Films labeled as torture porn have been on the decline since
the release of Hostel Part II (2007)
and the Saw 3D (2010) so it comes as
a surprise that this sequel Hostel: Part
III (2011) ever saw the light of day but this film is not directed by Eli Roth
(who did the first two films) and this film takes place here in the U.S.A. but
more importantly in Las Vegas, the City of Sin.
Four friends head off to Las Vegas for a bachelor party to
end all bachelor parties and find themselves on the receiving end of the filthy
rich who pay to kill people in creative ways.
Now they must find a way to survive or risk becoming another victim in
the City of Sin.
Using the Hunters Club as seen in the first two films, this
film is somewhat grounded in the world created in the previous films but this
world seems like a step back from the previous films. In Hostel
Part II the captured victims have been cut off by any escape routes leaving
nowhere to run (an improvement based on events in the first film) whereas in
this film it’s far too easy for them to escape; you’d think that if one faction
of the Hunter’s Club upgraded their security system then they all would
(especially in America where you think that it would be even more elaborate and
modern).
The film is not nearly as inventive with the death sequences
as the previous films nor as inspiring as one person is killed by bugs while
another by arrows by a woman dressed up in a mask. If there is one thing that audiences come to
these films for it’s to see people/victims get killed in new and creative ways
(which is one of the reasons why the Saw franchise
lasted as long as it did). Unlike the
previous films most of the gore and shock is off screen which is fine for the
casual viewer but for fans of the previous films this is a disservice. It renders the film utterly flaccid and
ineffective.
Relocating the film to Las Vegas was also a mistake as it
has become the lynchpin destination for just about every film that wants to
deal with the wages of sin and the theme of adultery and revenge not to mention
other deadly sins. By this third film I wanted something a
little more substantial but then again this is a straight to video release so
you can’t expect any more than the most mundane of execution.
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