The Victim (2011 film)

Not to be confused with Victim (2011 film).
The Victim
Film poster, North America
Directed byMichael Biehn
Written byMichael Biehn
Reed Lackey
Produced byJennifer Blanc
Lucien Flynn
Lorna Paul
Travis Romero
StarringMichael Biehn
Jennifer Blanc
Ryan Honey
Denny Kirkwood
Danielle Harris
CinematographyEric Curtis
Edited byVance Crofoot
Music byJeehun Hwang
Production
company
Anchor Bay
Distributed byBlancBiehn Productions
Release date
  • April 12, 2011 (2011-04-12) (AMC Kansas City Festival)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$800,000

The Victim is a 2011 American horror film directed, written and starring Michael Biehn,[1] produced by and co-starring Jennifer Blanc. Thought to be a financial success due to Biehn's effort selling out theaters across the nation, neither he or producer Jennifer Blanc know final sales figures, due to open litigation with the film's investors.[2]

The film was produced and shot in less than two weeks[1] in Los Angeles in 2010. Most of the principal photography took place in the Topanga Canyon, close to Malibu, California.

Plot summary

Cast

Reception

Stars and co-producers Michael Biehn and Jennifer Blanc promoting the film during an August 23, 2012 appearance at Midtown Comics in Manhattan.

Alan Cerny of Ain't It Cool News characterized The Victim as "a fun sleazy grindhouse film", in which Biehn was lauded for both giving a good performance and getting good performances out of his actors. Though Cerny stated that Biehn's directing effort exhibited imperfections such as a driving montage scene that he felt was too long, he appreciated that Biehn understood the genre in which he was working, commenting, "Biehn has a clear path to what he's shooting for, and for much of the film's running time, he gets it", and "It's a specific genre with a specific style, and working from that, Biehn gets way more right than he does wrong."[3]

The New York Times wrote, "Directing his own screenplay, Mr. Biehn (working from a story by Reed Lackey) pays more attention to genitals than spatial coherence, unaware that labeling a film grind house doesn’t excuse soap-opera emoting and laughable dialogue. Wait, what am I saying? Of course it does."[1] The film has a 35% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 17 reviews.

References

  1. ^ a b c Catsoulis, Jeannette (August 23, 2012). "Wayward Women, Menacing Men and a Cabin in the Woods 'The Victim,' Grind House Film Directed by Michael Biehn". The New York Times.
  2. ^ Borys, Kit (January 6, 2012). "Anchor Bay Picks Up Michael Biehn's Directorial Debut". The Hollywood Reporter.
  3. ^ Cerny, Alan (September 18, 2011). "Nordling Says Michael Biehn's THE VICTIM Is A Fun Sleazy Grindhouse Film!". Ain't It Cool News.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Victim.