Donkey Punch

Horrorphile

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Donkey Punch

June 10th 2008 01:50

I do like a movie that skillfully works a low-budget. Donkey Punch (2008), which played at the 55th Sydney Film Festival, is fresh from Warp-X, set-up to produce cheap, but effective and commercially successful movies. It’s a horror-thriller that plays aggressively with numerous conventions. It’s not a wholly surprising movie, and it’s not that scary, but the production values and performances of its young, good-looking cast are solid, which lifts its game higher than a lot of the other flotsam and jetsam out there.

Three spunky girls from Leeds, England, are holidaying (read: partaying) in sun-bleached Mallorca, Spain. Lisa (Sian Breckin) and Kim (Jaime Winstone, daughter of Ray) are keen for their friend Tammi (Nicola Burley) to forget her recent break-up, so they can all let their hair down (and their bikinis to follow!). At a bar they meet three likely lads; matinee idol Josh (Julian Morris), sleazy DJ Bluey (Tom Burke), and newbie Marcus (Jay Taylor).

Party posse

After stealing a bottle of champagne from someone’s ice-bucket the boys invite the girls down to the beach, and then after further breaking the ice, they lure the girls (although Tammi exhibits a little apprehension) to the nearby marina and onto a large cruiser where they meet and greet another mate, Sean (Robert Boulter).

Donkey Punch Sian Breckin and Julian Morris

Sian Breckin as Lisa and Julian Morris as Josh

Pretty soon it’s bon voyage, and it’s everyone up on deck in the sunshine where party lubricator bad-boy Bluey dishes out the disco biscuits. Everyone pops a whole, but Sean and Tammi decide to do halves. Everyone’s having a whale of a time, swimming and laughing. Bluey, being the right charmer that he is, relates a disgusting incident where a guy he knew was “tarmac-ed” (!) by a girl during sex. Kim asks if the boys know what a “dirty sanchez” is. “Of course,” they reply. So Bluey asks if they’re familiar with a “donkey punch”. Marcus claims he does, but when Bluey describes it - having sex doggystyle and just before you orgasm applying a harsh chop/punch to the back of the girl’s neck and she involuntarily clenches her vagina – Marcus frowns and quickly denies it.

Jaime Winstone as Kim

Bluey brings out the glass pipe for a little “Russian ice” to lower the girls’ inhibitions even further. “Hardcore” Lisa and feisty Kim are keen as mustard, so Josh and Bluey seize the opportunity to take the action below deck.

Marcus crashes the party to watch his mates getting’ it on, and armed with a small camcorder he begins videotaping. Whilst the drug-taking sequence was both crucial and authentically captured, the protracted sex scene seems oddly gratuitous. It’s certainly more candid than a lot of Brit flicks, and probably more lingering than the American remake will be, but it seemed like unnecessary padding.

Nicola Burely as Tammi, armed and dangerous

It is during this scene where the movie takes a sharp turn; Bluey takes over videoing and gets eager Marcus involved. Lisa doesn’t seem to mind being shared, and while Marcus is behind her Bluey encourages, then orders him to do the donkey punch. Marcus complies and it’s whambamthankyouma’am; Lisa is out cold … dead.

It’s taken a while to get to this point, but from here on in things start getting messier and messier. Night has fallen, and the dream party has turned very sour indeed. Tammi is led to believe Lisa has overdosed, but Kim, although engrossed in sex with Josh, heard otherwise. The boys quickly decide Lisa’s body has to be dumped, otherwise everyone goes down. Strangers, hard drugs, loose sex, a videotape; it’s not a reliable recipe.

Director Oliver Blackburn’s first feature (background in music clips) is very competently made, and he ratchets up the tension in the second half swiftly and strongly, but although the audicence feel for the girl’s nightmare predicament, there’s a little of “don’t say we didn’t warn you” floating around. After all the lads become united in dumping Lisa’s body, they become indistinguishable. All of them should get their just desserts, and in true horror style, they do.

Jay Taylor as Marcus, armed and dangerous

In fact, like a classic slasher flick the deaths are inventive (the eponymous donkey punch, slow death by foldable knife, fiery death by flare, nasty death by outboard motor, and a swift death by snapped neck). There’s a suicide, and we’re even left with a final girl.

How the boys turn into such cowardly, treacherous rogues I found too contrived for the purposes of the movie’s narrative arc, especially young Marcus who showed no sign of his sociopathic nature at all in the movie’s first half. However I have to admit his torturous handling of injured Bluey was one of the movie’s horror highlights.

Anxious Kim at the cruiser's controls

The movie’s score by François-Eudes Chanfrault was a stand-out. And as curious and provocative as the title is, American audiences will no doubt have enormous trouble with the English accents, and so it’s no surprise to learn that the rights to a Hollywood remake have already been sold.

Donkey Punch is not as scary as the excellent Dead Calm (1990), but not as languid as Polanski’s artful Knife in the Water (1965). It is viscerally intense in places, and unusually sexy and hedonistic, despite its tragic unfolding, but if you’re after a serious UK horror flick The Descent (2006) is far scarier, more stylish and ultimately more memorable. With my tongue lodged in cheek, Donkey Punch is more an extreme bloody version of trash series Girls Gone Wild. And where was the yacht rock?!

And a donkey punch, is there really such a thing?! For women's sake, I surely hope it's only fictional slang ...

Here's the railer:

Donkey Punch DVD (with lots of extras) is distributed on the Asylum label through Madman Entertainment.

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

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Comments

9 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Cibbuano

June 10th 2008 03:14

Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak

ah, hollywood remakes...

so, a recommend? Sounds like you found it a little meh...

Comment by Damo

June 10th 2008 04:52

So I guess every one gets shafted in this one.
Sorry, could not help it.

Comment by Bryn

June 11th 2008 00:55

Horrorphile

Cibby, my wife thought it was excellent, while I was mildly disappointed. Perhaps I had my expectations a little higher ...

Damo, yeah, what's that awful execution style death pirates would give prisoners? Quay-hauling?

Comment by Daniella

June 23rd 2009 09:59

I avoided this film for many days as a friend brought it to me and told me it was a must see. But then I finally watched it and thought it was pretty good. Grant you it is disturbing. I was compelled to google up the words Donkey Punch after watching because I wanted to know if such a thing was real and certainly it is although there is debate as to the original meaning. It seems that the original intent of a donkey punch was to punch a woman in the butt during sex, usually not vaginal, which would cause her to tighten. But the meaning changed over time. Whatever the meaning this movie was better and less horrifying than I thought it would be although I think it was less my enjoyment of the movie and more my relief that it was not extremely graphic that gave me a favorable opinion. I like your blog sir and am spending way too much of my night looking through your archives but it has been pleasurable.

Daniellita la verdad.

Comment by Bryn

June 24th 2009 00:04

Horrorphile

Daniellita, tis a pleasure to be keeping you up at night

I hope you stick around, the Darkness descends deeply.

Comment by Daniella

June 24th 2009 10:38

Bryn I can assume that you are the author of this site? I am pleased to meet you y now I have to scold you because I have spent so many hours exploring your writings and reviews! To be pointed in your direction was the best and worst thing for me, but once I catch up with the past things you have written I should be able to spend a little less time searching through the wilderness.

But it has been an exciting journey to be sure. Gracias.

Daniellita la verdad.

Comment by Bryn

June 25th 2009 01:08

Horrorphile

Daniella, or Daniellita (which do you prefer?), I feel royally scolded, and loving it! Yes, I created the blog, and am the host and moderator. How did you find my site? Are you Spanish? South American? Mexican?

Comment by JohnDoe

June 17th 2010 14:35

Film & TV on DVD

Hi Bryn,

I finally watched this last night and must admit to being bored for most of the running time.

The clumsy pacing and ludicrous character reactions made for a silly experience. It was just as you said "too contrived" to buy into it and very, very predictable.

Was surprised at how tame the film was too, nothing really extreme or twisted to be found.

You are right, the music was good. It was weird hearing the tune from Californication turning up in the early part.

Great review though, makes it clear what you liked about it.

Comment by Bryn

June 18th 2010 01:46

Horrorphile

Guilty pleasure for me. Was good on the big screen too. And I like Jaime Winstone. Have you seen Dead Set yet?

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