Review of The Belko Experiment (2017) by Filipeneto — 29 Dec 2019

Gore, gallons of fake blood, some credibility issues ... I expected something else.

In Bogota, Colombia, is the headquarters of Belko Industries, surrounded by strong security measures and giving its employees above-average working conditions. Working there seems to be very good for most office workers, as the company promotes competitiveness, individual growth and good salaries. It turns out that in the midst of a normal working day, and after all local workers are evacuated, eighty US employees are arrested on the premises and are invited, by a voice over the office sound system, to massacre themselves or to be mercilessly killed in a distorted social experience.

Well, this kind of movie is not quite my thing and I confess I was expecting something different. The massive bet on gore and a bloodbath works for those who like it, but for those who prefer more action, more suspense and psychological horror, the movie won't work so well. It is not a movie for all audiences. And then there are some credibility issues that totally fail: As a company employee, I would never allow anything to be implanted in my body, so that bomb-firing at employees is unreasonable and sounds unbelievable. The rest is just blood. The script does not exist, being only a premise to prepare and conclude the carnage. The same goes for the cast. They are pigs for the slaughter, we don't even care about them. There are some well-known actors in this movie, like John Gallagher Jr., but I don't think they have received decent material to work with. The problem here is bad script and conscious betting on gore and gallons of fake blood.