Ambitious. That is the word that kept
cracking me in the side of the head while I
was watching DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK.
Jen and Sylvia Soska created an ambitious film that gave the finger to popular DIY convention. DHIAT is 100% exploitation that knows its roots but never relies solely on the shock of the situations. It knows it’s force but doesn’t stand around for 90 minutes beating you up and leaving you bleeding on the road. It’s a well-balanced film that clicks along at a fast clip, using dialogue like bullets, never wasting a single moment.
DHIAT follows the adventure of the unlikely crew of Badass (a mean Sylvia Soska), The Geek (an innocent…for the most part… Jen Soska), The Junkie (a strung out Rikki Gagne), and Goody Two Shoes (C.J. Wallis who shows some real acting chops and also busted out some solid tunes for the soundtrack). We know the characters only by their stereotypes and they are full embraced. From the sisterly rivalry of the twins who are on the opposite ends of aggression, to the Junkie working a habit and Goody Two Shoes praising his god. These characters all mesh, they shouldn’t, but they do. Credit the script which is full of pulp dialogue with a punk attitude for bringing these guys together.
On a simple little mission to score Junkie her fix, the crew finds a dead hooker in the trunk and that’s when things start to go south… fast. Led by Badass who has a fucking Bruce Banner style temper, they set off to bury the hooker while going toe-to-toe with cops, chainsaw psychos, a cowboy pimp, and a serial killer that sets up one of the many well-choreographed fight scenes.
The Soska twins at one point left acting to focus on stunt-work since they both have an extensive martial arts background. It shows. These chicks know how to handle themselves in a fight, particularly Sylvia who has the bulk of the fight scenes in this. Her character is kind of the defacto leader of the group so it makes sense that she gets Rocky treatment. The fights are smart. In fact, the fights in DHIAT are better than in some big budget Hollywood flicks. I almost wish there was more of them just because I dug them so much. There is one scene where Badass is going after a truck driver and uses the step on his truck as leverage to deliver a fistful of revenge. That is all kinds of cool and shows a skill most filmmakers don’t have right out of the gate.
The Soska twins know their film history; they know what works and what doesn’t work. They have studied people like Robert Rodriguez and have taken notes about how to get the most bang out of your independent buck, and this bastard looks like a million bucks. DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK has been watched at DG HQ 3 times now and each time it gets better and better. Each time something else is picked up that I dig even more than the viewing before. This film is a fucking blast and I can’t wait to see AMERICAN MARY, the Twisted Twins follow up to DHIAT. They just bought themselves some giant shoes to fill.
VERDICT: SEE THIS FLICK
RIGHT. FUCKING. NOW!
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SEE YOU ON FORTY DEUCE,
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On of the best horror movie in ages, the twins are fantastic, can’t wait for their next movie.
Yeah those chicks are tough as nails. AMERICAN MARY is going to rock. Hopefully we have some news on that to report soon.
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