Jackals (2017)

You won't be disappointed!

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Where do I start? Frankly, I'm angry at myself for not reading reviews first before paying my money to go see this abomination. Have you ever seen a movie so bad that you thought you're being punked and at any moment someone's going to step from behind the screen and say: gotcha!! Well multiply that feeling by ten.Ohh man, this film sucks. Holy sh*t it sucks so bad my cousin dozed off during the first ten minutes. I was like: let him sleep to avoid the torture I was going through. The characters - I don't think you can call them that - are so naive, so one dimensional, so stupid, you'd wanna throw up when they speak. The plot - if ever there was one - is so faulty, so bad, so bland, so utterly dumb that your IQ score will drop dramatically after seeing this film. If you value your money, do not pay to see this insult to your intelligence. Midway through the movie, I woke my cousin up, gave a big middle finger to the cinema screen, and went the f$%k home. My cousin asked me what the movie was like. I replied: TORTURE.

Imagine your child has decided to identify with a cult. Not just any hippy, love is the answer, group of petal pushers. This one is calculated, large in numbers, and not prone to losing members. The history of Jackals screenplay was written early in the torture porn industry created by Saw, Hostel, and Wolf Creek. Years later, the script was finally realized, ironically, by Saw editor and director Kevin Greutart. Let the games begin.First of all, the Halloween influenced opening is solid and grabs you from the get go. Silent, yet violent and revealing. Soon after, an off-road kidnapping takes place; all the while mirroring a small family unit taking solace in a cabin. Colliding head on, the plot takes shape. The kidnapping is that of said families estranged son/boyfriend/brother in an attempt to deprogram him from the cult he fell in to. Credit to Stephen Dorff as the military deprogrammer, getting lean and mean while still staying sympathetic to the family. Soon, as expected, the cult come knocking at the door; wanting a sheep from their flock back home. Enter the home invasion aspect of the film. Outside, the cult wants their member back. Inside, the family refuses to give up their own. Had this film been made when it was meant to be, it would have been released theatrically along side Saw IV and Hostel 2. Jackals does feel a bit dated, however, there is a lot of heart injected into each of the characters. Good and bad. So much so, that a sequel wouldn't be out of line. It's rare to find a DTV film that asks you: How far will you go to save a member of your family; even if it costs you the remainder of the rest of them.

Its not that bad.. I didn't like the characters and the stupid choices, but that happens in 90% of the horror movies. What you gonna do when they re about to kill your family? and you know you have already lost.The cult didn't want to just break in and kill everybody, they played with them, thats what sick crazy killers do, i would do the same if i was in there. They send them in one by one maybe to test the new membersOK its not an original plot, its average, but i enjoyed seeing it. it deserves a 5or6.

Clichés? Sure. Logic? Little. Still, for a horror, the production value is up there and so is the talent. No one gave an embarrassing performance and it has a nice touch of 'disturbing'. Deborah Kara Unger is beautiful and talented and made quite the impact in both The Game and Crash. I hope she can see beyond what Hollywood may think it needs from her and stop with the procedures. They hide much of her talent here in a way I was unable to ignore.