Directed by:
James WatkinsScreenplay:
James WatkinsCinematography:
Christopher RossComposer:
David JulyanCast:
Kelly Reilly, Michael Fassbender, Jack O'Connell, Finn Atkins, Bronson Webb, Thomas Turgoose, Tara Ellis, Alyssa Cooper, Thomas Gill, Eliza Elkington (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Nursery teacher Jenny and her boyfriend Steve escape for a romantic weekend away. Steve, planning to propose, has found an idyllic setting: a remote lake enclosed by woodlands and seemingly deserted. The couple's peace is shattered when a gang of obnoxious kids encircles their campsite. Reveling in provoking the adults, the gang steals the couple's belongings and vandalizes their car leaving them completely stranded. When Steve confronts them, tempers flare and he suffers a shocking and violent attack. Fleeing for help, Jenny is subject to a brutal and relentless game of cat-and-mouse as she desperately tries to evade her young pursuers and find her way out of the woods. Exhausted and distraught, she finally arrives back to the safety of the town. And meets the parents. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Videos (1)
Reviews (9)
I would describe Eden Lake as a similar derivative of Estonia's The Class, with a point opposite to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. As with The Class, this film kept me wondering throughout if this was possible – where the hell is justice. The harsh fact is that this is what happens, and more and more often, which is as startling as the ending of the film. And one of the final phrases, that they are just kids, is as shocking as the brutal practices of the teenagers in the film. In short, a film that I can understand some will cover their eyes at, but for me it stood up pretty solidly as a representative of "one of the most provocative and terrifying films of the year."
()
The islanders strike back at the French, who have had no competition in the exploitation field recently. It takes place in the traditional backdrop of a deep forest, where a young couple go for a romantic weekend. This time they’re not terrorized by a sweaty redneck, but rather by a bunch of rude brats. The plot, based on a clear model, is disrupted by several impressive twists and turns, an excellent pair of protagonists, a twisted party boss with the visage of a hockey player, and, above all, a surreal ending that pushes the despair even further. Some moments (the thorn, the game with fire, the ending) make me want to give it full stars, but the slight aftertaste from the mix of Frontier(s) and Them keeps me at a four, albeit a very strong four. Keep it up!
()
A trip to a lake turns into a fight for survival when a loving couple pisses off a bunch of local teenagers. An unoriginal but very impressive and suspenseful film that people with weaker stomachs may not be able to handle, but fans of the British new wave of horror will definitely be very satisfied.
()
Brats! I also give the film three average stars for the fact that this (more or less) variation on Peckinpah's classic Straw Dogs moves along quickly and for the excellent Kelly Reilly, whom I knew only from her "cool" costume roles in Pride and Prejudice or Sherlock Holmes. But that's all I was captivated by in Eden Lake. It didn't even scare me.
()
Poor old Michael Fassbender makes a fatal mistake and takes Dr. Watson’s wife on a trip to a lake. To a lake in Britain. Toa lake in Britain where youths are playing youthful games. Despite a couple of weird things about the behavior of the characters (even though, let’s face it, people are fundamentally idiots and don’t behave logically, especially where emotions are involved) and a couple of weird situations, this is an excellent example of how things can go really frickin’ (“mind your language") wrong. No shortage of brutality and the ending is a lot to take. Powerlessness... a loss of morale, conscience and rules. Americans can go jump in a dumpster with their would-be survival horrors and thrillers.
()
Ads