areatw
'The Hole' looked like an interesting and different thriller, featuring a young and relatively unknown Keira Knightley. After a promising, intriguing start, 'The Hole' soon loses its direction, resembling a cheap, low budget horror film with over the top drama and some far-fetched scenarios.It's also surprisingly unexciting for a so-called 'thriller'. A plot like this should have you gripped, but it doesn't, probably because at no point does any of it feel real. There are plot holes aplenty, and I got the impression at times that even the film had no idea what it wanted to do next.Overall, 'The Hole' is a below average, poorly thought out film that fails to live up to its 'thriller' label. It feels cheap, unexciting and lacks any sort of direction.
stefographer
Not at all worth my time. Didn't believe the lead young actress as the kind of character she was playing AT ALL, and the entire premise of this movie depended on her selling the attributes of the girl she was playing...and i didn't believe her or her performance for a minute. Really rather weak acting from most frankly, so for me NONE of the atmospheric tension, threat or menace was ever achieved. I can tell the movie this WANTED to be, but nobody in the cast was up to the task imho.
SnoopyStyle
Four teens have been missing from their expensive private school for 18 days. Then one of them Liz Dunn (Thora Birch) comes stumbling back to school. She tells police psychologist Dr. Horwood (Embeth Davidtz) a story of desperation. The four teens (Desmond Harrington, Keira Knightley, Laurence Fox) had wanted a private party away from their families and ditch their school trip. They employed the help of Martyn (Daniel Brocklebank) who faked their school records and locked them in an underground bunker. The plan was for him to return after the weekend to unlock the door and let them out. However he never returned.This movie has aspirations of something better. It wants to be a Hitchcock noir. For the first half, it achieves something close to it. However, the movie starts showing the real story, and any mystery disappears.There is a better way this could have gone. Director Nick Hamm probably should have stayed with Embeth Davidtz as she tries to unravel the mystery. If that's the case, he can't really have Thora Birch blab out the story so early on.Then there is the ending. It makes very little sense that anybody could believe Thora Birch's story. The basic premise that these kids would be willing to let themselves be locked up is too hard to believe. The first time they shut the door, they would want to try to test it. The whole thing seems convoluted.
smellykellyking
**spoilers guaranteed**This film has me confused a bit. On the one hand, I'm left feeling satisfied and entertained, but on the other hand, a little unhappy and slightly disappointed.Firstly, the good bits. I LOVE the fact that this is one dirty, no nonsense film with a very unhappy ending and a nice chunk of grittiness chucked in. There is no hint of Hollywood glamour in this, and for that I am grateful. Keira knightly was really good, I really believed her character. The not-so-good bits... It was extremely predictable. I mean, really?? That was supposed to be a twist? I wasn't surprised, shocked or horrified. I did a big 'meh'. I just didn't really care, and wasn't surprised! She was obviously a psycho, no suspense was built up and I was left feeling rather deflated. Also, I've never been massively dehydrated, but if I were I doubt I would think to have some rampant sex with a girl that I didn't even like previously. Also, killing a guy because he had hidden some drink? Maybe after a massive argument or after some tension had been built but there was nothing at all, the murder seemed plonked in the middle of the film for no reason. Finally, why was this girl not the prime suspect??? Why did they all believe her that they were locked in, when there was no evidence against the other guy, and there was no evidence to suggest that she had picked the lock. The only DNA and stuff they found in the hole was of the 4 teens. It doesn't take a genius to realise that the only surviving girl must have been responsible. At the very least, responsible for Geoff's murder and the manslaughter of her lover boy. Just to make the viewer feel even more annoyed, we're expected to believe that a crazy psycho survivor is to be believed over a police psychologist? Pfft, very unbelievable.But still, I applaud the fact that it was a genuinely interesting film, not cheesy, not stereotypical, and not cringe-worthy. I would actually watch it again! Worth seeing, even if you aren't 100% happy, it's a must watch to add to the list.
AD
