Review: Backpacking loses its appeal in 'Hostel'

By DAVID CARRIER
Contributing Writer

Backpacking through Europe has never appealed to me. If Eli Roth, the director of "Hostel," has his way it may never appeal to anyone again.

Roth's sophomore effort presents viewers with three typically hormonal young men: Paxton (Jay Hernandez), the cargo-pant-wearing frat boy; Josh (Derek Richardson), the sensitive, would-be writer, whose idea of a pick-up line is mentioning Kafka to a Czech girl; and the token goofy foreigner, Icelandic Oli (Eythor Gudjonsson). Together they spend the first half of the movie roaming the streets of Amsterdam smoking pot and enjoying the women of the red light district.

Because they feel Amsterdam is too commercial, they are pleased when a shady Russian character turns them on to a remote hostel in eastern Europe (the first hint of trouble) where chesty blondes await young Americans, eager to do anything imaginable. Ever-seeking the next exotic thrill, the trio board a train bound for Bratislava.

Plot to shanghai youth travelers

Better exchange rates, a hostel that looks like a four-star hotel and the most siliconed women on earth welcome the boys. But because this is a primarily a horror movie, all this good fortune can only foreshadow extreme trouble.

The whole operation is revealed as an elaborate plot to shanghai youth travelers. Kidnapees are brought to an abandoned warehouse where rich men pay large amounts of money to maim them with scalpels, blowtorches, chain saws, meat-hooks, kitchen sinks and, well, the point is that "Hostel" gets a little graphic with the fake blood and oozing appendages. It's definitely not for the kids, or the squeamish.

Like Roth's first feature, 2002's "Cabin Fever," the movie combines horror and comedy in a special way. Gags like the ones involving a roving band of vicious street kids who kill for bubble gum ease the tension the disturbing torture scenes create. It's a testament to Roth's enthusiasm for his craft that he can make his audience squirm as much as they laugh. There are even the gratuitous blood-splatterings that draw nervous chuckles.

Aside from its sometimes over-the-top gore, "Hostel" explores some mature themes. The premise of torture and sadism as sport is not anything new - Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game" comes to mind most prominently - but by painting his heroes as immoral deviants themselves, Roth challenges us to feel sorry for them. Ironic, too, is the realization that the three boys become objects to be sold the same way the prostitutes they solicited were.

A large number of bizarre rumors are floating around the internet concerning "Hostel," and all of them are adding to its hype. Most involve viewers passing out or vomiting while watching it, or theaters calling ambulances. The strangest, however, recounts how Roth came up with the idea for the movie, but I'll leave that tidbit to the more interested readers to find.

"Hostel" was produced by Quentin Tarantino, an attribute that helped the film reach the top of the box office in its first weekend, collecting a respectable $19.5 million. But the movie should not be considered good based on Tarantino's name recognition. Rather, I feel "Hostel" is worthy of praise because of the of its gutsy quality. It does not pull its punches, and writer/director Eli Roth is one fellow to watch out for.