Eden Lake

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Year:	2008
Country of origin:	UK
Director:	James Watkins
Genre:	British grisliness
Starring:	Kelly Reilly, Michael Fassbender, Jack O'Connell, Finn Atkins , Thomas Turgoose
Rating:	4/5
IMDB link:	http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1020530/
Tagline:	A weekend by the lake, with views to die for.
Favourite line:	"Follow the blood!"

British horror-thriller with real edge.

The plot:
A professional couple head into the country to spend a romantic weekend together, Steve planning to propose to an unsuspecting Jenny. Relaxing by a lake, the pair’s tranquillity is shattered when a group od hoodies appear, complete with ghetto-blaster and defecating Rottweiler.
Initially, Steve tries to ignore the nuisance, but his patience snaps when the dog begins to menace his partner. Approaching the youths, he is given short shrift and, unbeknownst to him, has kick-started a chain of events that will lead to bloodshed, loss of life and all pervading terror.

Director James Watkins takes material that could verge on the ridiculous, and steers us into the realms of abject horror. A seemingly innocuous encounter between people from very different social strata quickly spirals out of all control so that, by the time anybody involved in the mayhem begins to question whether they have gone too far, it is already way, way too late.
Fassbender, as Steve, is a study in emasculation, the frustration at his inability to confront these pint-sized monsters palpable, and Kelly Reilly, as Jenny, is a revelation.
Unflinching in its portrayal of the violence depicted, this is a harrowing viewing experience, never shying away from putting on screen even the most barbaric of acts, though all with purpose, not simply here to shock.
If there is a criticism, it’s only a small one. The movie aims for hyper-reality, attempting to draw the viewer in by the normality of the situation, if not the actions taking place, which is fine. Then, on two or three occasions it pulls a switch, and does the movie thing. You know the one I mean. A ‘bad guy’ approaching a room that, mere seconds ago, was refuge for Our Hero only to find the room empty, even though all reason suggests there is no way anyone could have got out in time.
Bit silly, and normally tolerable in silly movies but, when you’re ramming reality down people’s throats, it sticks out like a blind cobbler’s thumb. Additionally, the villains of the piece are a little too pantomime on occasion, a little too evil, again potentially breaking the fourth wall.
Still, a more gruelling, intense ninety minutes you are unlikely to find in quite some time.
Very good indeed.