Monday, October 24, 2011

Caged (2010)

Caged • Captifs (2010)
Caged • Captifs (2010)


Genre: Horror
Director: Yann Gozlan
Starring: Zoé Félix, Eric Savin, Arié Elmaleh
Language: French
Duration: 83 min.
Rating: 6.9  

Summary:
A group of medical aid workers in former Yugoslavia begin to leave for Kosovo when they are kidnapped by a masked gang of organ traffickers.



Caged is the debut feature film from French director Yann Gozlan.  It premiered at the 2010 Fantasy Filmfest in Germany.

The plight of travelers who never make it to their intended destination is a popular one in horror lately.  Set somewhere in the Balkans, this one follows a group of three French doctors who are waylaid by masked and armed gunmen while on their way to Kosovo to provide medical aid.  They soon find out the sinister purpose of their kidnapping, organ harvesting.

Not exactly an original premise, but this is a surprisingly solid entry into the genre that avoids many of the traps and failures normally associated with this type of movie.  Firstly the trio of protagonists are generally likeable and believable people who are realistically introduced, are all well acted, and who aren't forced to break character and do idiotic things to drive the plot.  Secondly, the screenplay stays simple and builds tension without using jump scares, over the top gore, or ridiculous twists that appear out of nowhere.  Lastly the cinematography, set design, and especially the sound, all perfectly convey the terror of captivity, with a basement full of filthy cells that always have just the right amount of shadow, and the most harrowing telephone ringer that you will ever hear.

The result is a film that may not break any new ground but is still a fairly well crafted and enjoyable horror thriller if you can handle this type of thing.

Bonjour Tristesse

Caged • Captifs (2010)

Caged • Captifs (2010)

Caged • Captifs (2010)

Caged • Captifs (2010)

Caged • Captifs (2010)

Caged • Captifs (2010)

Caged • Captifs (2010)

Caged • Captifs (2010)

11 comments:

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Yeah I think that one is called Turistas, I haven't seen it though.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Yeah I know quite the rare combination at play here.  Unfortunately it doesn't do enough to really stand out as unique.

Biff Tanner said...

This could be a good one.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

I bet the tourist boards of all these countries are all pretty pissed at this point because of all the horror stories set there.

d_4 said...

I saw a movie that had an identical plot, it was just set in Brazil. It passed the time, but I don't even remember it's name. I guess this one could one up that one, but not by much. I might give it a try when I feel like laughing at peoples misfortune.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Sure, if chirpy means full of screams.

Hoi-Ming Ng said...

Not to mention likeable characters... Good lord, these may truly be end times.

Hoi-Ming Ng said...

Excuse me? No idiot things to drive the plot? Does not rely on jump scares? What universe did this come from....

The Reel Foto said...

too depressing for me.

The Angry Lurker said...

Sounds like something I will watch and the reason I don't holiday in Eastern Europe.

FrontRoomCinema said...

wow this looks like a very chirpy little film!! HEHE

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