Donkey Punch (2008)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

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 | Spain | Yacht | Slap In The Face | Female Nudity

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]
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)

Filming Locations:

Cape Town, South Africa

Company:

EM Media

Trivia:

The opening scene in which the girls hop from bar to bar is clearly shot in Cape Town, South Africa, along Camps Bay promenade. The first bar is Café Caprice and the second is The Grand (previously Opium on the Beach). The beach on which they are sitting when they first meet the boys is on the Atlantic Sea Board as well.

Full-on thrill ride

This film reportedly created quite a stir when it was released in the UK due to it's portrayal of the dodgy mores of young British holidaymakers overseas. There is certainly no dispute that the prudish will find no end of things to dislike about this explicitly raunchy, hard-nosed thriller. The film centers on three up-for-it young women from Leeds who are invited by four equally fun-loving young guys to hang out on a yacht where the lads were employed as crew members.

This intrepid group then sail out to sea, turn up the music, ingest some Ecstasy and what looks like crystal meth, and start getting very intensely busy with each other. However, just as this orgy is reaching it's peak, a sexual technique goes wrong and somebody dies. Things get worse when the group, stoned and terrified of the consequences they may face, cannot agree on how to handle the situation. All of a sudden, what had started out as an ill-considered but probably harmless outing turns into a nightmare of panic, paranoia, and murder as all the characters realize that they are going to have to fight for their lives.

The ensemble cast are top notch. The premise is credible and the behavior of the well-drawn characters remains believable. The film deftly changes pace in a heartbeat from depicting joyous hedonism to ice-cold fear and suspicion. The pacing is spot-on and the tension and sense of mounting horror are relentless. The soundtrack is also right on target. The only cause for complaint might be the thickness of some of the English accents but it really is not a big deal. On some other websites "Donkey Punch" has gotten very mixed reviews- people seem to love it or hate it. However, if you're interested in seeing an overlooked but world-class thriller then this film ought to be top of your list. Highly recommended.