Thursday, September 3, 2009

Rovdyr aka Manhunt [2008]

As the Norwegian surpriser Fritt Vilt did two years prior, Rovdyr is a pretty entertaining little survival horror.  No originality, no story, no character development - just plain ol' nasty edge of your seat, tightly constructed murder mayhem.

Four 20-somethings head into the wilderness for a weekend of hiking - and dying.  A pit stop is made, they banter with some locals, pick up a mysterious hitchhiker, and Roger won't let Camilla play with the radio - oh that's sooooo Roger.  Hitchiker vomits, they pull over das auto, and the hillbillies jump outta da bushes with shotguns and knives!  

Fast forward a few minutes and the road crew wakes up in the forest, gagged and bound.  Once free, the four assess the damage and without warning - the manhunt is on.

Like I said, no originality - the whole first act seems pulled from the The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - and unhiddenly Rovdyr is set in the 70's too.  We don't really know anything about the hour - except one guy's a prick, one's a nerd, and their two girl companions may or may not have lesbian tendancies.  Oh ya, and don't touch Roger's stereo.

But all that aside, it's quite a ride.  From start to finish the gas pedal is slammed to the floor.   The short runtime is beautifully pieced, no rests are taken here.  If their not on the run, being cut up, or stuck in a trap, they're hiding for their lives, with hillbilly rapists hot on the scent.

There is some great gore, some great kills, and a dead body with a bloody ass in a tent - hey, I'm just sayin'.  Don't expect to much, and you will be given a solid hour+ of grimy grindhouse exploitation.

7/10

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