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Directed by Robert Lieberman, Starring Jesse Metcalfe, Erika Christensen, Bill Moseley. Horror/Thriller, USA, Approx. 81 minutes.

DVD and blu-ray release date: 18 October 2010.

Craig (Jesse Metclafe) and Elise’s (Erika Christensen) happy family life is destroyed when one day their little boy Ben is kidnapped, tortured and murdered by the evil Kozlowski (Bill Moseley). Kozlowski is caught by the police, however unhappy with his court sentence, the couple decide they want revenge. They plan to submit Kozlowski to a period of torture, before they will eventually kill him, and make him pay for what he did to their son.

The film opens with a distraught Craig on the motorway calling the police to tell them that his son has been kidnapped. Through a series of flashbacks and flashforwards, we see how Ben was actually captured, how the police find Kozlowski and the murdered boy, and the grief and strain this puts on the marriage of the parents. Kozlowski is eventually found guilty and sentenced to jail, however this isn’t enough for Craig and Elise. They want him dead, but before that he should feel the same pain as he subjected to their son.

Once captured, and notwithstanding an accident en route, Kozlowski is taken to a remote cabin in the woods, where through a variety of ways, he is subjected to days of torture, while Craig (conveniently who is a doctor) keeps him alive so he can feel as much of the pain as possible. There are some nice scenes, as the methods of punishment get progressively harsher day by day. While this is happening of course, the police are on the hunt to find Kozlowski, as they close in on his whereabouts.

Whilst it is debateable whether or not this falls into the full ‘torture porn’ category, this film certainly has enough juicy moments to satisfy horror fans (ie the torture scenes), with some eye candy for the guys (Christensen) and girls (Metcalfe). Running at about 81 minutes, the pace of the film is also good. There are a few plot holes however, and nothing particularly special to escalate this above some more superior movies in the genre. Perhaps an extra 10 minutes to the movie would also have helped with some of the character development.

It is interesting to note that the script for the Tortured is very similar to the French/Canadian film movie entitled ‘7 Days’. Each film has a slightly different style, and whilst on a like-for-like basis 7 Days is a better film, the Tortured overall is entertaining enough and an easy watch, and deserves 3 stars.

Extras: interviews with cast and crew, behind the scenes featurette (not viewed).

Dino Marabase.

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