Donkey Punch (2008)

Director:

Oliver Blackburn

Writers:

Oliver Blackburn (writer)
David Bloom (writer)

Release Date:

18 July 2008 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

This party is going overboard

Plot:

Things go drastically wrong for a group of British holidaymakers in Spain.

Plot Keywords:

Partying | Yacht | Spain | Neck Breaking | Stabbed In The Chest

Cast

Robert Boulter	...	Sean
Sian Breckin	...	Lisa
Tom Burke	...	Bluey
Nichola Burley	...	Tammi
Julian Morris	...	Josh
Jay Taylor	...	Marcus
Jaime Winstone	...	Kim

Also Known As:

The Punch (UK) (working title)
Donkey Punch (Sweden) [sv]
Donkey Punch (Greece) (DVD title) [el]
Donkey Punch - Blutige See (Germany) [de]
Võmm kuklasse (Estonia) [et]

MPAA:

Rated R for a scene of strong sexual content involving an aberrant violent act, graphic nudity, violence, language and drug use.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:18 | Ireland:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | Australia:R | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Finland:K-18 | Singapore:R21 (cut) | Germany:18 | Canada:18A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Cape Town, South Africa

Company:

EM Media

Trivia:

Although the film is set in Majorca the sequence when the girls are in the cab on their way out is filmed on the Costa del Sol, as illustrated by the road sign for Belamadena and Torremuel.

Decadence and Deception

The vacation that descends into hell often seems to do so in ways that were unavoidable, like like the unfortunate backpackers in "Hostel" had no real way of knowing the horror that awaits them. It is also a way to garner sympathy for the protagonist, they are not stupid just deceived and therefore a victim. That is not so in "Donkey Punch" where it is the main characters that do almost everything possible to ensure trouble, then one of them actually does and makes the conscious decision to execute perverse sexual act that results in all the things that they all didn't want.

The difference is more subtle than it seems, but it is a key difference... there is "bad place" and the trouble one makes is only through their own stupidity. Then they have to pay for it. While the title may sound sensationalist and exploitative, the film is really not just that; there is graphic sex including the infamous donkey punch show right on screen as well as some very lurid violence. However, the portrayal of it all doesn't focus on this sensationalism, but uses it to show the film's underlying theme of how a web of lies eventually spins out of control leaving no one safe and everyone pitted against everyone else. It is that well developed psychological element that makes "Donkey Punch" more than just worth a watch. The initially happy and charming characters turn really ugly and even downright repulsive by the end. They are not victims of external force, but of their own actions. This then begs the question: were they were like that from the start? --- 8/10

BsCDb Classification: 16+ --- sexual content, violence