Frontière(s)
Reviewed By : AVL

Release Year : 2008

Directed By : Xavier Gens

Written By : Xavier Gens

Starring : Karina Testa, Patrick Ligardes, Samuel Le Bihan, Jean Pierre Jorris

Related Links : IMDB, Official Site

 

What will film makers do in 20 years time when all the old Nazis in hiding are dead? Will it be bewhiskered terrorists assuming the role of quiet, mild mannered psychopaths in suburbia? Or perhaps, like here, it will be closeted old brown shirted Nazi nutball and his assorted inbred decendants?

Still, it's good that some of the old swastika jockeys are still going strong in the cinema, at least in this case - for what we get is a very satisfying and intensely enjoyable outing with fleeing thieves falling into the clutches of crazed nazi and his noxious brood of morons, inbreds, and flat out psychos. These Nazi misfits want a breeding machine to carry on the bloodline, and probably simply to relive the 'good old days' and inflict untold agonies on some poor bastard just for kicks. No questions who is going to cop a lot of shit when, at the dinner table, one of the fleeing thieves points out that he doesn't eat pork.

From the very opening scene the movie sets up a good pace, and it doesn't waiver from that, piling on tension and cranking up the nastiness all the way through. Whether it be hobbling with boltcroppers ("this is how we dealt with the African diamond thieves - and they could still work!) or cooking a poor kid in a great big furnace/pressure cooker thingy, or fun with a circular saw, there's plenty of vivid brutality here to keep the gorehound entertained.

The cast are great, every one of them delivering the goods all the way through. Crazy assed Nazi inbreds, a hulking and moronic cook, slightly nympho chicks with big guns and bad attitudes, everyone here is great. Karina Testa, taking the lead as Yasmine, the chosen breeding machine, is excellent throughout, she makes a great heroine struggling against all the odds to survive. She looks good, shows a great range of emotions and reactions, and sure ain't scared of losing her temper and drawing some blood.

Can I find any faults with it? Not a lot to be honest. It's a tad on the predictable side at times. The English subtitles (the spoken language is French) feel a bit awkward and poorly translated in places. Oh, and the Nazis manage to be crap shots with guns when the plot calls for it. Other than that - minor niggles at most - it really is a great watch and worthy of your time.

Tense, nasty, brutal, unflinching, and great fun - enjoy.