Victim (2010) Reviews

• Victim

  Scarecrow-882015-06-27

  To say this is unsettling would be an understatement. Seeing a "male chauvinist womanizer" emasculated and "womanized" against his will is quite a concept for a mad science horror film. The change for those who feel it is important in expressing who they really are is one thing: but to do so against someone who doesn't request it is whole other matter. The abduction, imprisonment, removal of fingerprints and penis, eventual incorporation of breasts, "re-identification process", use of music and child's diary, and the torture applied by the doctor/surgeon and his brutish "associate" (who appears to be a dumb misfit with a tough exterior) all serve a purpose, believe it or not, and the reasoning behind it--while seemingly and patently bizarre to us--makes sense to the one conducting the entire orchestrated and elaborate transformation. Stephen Weigand is the abducted, fortunate for the filmmakers to have features that could allow him to be feminine and masculine. Bob Bancroft is the warped and delirious doc, with affections and dedication to his murdered daughter that transcend normal behavior. Brendan Kelly is the muscle; it appears as if he might have been an experiment/subject in transitioned behavior as well. Stacy Haiduk (who looks fantastic) is stuck with the thankless "snooping detective" part that you realize early won't end well for her. I don't think this will be offensive to a trans audience because the methods behind what the doctor does is rooted in what sordid acts were perpetrated by the abducted young man prior to his kidnapping and forced transition. This doesn't mock the trans community as much as use what happens to allow them to become what they believe they should be in the structure of a horror plot regarding misguided attempts to force upon one person the identity of another. A father's pain is quite emphasized and it is the motivating factor behind what happens from beginning to end. Weigand is astonishing in how he is able to change as his character does. To see his identity raped, and another imprinted on him, being able to portray that, is quite impressive. The reenactment which explains everything, except this time the abuser is in place of the abused, is rather mortifying. That this whole scenario plays out just for the reenactment is a telling series of events. How the lead is unveiled as something monstrous alleviates any sympathy perhaps afforded to him during the running time. Quite a tragic and disturbing, not to mention, manipulative little movie. Heartbreaking finale. The open-ended conclusion leaves us with an ambiguous character with an identity that seems totally altered...but where will "she" go and do with the new life infused upon her?

  More

• This is one little twisted horror film

  barbie8002011-02-06

  Wow. When I saw the previews for this on my cable companies on demand I just had to rent it. I love horror films and will watch just about anything. I must say this was a very good movie. There was very little gore in it which is why I also thought it was so good. Basically this mad surgeon captures this man and turns him into his dead daughter. We watch how he is tortured and transformed into a woman. Now, I kept wondering throughout the film as to why he just wouldn't have captured a woman to replace his daughter. This is is the twist of the film which is answered at the end. I thought overall this is one creepy movie that keeps you interested the entire time.

  More

• Well done horror film

  ApolloBoy1092012-11-12

  I had to make myself a drink after watching this film. I'd like to start by admitting that I'm a male. Also that I believe women should have rights over their lives and bodies without question. The film will leave you a little shaky as was intended. The storyline is well thought out with many unexpected twists and turns. Hultquist and Matinez did a damn good job. Direction was fine, given an obvious limited budget the film seemed a tad scaled back. But no complaints. The less Eskandari showed the more freaked out I became. Harrowing to watch. Especially if you see everyones point of view, motive and that of any victim of crime. Actors Weigand and Bancroft turned in above-average performances. Weigand's character arc is particularly well done by the young actor. Think I'll make myself another drink.

  More

• Not quite what you might be expecting.

  oldkingsol2011-07-15

  I wasn't sure what this would be truly "about" going into it (though I had read the other reviews and so I knew some of it). My advice if you happen to see this review first is this: If you like tense, sadistic psychological puzzles in which you get to see someone so thoroughly played with that their sense of self is utterly obliterated and replaced and you are open to seeing normally taboo subjects displayed on screen, then you might be well advised to stop reading reviews here and now before any of them give too much of it away, and just go watch the thing. What there is to give away is revealed in the first 30-40 minutes or so, but it would be so much more effective if you weren't quite expecting it. :-) That said, I really enjoyed this movie. There were a few scenes where the quality of the acting degraded a bit, but I could more than excuse them for the tension and intrigue the film manages to string you along with the whole time. The truth about what's going on and why it's going on becomes easy to figure out about 20 minutes or so from the end, and I'm not going to reveal a thing about it to you. It is a bit slow-paced in some ways, not a lot of blood and gore, but certainly tense and filled with mind-games. Also a few nicely-laced red herrings here and there to make you think one thing when you find out another is true, and the ending manages to satisfy by not being quite what you'd want or expect it to be. :-) I'll definitely be watching this one again at some point. Two thumbs up. :-)

  More

• Sick And Twisted Revenge Story

  sddavis632011-09-04

  I find it very hard to rate this movie. It's in many ways a hard movie to watch. A man (Stephen Weigand) is kidnapped, imprisoned and subjected to a rather gruesome fate (which I'll not give away) at the hands of his kidnappers - a surgeon (Bob Bancroft) and the surgeon's sidekick (Brendan Kelly.) It's a sort of mad scientist movie, except that Dr. Volk isn't really "mad." He's definitely in control and has clear-cut reasoning behind what he's doing, the reasoning becoming apparent as the movie progresses. It isn't a particularly bloody or gory movie; it's more an unsettling movie; something of a psychological study as the prisoner is increasingly pressured to give in to his captors, with torture porn, rape and snuff movies serving as the background to the whole story. From about the halfway point it's somewhat clear what Volk is up to, although the last few scenes (as he seems to be getting his revenge) took me completely by surprise Generally speaking the performances from the three leads were passable. I wouldn't say anyone was outstanding in this, but they were passable. This isn't an outstanding film by any means, and it's not a movie I'd want to watch over again. If you're into mind game movies, though, it might be worth taking a look at. (6/10)

  More