Film: The Seasoning House

During the Balkans war of the early-mid nineties a young deaf / mute girl is taken from her home and after witnessing the murder of her Mother she is moved on to a house used for prostitution.

Evil pimp Victor is attracted to her silence and decided to appoint her special duties which include administering drugs to the other girls, general housekeeping and of course being available for Victor whenever he wishes.

Things change when another of the girls begins to communicate through sign language and the soldiers who killed her Mother turn up.

A violent quest for revenge follows which features some particularly vicious scenes.

The Seasoning House adequately presents the feeling of hopelessness and defeat that the captured girls feel as well as the brutality of both their customers and their benefactor but despite the almost overwhelming gloom this remains compulsive viewing.

Fans of Hostel and Saw will enjoy.

Ric’s Rating: Good

Film: Sacrifice

A ruling Chinese dynasty is overthrown and all family members are slain but unbeknown to the new tyrant a newborn baby boy is smuggled to safety.

The young heir is raised by a man who sacrificed his own son to save him and soon begins to learn the ways of a warrior. Eventually he will attempt to reclaim his kingdom.

This Chinese historical epic has some fantastic battle scenes, especially the opening one, but they are too few and far between to maintain the excitement.

The youngster also seems to remain a baby for far too long and there are endless flashbacks to the events leading to his escape.

Sacrifice looks fantastic but it’s aimed so much at the Chinese market that it lacks broad appeal, although fans of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and House Of Flying Daggers may enjoy.

Sacrifice is available on DVD in the UK now.

Ric’s Rating: Dodgy.    

Film: Frozen Silence

An army detective hunts for a serial killer who easily hides during the carnage of World War II.

This Spanish film is set within a team of soldiers who are sent to help Germany fight against the Russian army.

It opens with a beautifully shot scene showing a frozen wasteland littered with the remains of both humans and horses. It is among these bodies that the first victim is found.

This wisely doesn’t get too bogged down in the politics of its setting and I wouldn’t consider this a war film as such. It is a detective drama set amongst war.

Unfortunately the initial promise isn’t built on and the investigation becomes somewhat stale. Maybe a few more war type battle scenes would have livened things up!

Frozen Silence looks fantastic but the story doesn’t match up to the cinematography. It’s available on DVD in the UK now.

Ric's Rating: Dodgy

Film: Zaytoun

An Israeli pilot (Stephen Dorff) is shot down over Beirut in 1982 and forms an unlikely alliance with one of his young captors.

12 year old Fahed is grieving for his Father and sees the captured pilot as a way of getting to visit his former homeland.

The duo must overcome their differences and face many hostile situations in order to achieve their goals.

Dorff is his usual dependable self but young Abdallah El Akal steals the show as the unsettled Palestinian boy.

Zaytoun isn’t for action fans but it’s a competent film set during a somewhat forgotten conflict.

Available on DVD in the UK from 15^th April 2013.

Ric’s Rating: Good

Film: Battle Of Warsaw

This Polish film may be marketed as an all-out action War film but it’s really the tale of newlyweds Ola and Jan and the effect war has on them and their relationship.

Jan goes off to fight against the invading Russians while Ola attempts to keep her job as a nightclub singer.

As we might expect each has a different set of circumstances to deal with. Jan finds himself amongst the enemy and must use his intelligence to survive and Ola quickly has to fend off the advances of an amorous old colonel.

Although the production is a bit rough round the edges this is an enjoyable film that throws in some nice touches of humour amongst the tragedy.

Are Ola and Jan reunited?

Catch Battle Of Warsaw on DVD in the UK now to find out.

Ric’s Rating: Good  

Film: Code Name: Geronimo

This is the story of the operation leading to the capture and killing of Osama Bin Laden.

Told from the point of view of the soldiers involved it boasts a cool cast including TV stalwarts Robert Knepper (Prison Break, Heroes), Anson Mount (Hell On Wheels) and William Fichtner (Prison Break, Invasion).

The story moves along quickly enough and covers the political side of things too but the video game view often used when the soldiers are training or on assignment is quickly headache inducing.

The films strength is the use of the soldier’s family lives to present a more rounded picture of the people involved. This helps elevate the whole thing from standard direct to DVD fare to something which justifies its limited UK cinema release.

Code Name: Geronimo is available on DVD & Blu-ray in the UK from 24^th December 2012.

Ric’s Rating: Good.   

Film: Before The Fall

In wartime Germany a promising young boxer leaves his family (and the prospect of a mundane job) behind when he is lured to a school for The Elite.

Freiderich soon makes both friends and foes in the competitive environment but the boys soon learn that the reason they are there is far more serious than spying on girls and boxing matches.

This German film is no action packed war movie as the cover may suggest. It’s a thoughtful coming of age tale that takes place during one of the darkest times in recent history.

It takes a while to get going but once the petty rivalries make way for really disturbing issues this becomes a captivating film that presents a WWII story that (to my knowledge) hasn’t previously made it onto our screens.

Before The Fall is available on DVD in the UK now.

Ric’s Rating: 68%