Review of Senseless (2008) by Justin H — 17 Oct 2010

I've decided that I don't like the "torture porn" genre. Not because it's too disturbing, or graphic, or anything like that, but because it's just so damn -boring- most of the time. By and large, these films forego anything approaching a decent plot, and just rely on the up close gore to carry them. There are a few exceptions, but "Senseless" is most certainly not among them. I'm guessing it's about 20 minutes in, where one of Elliot's captors tells him what's in store...and there's really no need to watch the rest of the film, because it plays out exactly as you'd imagine. He tries to resist a few times, to no avail, and it's just one round of torture after the next. Yawn.

If I dislike this movie for its genre, then I absolutely hate it for the message it seems to be trying to get across. It boils down to: "If you're an American, you should be ashamed. And if you happen to be white, male, and not living in a mud hut, then you should do the world a favor and shoot yourself right now, you imperialist monster." If you'll pardon my French, this movie can go fuck itself.

One star, ONLY because I've seen movies that were more of a chore to sit through. But not many.