Lyzsi SinclairFilm Review:
So as I'm walking round HMV I'm desperate to find something new to watch, specifically something that'll scare me. See at the core I'm a horror girl, which is why when I saw “The Tattooist” sitting on the sale shelf that I instantly picked it up, walked over to the counter and paid for it - taking it home and hoping it'd be good. A few months later (after I get my own tattoo, and finally get the DVD back off a friend) I at last, get to watch it...
So a round-up of the story. Jake Sawyer (Jason Behr - “Roswell”, “The Grudge”) is a tattoo artist who ran away from home as a teen, after his pentagram artwork tattoo was cut off his arm by his overly religious father. Currently making a living in Singapore, he specializes in tattoos that he's picked up on his travels, believed to heal ailments. Sent to a house to tattoo a young boy who's on his deathbed in the father's hopes of curing him; he tells the father “He needs a doctor” to which is responded “No, he needs a tattoo”, so beginning the possibility that tattoos are more than artwork.
At a tattoo expo afterwards he follows a beautiful girl back to a tent full off New Zealand natives who themselves specialize in traditional Samoan “rites of passage” tattoos for men and women – or tatau as it's called. Stealing one of their tools for him to try out himself – Jake then has a run in with the sick boy's father outside the expo, who tells him he has failed and blames him for his son's death. After the father launches into an attack on him, Jake accidentally pricks his hand on the Samoan tool, which leads to weird dreams and shadows starting to haunt him. The scariness is only just beginning though...
Travelling to New Zealand to his old boss, he asks for help to find the Samoan tatau troupe. With his boss willing to help, and offering him a job at the tattoo parlour and a place to live in the apartment upstairs, it's not long before he finds the troupe – and the young woman he first followed Sina, (played by Mia Blake). As he spends more time with her he learns more about Samoan tradition, and also finds himself falling in love with her. After tattooing her back after a night of passion, it's soon clear that something is stalking and killing in an horrific way all those he's tattooed since being back in New Zealand. Time is running out for Jake – can he find out what the spirit who's doing this wants from him and why, and find Sina before it's too late...?
**************
Overall an enjoyable film, and actually not really what I was expecting. It's definitely not the typical Hollywood horror, instead throwing some quite intense thriller and intrigue into the mix. The acting from the main cast is very good, particularly Behr who played the sullen “world on his shoulder” tattoo artist well. It was a shame that some of the tattoo scenes weren't completely accurate – I couldn't help but feel annoyed when he used the same tattoo needle without cleaning, on two different people (a particularly unsafe practice for a supposed tattoo expert). It was also visibly clear when some characters had to ADR (automated dialogue replacement) with them failing to sync up correctly - one of my biggest bug-bears in film. The story was original and great though, which is a big strong point in a world where originality in Hollywood is seriously starting to lack.
The film is not all out in search of making the audience jump every few seconds, also a big strong point. Don't get me wrong, I love something creeping up on me and terrifying me – but it's also nice when there's not an overdose of that. There are some wonderfully gruesome ink-filled deaths for horror fans – and some fantastic special effects to help achieve that. One that stands out in particular is a hospital scene with one of Jake's clients, whose skin fills with ink, splurting into the faces of the paramedics desperately trying to save her life. When they go to use the defibrillator on her, it simply sinks into her chest, followed by a gruesome eye-popping section, which made me feel a bit nauseous.
Where this film struggles sometimes is it's dialogue. Numerous times the actors speech and exchanges were lost in the midst of music too loud, or sound effects stealing focus. It's a shame because this is not only an intriguing story, but it also teaches the audience a few things about Samoan tradition – things you tend to miss out on with the sound of a machete smacking into meat taking centre stage(!)
The whole film leads to a great conclusion, one I personally didn't see coming, (I'm usually pretty good at working out things before they happen - in American films particularly). It again brings the tradition and story in as the most important thing, and doesn't end on a note of possible sequel, but more on a note of hope. The cast of New Zealand actors (David Fane, Nathaniel Lees and Robbie Magasiva in particular) were strong, and the horror aspect of the film never seemed weak. A film I'd recommend as I really enjoyed it, with maybe just a few tweaks needed - I'll give it 7/10. Flix Out.
So a round-up of the story. Jake Sawyer (Jason Behr - “Roswell”, “The Grudge”) is a tattoo artist who ran away from home as a teen, after his pentagram artwork tattoo was cut off his arm by his overly religious father. Currently making a living in Singapore, he specializes in tattoos that he's picked up on his travels, believed to heal ailments. Sent to a house to tattoo a young boy who's on his deathbed in the father's hopes of curing him; he tells the father “He needs a doctor” to which is responded “No, he needs a tattoo”, so beginning the possibility that tattoos are more than artwork.
At a tattoo expo afterwards he follows a beautiful girl back to a tent full off New Zealand natives who themselves specialize in traditional Samoan “rites of passage” tattoos for men and women – or tatau as it's called. Stealing one of their tools for him to try out himself – Jake then has a run in with the sick boy's father outside the expo, who tells him he has failed and blames him for his son's death. After the father launches into an attack on him, Jake accidentally pricks his hand on the Samoan tool, which leads to weird dreams and shadows starting to haunt him. The scariness is only just beginning though...
Travelling to New Zealand to his old boss, he asks for help to find the Samoan tatau troupe. With his boss willing to help, and offering him a job at the tattoo parlour and a place to live in the apartment upstairs, it's not long before he finds the troupe – and the young woman he first followed Sina, (played by Mia Blake). As he spends more time with her he learns more about Samoan tradition, and also finds himself falling in love with her. After tattooing her back after a night of passion, it's soon clear that something is stalking and killing in an horrific way all those he's tattooed since being back in New Zealand. Time is running out for Jake – can he find out what the spirit who's doing this wants from him and why, and find Sina before it's too late...?
**************
Overall an enjoyable film, and actually not really what I was expecting. It's definitely not the typical Hollywood horror, instead throwing some quite intense thriller and intrigue into the mix. The acting from the main cast is very good, particularly Behr who played the sullen “world on his shoulder” tattoo artist well. It was a shame that some of the tattoo scenes weren't completely accurate – I couldn't help but feel annoyed when he used the same tattoo needle without cleaning, on two different people (a particularly unsafe practice for a supposed tattoo expert). It was also visibly clear when some characters had to ADR (automated dialogue replacement) with them failing to sync up correctly - one of my biggest bug-bears in film. The story was original and great though, which is a big strong point in a world where originality in Hollywood is seriously starting to lack.
The film is not all out in search of making the audience jump every few seconds, also a big strong point. Don't get me wrong, I love something creeping up on me and terrifying me – but it's also nice when there's not an overdose of that. There are some wonderfully gruesome ink-filled deaths for horror fans – and some fantastic special effects to help achieve that. One that stands out in particular is a hospital scene with one of Jake's clients, whose skin fills with ink, splurting into the faces of the paramedics desperately trying to save her life. When they go to use the defibrillator on her, it simply sinks into her chest, followed by a gruesome eye-popping section, which made me feel a bit nauseous.
Where this film struggles sometimes is it's dialogue. Numerous times the actors speech and exchanges were lost in the midst of music too loud, or sound effects stealing focus. It's a shame because this is not only an intriguing story, but it also teaches the audience a few things about Samoan tradition – things you tend to miss out on with the sound of a machete smacking into meat taking centre stage(!)
The whole film leads to a great conclusion, one I personally didn't see coming, (I'm usually pretty good at working out things before they happen - in American films particularly). It again brings the tradition and story in as the most important thing, and doesn't end on a note of possible sequel, but more on a note of hope. The cast of New Zealand actors (David Fane, Nathaniel Lees and Robbie Magasiva in particular) were strong, and the horror aspect of the film never seemed weak. A film I'd recommend as I really enjoyed it, with maybe just a few tweaks needed - I'll give it 7/10. Flix Out.
Horrorphile
So you're a horror girl at heart ... I trust you've ventured into the Orble Darkness from time to time?
Cinema Nut
Film News and Reviews...
What's the Orble Darkness? I'm still trying to get used to this site and blogging in general (it's pretty obvious I'm still just starting out at this). Just started reviewing for fun then thought about maybe trying to work on getting it to a point where there's a possible career in it for me in journalism or online or something...
Horror is definately my safeplace (I get called weird for saying that) - anything that scares the hell out of me is something I'll happily invest time in watching over and over - although there's a fair amount of classic stuff I've still yet to see! I'm working on rectifying that though...
Horrorphile
Horrorphile - Pleasure of Nightmares heh heh
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