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Released by: Cinedigm
Released on: July 15th, 2014.
Director: Gonzalo Lí³pez-Gallego
Cast: Joseph Morgan, Thomas Kretschmann, Sharlto Copley
Year: 2014
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The Movie:
A man (Sharlto Copley) wakes up in the middle of a dark and stormy night to find himself in a deep pit filled with dozens of corpses. His resurrection is a painful process that consists of violent spasms and cracking joints. He is suffering from amnesia; he doesn't know who he is, how he got to be among all these dead bodies, and why it is that he is in possession of a handgun. Before long, a mysterious Asian woman (Josie Ho) appears above the pit and drops a makeshift rope to help the man escape. He quickly finds his way to a nearby house where he stumbles upon five armed strangers. After a tense standoff, it comes out that these four of these individuals are suffering from memory loss and trying to figure out where they all stand. The exception is the aforementioned Asian woman, who seems to know what the score is but who cannot communicate with the strangers as she is mute and does not know their language.
All this occurs in the first ten minutes of director/editor Gonzalo Lí³pez-Gallego's mystery-horror film OPEN GRAVE. The set-up is undeniably effective in generating intrigue and the first half of the film follows suit as the script (written by brothers Eddie and Chris Borey) continues to pile on a series of baffling, and often grisly, revelations. For one thing, the strangers come to discover that the secluded forest that surrounds the house is littered with corpses that have been strung up in a scarecrow-like fashion. They are at a loss as to who, or what, these ghastly figures are meant to frighten off, but they have only one day to figure it out if the ominous wall calendar with the date April 18 circled is any indication.
There are a lot of good things that one can say about OPEN GRAVE. On the one hand, the performances are mostly excellent. Viewers may remember Sharlto Copley as the remarkable lead in Neill Blomkamp's modern classic DISTRICT 9, and he gives an equally impressive central performance in this film. In a move that smartly mirrors Christopher Nolan's MEMENTO (another film that features a protagonist who suffers from amnesia), the audience is meant to share Copley's disorientation; as he starts to regain certain memories, the viewer is bombarded by distorted flashbacks that offer clues to the film's central puzzle. There are also particularly good acting turns by Thomas Kretschmann (he memorably played Captain Hosenfeld in Roman Polanski's THE PIANIST) and Josie Ho (Takashi Miike's DEAD OR ALIVE: FINAL).
I am sad to report that the film does not quite live up to its early potential. Although one cannot say that the film is predictable, one does ultimately find a few clichés and overtly-familiar scenarios sprinkled throughout the narrative (with such a script, it is necessary to tread carefully around certain plot revelations). OPEN GRAVE is also one of those films in which certain details of the story make less sense the more you stop to think about them; this sort of thing drives certain viewers up the wall (and you know who you are) but it's so often a feature of narratives that deal is misdirection.
The execution of the film's final half hour is sometimes clumsy; set-pieces that are meant to evoke pathos are undercut by Lí³pez-Gallego's clumsy editing. His direction is also a bit frustrating; there are moments that are undeniably effective at establishing tension and dread (including some genuine shocks and grisly moments) but he has a penchant for jittery hand-held camera work that becomes more frantic whenever something horrific occurs. It's a real shame because the interactions between the characters are interesting and it is nice to see their relationships shift as their memories slowly return to them. Unfortunately, all of these character dynamics are overshadowed by the plot-revelations that quickly snowball in the film's final half hour (including an explanatory voice-over in its final moments; in many cases I find such a device lazy and insulting but in this case its necessary). In the end, one wishes that the emphasis were ultimately on the people rather than the somewhat disappointing plot-reveal.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Cinedigm's blu-ray of OPEN GRAVE features the film in a 1080p transfer presented in 2.41:1. The film looks great throughout; there is strong detail even in the night scenes and the grain level is film-like and balanced throughout. For all my reservations about the direction and editing, the film's more stylish moments sparkle in high-definition (I'm thinking particularly of the opening storm). There are no defects in the transfer that I could detect.
The main audio track is a lossless DTS-HD 5.1 mix and it is excellent. The dialogue is easy to understand and there's subtle usage of the rear-channel speakers for ambient sound effects. The low end is not overpowering and usually complements Juan Navazo's score. There are no distortion or glitches to report. The disc also features a 2.0 Stereo track and English Subtitles for the hearing-impaired.
This blu-ray is seriously lacking the extras department; all you get is a Behind-The-Scenes Featurette that lasts just over three minutes and is the standard PR fluff. What's frustrating is that it features snippets of interviews with the cast members given on set between takes; one wishes that these were extended a bit.
The Final Word:
OPEN GRAVE is a classic case of the whole not measuring up to the sum of its parts. A great set-up and strong performances are undermined by a script that doesn't come together in an entirely satisfying way. Cinedigm's disc looks and sounds great but skimps on the extras. I'm not sure it has much replay value so a rental may be in order if you are at all interested.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
