Review

Crane is a pretty nihilistic dude who has decided his life has no meaning, society is being run by the new Aristocrats, and probably that Santa doesn't exist. To drive the demons from his mind he quits his job, throws his possessions out in the street, and beats his pregnant girlfriend to death with a baseball bat. So what did you get up to over the weekend?

Naturally Crane gets a taste for murder, he likes to see people die, which doesn't escape the attention of likeminded individuals. He meets Joe in a bar, Joe is into torture and murder. Joe invites Crane to a once yearly meeting of serial killers with the promise of booze and murder on the agenda. Naturally Crane goes along, but he has his own ideas about what would make for an excellent evening. Before you can say "love you with a knife" Crane is slicing and dicing serial killers. Ready to take a pickaxe to this one, I'll bring the Chianti.

If after a movie with Hollywood polish or even Downunder gonzo flavour then you are going to be out of luck with this Independent production out of Canada. There clearly wasn't much of a budget, the effects are minimalistic for starters, and Director Alexandre Michaud doesn't pull any tricks out of his bag. Pretty much you get what you see, a return to poverty row film making that involves the attack of enthusiastic amateurs. On the bright side of the knife the concept is interesting and once you get Michaud's vibe then things rock on, and then descend into gorenography. Talk about your schizophrenic production, I hadn't quite seen something like this since I watched wide eye and shocked as The Ghastly Ones went through it's schlock.

The concept is interesting, a group of serial killers having their annual meeting with a new member joining the festivities. With anything like a budget this could have turned into a highly successful outing, it's unique enough to have gorehounds take notice, and a bit of polish on the script might have sent some social commentary our way. As it is, besides the group of serial killers - collective noun "a slaughter"? there's not much to hang our hats on. The central character Crane is simply nihilistic and not likeable, we're not talking Dexter here. The camera work gets tiresome after a while, it looks like your local church repertory group has decided to film their summer production. And the second half of the movie descends into gorenography, losing any interest in the process. I'm all for Independent cinema but you really need to draw a line in the sand somewhere kids.

I got a real feeling that Director Michaud was trying to get into that early horror cinema vibe, you know when things were all sound stage and shot just like a live play. Full marks there, he nails it, and considering we do have a bit of a filmed stage show within the movie the approach is exactly what the movie warrants. I could dig that in a big way, we're had a move toward more realistic horror flicks that has eventuated in Boredwood throwing funhouses our way, no one wants that sort of schlock outside tweens and pretend dark genre fans. So it was to a certain extent a fresh approach when Michaud went with the point and shot, "all the world's a stage" shenanigans.

Interesting plot, the style of shooting looks like a winner, then it just goes down the gorenography drain

The other strong influence I was picking up on was the French Grand Guignol, there's a real feeling that Michaud is trying to channel the original gorenography approach. A stripper is the central victim for the evening, Michaud films everything from a static direct angle, you get the feeling you are in the Audience of a live action play. When the blood and guts start flowing its all obvious smoke and mirrors, but here's the kicker folks, it's meant to be. Considering Michaud has made a movie for a few thousand bucks that goes exactly where Ali Roth's Hostel went, you have to wonder why Roth needed $30 odd million to tell his story. Michaud at least has full knowledge of the tiger he has by the tail, Roth has no fracking idea.

Acting was never going to be the strong suite of Clean. Marco Calliari (Crane) goes at it all silent and brooding, loved the shaving scenes - yes they do have meaning in the overall context of the plot, while Sebastien Croteau (Joe) just went manic to no good result. The rest of the cast bumble along not looking at the camera and straining to remember their lines. Let's face facts here folks, no one is going to be taking home an Oscar in the near future, there is no undiscovered talent on display.

Naturally gorehounds, those who pride themselves in the title, will be all over this movie. Besides murder most foul, there's torture, and bloody mayhem from opening reel to closing credit. Director Michaud doesn't let anything get in the way of that. For mine, and remember I'm not a big fan of shock tactics like gorenography, the cannibalism was taking things slightly too far, and indicative of a Director who was simply trying to subdue his audience by shocking them to death. This isn't really getting your horror on, though I can see the gore aspects appealing to some sectors of the fan base.

Naturally there's a bit of T&A going down, what self-respecting cheap production wouldn't throw on the flesh to titillate and fill in the all apparent cracks. You get a pole dance among the debris, the Ladies as usual are short changed, nothing surprising there.

The score ranged from a guitar induced folk stupor, meant no doubt to underline a shock conclusion to a scene, to the sort of industrial heavy metal beloved by Directors who think their movie will have more meaning if adorned with clashing guitars and barely decipherable lyrics.

While I'm all for Independent cinema, and the plot is interesting in this one, Clean is hampered by being far too serious. The social message, if there is one, is akin to the emotion found in the poetry of a particularly untalented teenager blaming the world for his xbox dying. While I did enjoy some aspects of the movie, some of the gorenography saw me fast forwarding the movie in places - or that could have been boredom setting in as the pace threatened to stall in places. For once no recommendation on a movie, I really can't see an audience for this one beyond the odd gorehound trying to pretend they are going all arty and shite.

Apparently the movie is available as a stand-alone R1 release, good luck if searching it out, I watched courtesy of the "half ton of movies" challenged that landed on my desk a couple of weeks ago. Still 48 of those to go, thanks for asking, I might need a long shower at this stage.