THE VICTIM

Welcome to a small town in the heart of rural America called Flagstaff.

Senior Sheriff’s detective Harrison (Ryan Honey) bends his lover Mary (Danielle Harris) over a rock in the woods one morning and gives her a good scuttling. His dirty talk appears to be doing absolutely nothing for her. When she expresses boredom and asks him to cum, he loses his temper and pulls at her head. This accidentally snaps her neck.

Annie (Jennifer Blanc) is next seen scarpering through the forestry on the evening, and makes her way to a remote cabin. A loner called Kyle (Michael Biehn) answers the door and, seeing her fear, reluctantly lets her in. She tells him that she’s being hunted by two corrupt cops who want to kill her.

As Annie explains to Kyle how she got into this mess, we witness the tale too in flashback: she and Mary were dancers at a strip club. Mary began seeing Harrison and wanted Annie to join them on a date, on account of the fact that some of their colleagues had been reported missing locally, The intention was to be that Annie would pair off with fellow cop Cooger (Denny Kirkwood). But when Harrison’s mishap resulted in Mary’s death, the two shocked detectives decided they’d have to silence Annie in a bid to cover their backs.

Kyle is unsure whether to believe her story but still lies for her when Harrison and Cooger come knocking at his door moments later. Although they tell him they’re hunting a fugitive. he tells them he’s alone and hasn’t seen anyone all evening. It’s feasible: where he lives is extremely secluded.

As they leave, Kyle is left confused. Who should he believe? Annie suggests she take him out to the spot of the woods where Mary died. But, when they get there, her body is missing. So, really, he’s none the wiser.

Still, Annie is very persuasive and pretty soon they’re back at his cabin (actually, it’s his uncle’s) and they’re shagging. Seems like Kyle has decided to look out for her after all.

This, of course, brings him more problems when Harrison returns unannounced …

A simple set-up requires a simple synopsis, as this is a small story which hinges on keeping its viewer uncertain of who to trust. Is Annie telling the truth? Do Harrison’s protestations of innocence, and claims that she is the real villain, carry any weight? He carries a police mug shot of her, after all. And, what about Kyle? What’s his story – and how come Harrison knows so much about his background?

THE VICTIM is a modest thriller made on a $800,000.00 budget and one which marks the feature debut of its writer-director Michael Biehn. He, of course, is an onscreen legend to some, having portrayed Kyle Reece in THE TERMINATOR and Hicks in ALIENS.

The Biehn here though is more like the one we saw in PLANET TERROR. Clearly, it’s during the making of that film where he got the idea to make this low-budget grindhouse flick. And he’s roped most of his family into either producing or appearing in it too.

It was shot in Santa Clarita, California, and frequently looks great. Despite its limited settings and occasionally ham-fisted use of day-for-night shots – note how cars and houses seldom have lights on during these sequences - the cinematography often makes good use of the attractive landscapes.

The script is riddled with corny dialogue, the type of which festival audiences tend to get a good giggle out of. And yet, Biehn’s tone is serious during much of the action. It makes for a curious mood for the most part.

Performances are a mixed bag. Biehn’s pretty decent, which suffices for him (note, he’s never been a leading man – it’s wise not to expect too much of him). Honey impresses when he’s being mean, but is a bit off-putting and fairy-like when he’s being goofy. Kirkwood is poor, and Blanc – Mrs Biehn in real life - simply doesn’t convince at all.

Perhaps it’s because Biehn is such a nice guy (as evidenced in the extras) that he couldn’t bring himself to criticise his wife’s acting. But, she’s poor.

Harris is much better, and very sexy too (I’m not suggesting Blanc isn’t). Alas, she’s only seen in infrequent and short flashbacks. Pity.

Pacing goes awry now and then, but overall the film ticks along quite nicely during the course of its unambitious, unpretentious 82-minute running time. Biehn has a simple yarn to spin, peppered with audience-pleasing bouts of sex and violence at 10-minute intervals.

There’s a twist at the end. Seasoned viewers will have seen it coming from 10 minutes in. Seriously. When it comes, it’s difficult to decide whether it’s meant to be disturbing or not: it’s actually pretty funny. Still, the opening gambit of "Not Based On True Events" and the clips of every cast and crew member played out over the end titles suggest that Biehn’s not taking himself too seriously.

As moderately successful as the film may be though, its biggest draw is perhaps the geek value of watching Biehn and his real-life wife getting it on for the cameras. Oh, and wondering how he directed her while she went down on another character …

The film is being released onto UK blu-ray by Anchor Bay.

Their BD25 disc presents THE VICTIM uncut in a good-looking MPEG4-AVC file. The full 1080 HD resolution picture isn’t compromised by the lower bitrate, as there are no discernible compression issues while images are sharp and vivid throughout.

English audio comes equipped with a keenly apportioned, aggressive 5.1 DTS-HD mix. Optional English subtitles are well-written and easy to read. These are Hard-of-Hearing subtitles, so include background noise cues and even lyrics to the eclectic soundtrack’s songs as well.

The disc’s animated main menu page features pop-up menus, among which is a scene-selection menu offering access to THE VICTIM via 12 chapters.

Of the bonus features, the most interesting is an audio commentary track from Biehn and his missus. It’s an involving, initially cringe-worthy but ultimately likeable and fact-filled track. Biehn comes across well, removed from his screen persona. He’s pleasingly candid and the pair clearly had fun making this film.

A 25-minute Making Of featurette offers a fine mixture of on-location shoot footage and interviews. Everyone seems extremely game in this small film with strong Biehn family connections. Even his brother Robert turns up, simply to give support. Nice.

As Biehn says in the Making Of featurette, THE VICTIM is a grindhouse picture. It has no other aspirations and, as such, is effective within its own economic constraints. It’s nothing revelatory and doesn’t exactly hit hard, but works as undemanding entertainment with regular moments of exploitative content.

Also available on DVD.

Review by Stuart Willis