A group of 20-something British women are subjected to a day of abject terror in this bloody and sexually explicit feature from director Olly Blackburn. The three women (played by Jaime Winstone, Sian Breckin, and Nichola Burley) meet four guys (played by Tom Burke, Jay Taylor, Julian Morris, and Robert Boulter) while indulging in the high life on vacation in Majorca. The guys work as deckhands on a yacht, and they invite their female suitors to a trip out to sea aboard the palatial vessel. Once onboard, a session of heady drug-taking and partying ensues, with some graphic sex scenes between the principal cast members. But a tragic accident quashes their idyll, and Blackburn’s movie takes a darker turn as the young seafarers are faced with a series of moral dilemmas.
DONKEY PUNCH is named after a kinky and violent sexual practice that the male crewmembers brag about while trying to seduce their female prey. Blackburn pushes his young cast to the limit as he spins the movie around an instance of the "donkey punch," until things turn increasingly maniacal in its final third. The confused and angry interactions between the two groups of strangers is well explored, and the director throws enough twists and turns into the plot to keep viewers guessing where the film might end up. Scenes are often shot in tight close-up to highlight both the confines of the boat and the terror on the faces of Blackburn’s group of actors. It’s an effective ploy that really ratchets up the tension as DONKEY PUNCH reaches its climax, and serves to highlight the abilities of this group of young British actors, who include Ray Winstone’s daughter (Jaime Winstone) among their number.
DVD Features:
Keep Case
Letterbox - 1.85
Audio:
Dolby Digital 2.0 - English
Distributor Notes: After meeting at a nightclub in a Mediterranean resort, seven young adults decide to continue partying aboard a luxury yacht in the middle of the ocean. But when one of them dies in a freak accident, the others argue about what to do, which leads to a ruthless fight for survival.
Director of Photography
Nanu Segal: Director of photography
Review 1:
"Tom Burke's sinister DJ Bluey is a standout....Blackburn's control of atmosphere signals future promise."
Source: Sight and Sound
p.60 08/01/2008
Review 2:
4 stars out of 5 -- "The build-up and initial complications are suspenseful and horribly believable....First-time director Olly Blackburn, who co-scripted with David Bloom, gets good work from an outstanding young cast..."
Source: Empire
p.59 08/01/2008
Review 3:
"DONKEY PUNCH isn't without a certain power as it gleefully turns its careless hedonists into caged, paranoid rats."
Source: Los Angeles Times
01/23/2009
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