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Savageland
USA 2015
produced by Phil Guidry, Simon Herbert, David Whelan for Massive Film Company
directed by Phil Guidry, Simon Herbert, David Whelan
starring Noe Montes, George Lionel Savage, Len Wein, Lawrence Ross, J.C. Carlos, Edward L. Green, Dan Trabulus, Jason Stewart, David Saucedo, Heather Moore, Lars Nielsen, Daniel Kafer, Monica Davis, Renee Davies, Gary Valbuena, Peter Christian, Sam Fontenot, Martha Cabistan, Valynn Rain, Lou Martinez, Romie Arredondo, Tracey Hunter, Erik Conn, Jennipher Lewis, Ronald Aron, Cathy Aron, Richard Kitrick, Patrick Pedraza, David Saucedo, Jonee B. Shady, Lono Woodley, Julia Vlahos, Lucas Raineri, Landen Quinn, Edd Joyce, Todd Transmeier, Anne-Marie Bourne, Turner Jomonville, Chris Santiago
written by Phil Guidry, Simon Herbert, David Whelan, music by Zoviet France
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Available on DVD! To buy, click on link(s) below and help keep this site afloat (commissions earned) |
Always make sure of DVD-compatibility!!!
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On one single day, a small Arizona town on the border to Mexico is
totally wiped out - safe for one man, Francisco Salazar (Noe Montes), a
Mexican who has been living in the neighbourhood for seven years, mainly
doing odd jobs for all the locals and being quite popular in the
neighbourhood - but of course, him also being an illegal immigrant,
suspicion falls upon him, and even though quite a bit of the evidence
(like bitemarks on several of the victims' bodies not matching his teeth)
is found that doesn't corroborate his guilt, the local Sheriff (George
Lincoln Savage) is just too happy to have an open and shut case without
having to go too deep into things that are mainly disturbing and
unexplainable, plus arresting an illegal alien is always good for one's
popularity with the locals - and thus he gets elected Sheriff again the
next year with a record margin. Likewise the judge presiding the trial is
interested to finish things up speedily to show his own strength, and
Salazar's appointed attorney (Jason Stewart) is a newbie in it over his
head - and a right wing radio host (Edward L. Green) makes sure the public
opinion is against Salazar just because he happens to be of Mexican
descent. Thing is, Salazar is mostly traumatized, but on the rare
occasions when he's talking sense he always claims he's happy he's where
"they" can't reach him - but he's never too specific who
"they" might be ... Then a film roll shot by Salazar on that
fateful day (he was a hobby photographer) turns up that puts a whole new
light on the proceedings and would prove Salazar innocent - but the wheels
of justice have long been set in motion to move in a whole other direction
... Comicbook legend Len Wein plays a photographer giving his opinion
about Salazar's photos. Now the theme of the movie, including
it's payoff, is definitely in the horror realm, but it's made to look like
a documentary, with plenty of talking heads, stock footage, stills,
simplistic computer animations and the like - but what the film really
works as is social commentary, as on a deeper level, this isn't about a
massacre at all and isn't a whodunnit murder mystery that goes into the
(possibly) supernatural but a film about the truth and to what length some
people (and especially the media) will go to bend it their way, to fit
their agenda. And as that, the film works very well as it by and large
stays away from sensationalism to keep an air of realism, and for that
reason also doesn't go the satire route. And for that, the film will
(intentionally) leave a stale taste in your mouth ... and probably creep
you out quite a bit as well!
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