Tuesday 15 May 2012

Hanger (2009)

Before I get to the main review here is the link to the Plotdigger Films website, a place deserving of your time and attention and even some of your pocket money. And now to our main feature . . . . . . .
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Hanger is another balls to the wall bundle of nastiness from Ryan Nicholson and whatever you think about each of his movies, you have to admire the guy for a) making HIS movies the way that HE wants them to be and b) lovingly rolling around in the cesspit of sheer exploitation fare. The fact that he seems to keep doing this with a budget that probably wouldn't pay for a wrap party thrown by Brett Ratner is also worthy of note.

So what's the plot then? Well, a pregnant prostitute named Rose (Debbie Rochon) is mistreated by her pimp, Leroy (Ronald Patrick Thompson), and the situation climaxes with Leroy using the titular hanger to fix things. And so Hanger (Nathan Dashwood) is born, deeply scarred and due to have numerous . . . . . . issues. Thankfully, a kindly john (Dan Ellis) tries to look out for Hanger and waits patiently for eighteen years until the day when the two of them together can get their revenge on Leroy. There's also a perverted Asian named Russell (Wade Gibb), an even more perverted scumbag named Phil (Alastair Gamble) and another chance to see the gorgeous Candice Lewald in all her glory (a gorgeous woman who had to endure much worse in the brutal Gutterballs).

Once again, there are plenty of negatives here but the good still outweighs the bad if you can stomach it. Hanger is a NASTY movie. It's the first time in a long while that I almost threw up while watching something onscreen (and I've recently "enjoyed" Slaughtered Vomit Dolls so I hope Mr. Nicholson takes that in the complimentary way it is meant). The gore effects are, generally, pretty good but there's one sex scene that is so gross I defy you to watch it without thinking about how far you need to run to throw up.

Direction by Nicholson (who co-wrote the movie with Patrick Coble) is also pretty good. Yes, there are mistakes here and there and the whole thing doesn't hang together quite as well as it could, no pun intended (well . . . . . maybe a little bit), but Ryan Nicholson knows how to make his movies look as grimy and nasty as possible while also getting the camera in the best spot to show most of that nastiness in as unflinching a way as possible.

It's a shame that the script is a step down even from the crudity of Gutterballs and that the acting/characters are far worse. I do understand the overall idea of populating the movie with unsavoury types and having them do unsavoury things to each other but that's still no excuse for the strange overacting from Wade Gibb (doing, arguably, the biggest disservice to Asian people on film since Mickey Rooney in Breakfast At Tiffany's) or the grumbling and ranting of Alastair Gamble that shows up either bad improvisation or very weak dialogue. Thankfully, Dan Ellis is a saving grace yet again and does well with his material, even the weaker stuff.

I highly recommend this slice of depravity to anyone who fancies something that can mix in cannibalism, murder, rape, sodomy, cruelty to fake animals, poor feminine hygiene used as a way to torture someone and very special teabags (just wait and see, you'll know it when it happens).

6/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hanger-Unrated--/dp/B006NZBTT2/ref=sr_1_2?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1337075014&sr=1-2


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