Backwoods

The Backwoods

The Backwoods

Directed by: Koldo Serra

Starring: Gary Oldman

Genre: Suspense/Thriller

Run Time: 123 min.

Release Date: April 2008 (DVD)

On The Web: No Official Site

Teaser: Movie Trailer

Reviewed by Byron Merritt

Oh say it ain’t so, Gary Oldman!

Having been a fairly big fan of Mr. Oldman (even having enjoyed his performance as Zorg in THE FIFTH ELEMENT), I’ve come to expect a certain level of entertainment from his film choices. Not so here.

Gary Oldman (HARRY POTTER films) stars as Paul, an Englishman on holiday in Spain’s backwoods with his wife and another couple when they run afoul of the locals who are hiding a young girl away in what seems to be sickening conditions (they find her tied by the ankle in a dilapidated home drinking from a dog bowl). “Saving” the girl, they bring her back to their distant cabin and learn that some yocal-locals are looking for her ...and their carrying rifles.

Hiding her away, the English vacationers quickly learn that the nearby township will do whatever necessary to retrieve her ...including raping or shooting anyone who gets in their way.

Probably the biggest issue with this film is that it has no purpose, and flings about in uncertainty up to and beyond its horrible ending. It is never explained why the girl is tied up in the first place (she does act like an animal and the audience is left wondering if she were some sort of mentally handicapped kid or a hybrid human-canine, or even a werewolf ...but none of these are ever explored in any depth).

The acting is so over-the-top that I often wondered if the scenes were supposed to be taken seriously or were designed for laughs.

Regardless as to intentions, THE BACKWOODS should remain on the extreme “back shelf” of all DVD rental stores ...if stocked at all!