WRECKAGE

WRECKAGE

Every now and then a movie comes along whose title is lamentably ironic. Welcome folks to John Mallory Asher’s picture called WRECKAGE…

15 years ago in Trailer-park-ville USA, two young brothers indulge in some riotous animated fun on the TV as their mother edgily waits for her drug dealer to come through with the goods. Upon his arrival, the addict parent wastes no time in tucking into her new stash while her dealer foolishly tries to change the channel. A resulting skirmish between one of the siblings and the druggie thug results in his brother picking up the dealers pistol that had been carelessly left on the table. The quivering adolescent hands despatches a bullet to the dealers throat – and then turns the gun on his junkie mum.

Present day and a high security penitentiary is on red alert when one of their detainees escapes. Not far from the prison, a young female is stranded after her vehicle has broken down. (yawn…) She is alone after her boyfriend is gone to get help (double yawn…) A lecherous individual offers sanctuary in his "warm and safe truck" until the boyfriend returns. She reluctantly accepts his proposal only to find he has somewhat sinister intentions. (Enough’s enough…..Zzzzzzzzz!!)

But the predator is taken out with a savage attack to the skull by a mystery assailant before the story switches to our 4 main protagonists.

Kate is made up, for her boyfriend Jared has just become her fiancé. Their friends Jessica and Rick, however, have a laborious relationship not helped by the fact Jessica is pregnant. The odd quad then departs to watch the ex-soldier Jared partake in a fast and furious street race with is newly customized automobile.

Its neck and neck folks until, oops, the fan belt snaps in Jared’s Plymouth. Not only does he lose his bet, he has rendered the foursome stranded. They COULD walk home four miles… or they could simply walk a solitary mile to the opportunely located breakers yard to procure a new part.

Despite the race taking place in blazing sunshine – and the junkyard only being a mile up the road – when they reach the iron gates of the yard it is the dead of night. Despite the warnings of patrol dogs the crew jump over the gate in search of the spare part. But once within the confines of Jays Junkyard, will the broken down vehicle be all that hinders them – or will a more sinister nemesis await them amongst the WREAKAGE??

Wait there a minute.. I just need the loo as I guzzled three pints of Red Bull in order to keep me awake during this rip roaring exercise in dullness!

Aaaaaaaaahhhhh!

Ok that’s better – on with the review!

What starts as a gritty opening scene with a child pulling the trigger of a hand cannon and taking out his own mother along with her drug dealing boyfriend soon deteriorates into a tiresome and confused effort! I honestly always try focusing on the positives of a movie, but this was annoyingly poor. I mean the tired old "oh shucks there’s no signal for my cell phone" is used not once but TWICE within the same film in completely different scenes!!

I assume the weary small town bungling police department along with screech voiced hick were supposed to offer comic relief, but for me they only added another irritating stratum to a desperately poor movie.

I also found the tagline pretty misleading as well. WREAKAGE – THE SPARE PARTS MAY BE YOUR OWN… suggests a far more violently explicit movie. But the gore was tepid at best. No major problems for the censors here I have to say! A few buckets of blood were thrown about but were unforgivably devoid of any imaginative techniques from the anonymous killer.

There was a plot of sorts, albeit one that seemed to be scattered about the 86 minute runtime like litter before being briskly gathered up in the final scene. I just didn’t feel it was clever enough to redeem the hackneyed proceedings.

The DVD features no ‘extras’ which ultimately means I find this disc very difficult to recommend. Not a scary movie - unless you have phobia of car parts of course!

Review by Marc Lissenburg


 
Released by Chelsea Films
Region 2 - PAL
Rated 18
Extras :
see main review
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