Dark comedy (Severance (DVD))

Member Name: hollywoodmum

Product:	Severance (DVD)
Date:	02/10/07 (57 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Danny Dyer, good cast

Disadvantages: weak plot, very predictable

This is a review of the film only.

I this was one of my choices from the dvd subscription I have.

Synopsis
Working nine to five is a real killer, but when you work for Palisade Defence, team-building holidays can be even worse. Seven colleagues find themselves faced with the chop when their corporate weekend is sabotaged by a deadly enemy. Forget office politics, only the smartest will survive this office outing.

Story
Seven colleagues (Harris, Jill, Maggie, gordon, Billy, Richard and Steve) who work for Palisade Defence ( a weapons company) are on a team building exercise, on their way to there destination (a luxury lodge in the Hungarian Forest) a tree blocks their path and the coach driver refuses to take them by an alternative route. They team get off the coach as the only way of getting there now is on foot.. When they reach the lodge it's anything but luxurious and they suspect they may have the wrong place especially as George (the owner of Palisade) isn't there to meet them) but as it's the only lodge on the map they decide to stay the night. During the night Jill sees a masked man at the window. The next day Harris and Jill are sent up the hill to see if they can get a mobile signal, it's then the group find out all is not what it seems with some grusome discovers, what ensues is the groups fight for survival.

Acting
Danny Dyer deviates from his usual role of wannabe gangster/criminal here and managed to pull it off quite well. The rest of the cast were very good but Laura Harris stood out more than any, I'd seen her Dead Like Me but I found her quite bland it that.

Cast
Toby Stevens (Sharpe's Challenge) - Harris
Claudie Blakely (Gosford Park)- Jill
Andy Nyman - Gordon
Babou Ceesay- Billy
Tim McInnery (Notting Hill) - Richard
Laura Harris (Dead Like Me) - Maggie
Danny Dyer (The Business) - Steve

My experience
Although i don't usually go for this kind of genre of film I was quite looking forward to seeing this cos I really Danny Dyer (not for his acting though). The story line was quite weak but the laughs were quite funny and came in the darkest moments where you wouldn't expect them to be. The good thing is that it's not just a scarey Buffy style monster living dead thing they're having to deal with (but I won't spoil it for those of you that having seen it by revealing what's really lurking in the woods). This film being a Horror/Comedy is bound to be compared to Shaun Of The Dead (which I don't think is as funny) but I think this has the edge. There's plenty of gore, it may make you jump, will probably make you laugh but you'll be able to predict the ending.

Directed by Christopher Smith (Creep)
Running Time: 90 mins

DVD Extras : A making of doc
A feature on Danny Dyer
I didn't watch either of these.

Prices: Available on ebay from 99p to £10.00

hollywoodmum

Summary: funny but gorey film