Turistas

This is one of those "you asked for it" flics. That is not to say the film is bad, but one should only expect the norm from the genre. There is nothing really new that this film adds to horror-suspense flics, but it remained an enjoyable journey through familiar territory.

First, the spoiler storyline: Tourists meet on a trip in South America due to unfortunate circumstances. Having few alternatives readily available, all the English-speaking tourists retire to an isolated beach-bar and party. Of course, they're drugged and their accouterments stolen. They wish to recover those goods, but enrage the locals in the process and must flee. Enter the bad guy, who wants to carve up these "transient" and untraceable tourists. The conflicting parties meet. Most of the tourists become surgery scraps while enduring the philosophical and social banter of the bad guy. But not everyone cashes in, and the bad guy loses.

Nudity is to be expected on S.A. beaches, and the females naturally were attractive, so the only question was when the nudity would appear. Its placement didn't detract from the plot, so no harm done; I won't attack Stockwell for that choice. And the acting actually wasn't too bad. I imagine it to be a difficult task to fully communicate a backstory through one-dimensional horror characters. Not all of the acting was top-notch, but you already know those characters will be first to perish. Overall, not bad for a re-conception of an old story idea.

However, the best part of the movie was the antagonist. As the stereotypical "mad scientist," the doctor steals organs while analogizing his actions to the theft of the natural resources from his country by first-world nations (as represented by our protagonists). Good comparison. The horror merely arises from the degree of retribution the doctor exacts-- especially since he hypocritically collects money from the sale of those organs. The fear factor, which I believe was underplayed, came from a seemingly intelligent man acting abnormally based on otherwise sound arguments. The suspense, which at times was well-accomplished, was based on unfamiliar territory. The tourists could barely communicate and were unaware of their location. Also, the underwater spelunking scenes could easily inspire clausterphobia, especially when that backdrop involved an armed thug. Once or twice I think I held my breath so they wouldn't drown on the screen... but I was upset at the lack of advertised gore.

The best part is really the end of the film, when the antagonist catches the tourists. Great dialogue there. The speed and suspense rise, as well. And, as an aside, the scenery was nice. The bad area, as in most films, was the middle. One character won't shut up, and his constant whining slows the pace of the film as the audience prays for him to disappear. Most of the character interaction in the middle could be cut without a problem, and the story wouldn't suffer-- especially since it didn't really add to character relationships. Also, the flipped alliance of the tourists' local "guide" is not very believable. Since his relationship to the tourists never really developed, his actions as a savior lacked believability. We can only be expected to buy so much. Regardless, the film remains entertaining, and you can't help but expect some of these contrivances. So, in all, I give it a 7 out of 10.