Bait (2015)

Excellent but underrated film

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

I get that this was done on a low budget. I have no issues with the acting or production values. But the writing! Holy s. It took over an hour to show what a jerk the 'loan shark' was, which was 45 minutes too long and banged you over the head with it, and then *SPOILER* for the two women to prepare to hurt him with....a taser?!?? WTF. No other preparation, other than the blonde getting into a matching bra/panty ensemble and sheer kimono. Seriously? As if the story didn't have enough other gaping holes you could fly a fleet of airplanes through...for example, in an economically depressed town, can you not find someone who'll take the 5,000 pounds to do the dirty work for them? Or even to help them out on the Night of Revenge aka The Ridiculous Night of the Taser, Which Thankfully Worked Out For Them In Spite of Their Joint Stupidity and Lack of Preparation. That the women were so dumb throughout was a real turnoff.These type of female revenge movies work best when you feel the victims have done everything they can to rectify their situation. All the two women did was continue to beg and plead with a guy who was clearly merciless. ONE attempt to report it to the police...also love that the boyfriend cuts out of town. Yeah, he got hurt, but was their relationship so shallow he would leave her behind to the devices of a psycho? Could the women not have followed baldy and found out about his family? and get creative there?I'm still shaking my head. A taser. Wouldn't it have been more fun for us, the viewers, if they had booby-trapped the house in preparation for him. What kind of crappy old rope falls apart in half when the brunette is choking baldy with it? And she's strong enough to pull a sink up, over her head, and hit him with it? Huh?Oh man. I hope, should this director venture forth again, he does a MUCH better script polish before going into production.

Bait is a really cool film about debt collection in a small Yorkshire town, made by a guy who is in the U.K. soap Emmerdale apparently.What is very clever about the film is the use of women as the victim/aggressors yes there are lots of films like this, but it's all about the way it's done. It's supremely clever, with some really good sub plots, horrific special effects (in a good way) and some absolutely blinding performances from the two leading ladies, one of whom is very courageous as she spends much of the film in her underwear. I can't explain too much, but this film really is very well put together. It's not perfect, but what is? In the meantime is some very clever story telling, blinding direction and gripping action.

As a Calderdale resident, I went to see this film with some anticipation. However, I was sadly disappointed. It aims to be a thriller, but it is really a thinly disguised zombie horror film with lashings of fake blood and gore. The story is preposterous...a loan shark (aided by strongarm hulk) is terrorising shopkeepers/stallowners in a small town using extreme violence and demanding absurdly high repayments (even on loans that haven't been accepted)..whilst all the victims are too terrified to go to the Police. The violence is graphic yet cartoonish..appalling injuries are sustained, yet the characters appear in the next scene as if barely touched. The two central 'strong' female characters are an absurdly glamorous pair (neither of whom has a local accent).The underlying political message seems to be 'women are strong'..this seems to require that ALL the men in the film are either weak, leering sex pests, 'dickheads' or thuggish psychos. As for its portrayal of autism, this is unbelievably insensitive and stereotyped. Victoria Smurfit and Jonathan Singer turn in very convincing performances, but, some sharp witty dialogue aside, the film is spoiled by its uneven tone, veering from gritty social realism to black comedy and then running through clichéd horror/zombie tropes...a villain who refuses to die, bodies in the boots of cars, blood gushing from skulls (The title The Taking = a nod to The Shining?). Disappointing. Could have been so much better with a more realistic storyline and characters and a slow build-up of suspense.

I saw this film at it's premiere at the Leeds International Film Festival 2014 and was delighted to find a gripping story with very interesting characters. Both female leads were fantastic in their roles and I was gripped from start to finish. It is a definite step up for Director Dominic Brunt after his directorial debut with Before Dawn (2012) and both the character building and story have improved dramatically. The story is thrilling and the actions of the film's Loan Shark villain are brutal and visceral, often shockingly so. This only adds to the gritty, real world quality the film presents to us. I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys a good thriller! 10/10