Review of F (2010) by Jack H — 23 Aug 2012

'F' is interesting initially, however it descends into a woefully banal, generic and wholly unfrightening slasher flick. This film takes me back to watching my classmates' Horror trailers in secondary school; it seems as if the film-makers consulted a GCSE Media Studies text book when attempting to construct tension, it's tiringly cliched and ineffective. The film's score becomes hilariously useless, which borrows elements from the children's rhyme in 'A Nightmare on Elm Street'.

The film's paper-thin, immature and utterly dumb plot makes me think that the crew also opened the text book when it came to narrative, which consists of a secondary school being raided by hooded assailants whom needlessly jump and climb around with such agility that they appear to have either been bitten by a radioactive spider or are just psychotic break dancers, it's all completely stupid. Those who are expecting gory, bloody fun will also be sorely disappointed, as there are only one or two brief scenes of violence being committed; the make-up department could only manage applying the grisly details in rather unexciting post-murder sequences.

Almost all of the characters are obnoxious and flat: the unreasonable, vindictive daughter; the cold, officious bitch of a boss; the overly sarcastic, rude little urchin of a security guard. They all add up to an increased blood pressure; a testament to their acting credibility, perhaps. As I said, the film began strongly. It appeared to be a straightforward but compelling, resonating story about a middle-aged man wrestling with the pressures of work and family after suffering what he considers an injustice, however it devolved into a pointless, amateurish rip-off.