate and should remain so...but at some point won't we really have to get better at it?
View MoreA shocking and thought provoking film, Senseless is a low budget thriller from the talented, Bafta award winning, Scottish director Simon Hynd and starring American TV star Jason Behr. A moral maze, the film tells the story of Elliot Gaast, an American executive of dubious ethical standards who is captured by a mysterious group and tortured live on the internet with the systematic removal of his 5 senses.A clever, subtle script works both as a straightforward and gruesome body horror film and a driven, satirical stab at American globalisation and consumer culture. Reality TV is also a target, with the sporadic use of Big Brother-esquire CCTV footage to underpin the implication that maybe these events aren't so far removed from our current reality or future. At a time when middle eastern terrorists are using video footage to show bombings and be-headings, the film seems remarkably current and prescient. Never an easy watch, the torture scenes themselves are disturbing and unpleasant but help to reinforce the mood, tone and structure of the piece. You will almost certainly struggle to look at a cheese grater in the same way again. Jason Bher, who belies his status as a former teenage TV sex symbol throughout, is particularly effective in these scenes and gives his character a humanity and empathy that the audience can cling to in the more grizzly moments. A serious and interesting film, Senseless demands attention and rewards it with a challenging and contemplative look at our troubled society.**A point of warning to anyone watching the German DVD version of this film - it is a total mess, cut to shreds by the distribution company to avoid a costly censorship battle. My advice is to skip this version entirely as it makes no sense.**
View MoreI won't spoil the ending, but I will talk about the (paper thin) plot, that's why I put the spoiler alert/tag. If you haven't seen the movie, but have plans to do so (although I wouldn't recommend that as you can see by my voting), I'd tell you not to read this beforehand.This movie is in the vain of similar torture movies (or "gorno" as they are called). While the American business man is supposed to be a everyday man we (or let's say a "western" audience) can relate to, but still stay ambiguous enough, that never fully gets "exploited". Instead it's more exploitation and in a bad way. Robbing a man of his "senses" and making it as painful as possible. But watching this is even more painful, especially because it is as predictable as it can get. While Saw (at least the first one) had an intelligent twist to the whole thing, this movie tries to disguise the whole torture thing with a social commentary, that just doesn't work ...What I didn't know, but read here on IMDb, is the fact, that this was based on a novel. As a read this might have been more interesting, but after watching the movie, I don't feel the need for more ... "torture"
View MoreThis is a once in a lifetime film that reminds me of Benjamin Button. It is surely over the top and reaches the highs as The Lord of the Rings. Characters' performances are very acceptable.Action is JUST enough to keep you going and sometimes more than enough. No foolish romance and sympathy is expressed and the story leads you to the essence of the human nature. The film is full of bright moments and they are just flickers in time ,as in the real life is the case. It is left for the viewer to capture the essence of the moments as in real life. I think it is why the rating is low for this film. I would have voted 20 out of ten if it was allowed.
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