HATE CRIME

HATE CRIME (2012)
US
Directed by James Cullen Bressack

CAST:
Sloane Morgan Siegel - Alex
Maggie Wagner - Melissa
Greg Depetro - Dan

PLOT:
     A family is held hostage by sadistic home intruders.

REVIEW:
     Director James Bressack got in touch with me about his film, asking me if I wanted to review it. I just cannot say no when a director gets in touch with me about their work. Yet this one came with a couple of requests, mainly do not talk about the plot, which I agreed to. After watching the movie I understand why and the plot is really all anyone needs to know before going in to watch this.

     One of the stipulations to do this review was to not talk to much about the characters also. This leaves me in a tight spot because films live and die with their characters and what drives them and the actors and actresses behind them. For the most part the acting was above average which actually surprised me about Hate Crime. That's not to say everyone did a amazing job. Some of the acting goes back and forth from where did this come from to I actually wasn't expecting that from this actor. Ian Roberts to me was the stand out actor in this to me as his character did stick out the most. At first I hated his acting in this, and not his character, but his acting. Yet toward the end of the movie Roberts acting was just heads above the rest of the cast. I can't say why this is, but it explains so much about his character. But there is also a down side for the acting as well and that was Debbie Diesel's acting. For the most past she does fairly well, yet one scene was just so badly overacted that the only thing I was thinking was just shut up. I wish I could explain more or what this scene entailed but I can't. But for those that are able to see the film will probably know what I'm talking about.

     I wish I could say I liked the film more than I did, but I can't say that and I won't. My biggest problem with it was that it's another found footage type movie. I think that this sub-genre is being over used and it's a quick and cheap way to make a film. Due to this Hate Crime suffers the usual staples of it as well. Unsteady picture to loss of action from it. The only time that the camera stays still is when there is a actual story driven moment which I was happy about when it happened. Another drawback to the whole found footage film is the audio, as to keep it as true as possible to found footage the audio has to sound way off to completely so far above peeking that when someone speaks you can't understand what their saying. The subject matter of Hate Crime is something the viewer is not expecting when it starts even though the name of the film hints at it. Another hit against Hate Crime is that you really don't care about most of the characters which is the biggest flaw, in that you are not giving enough time getting to know them. I'll give director James Bressack a hand though for trying to do something with depth, even if it did fail in the end. 

FUN FACTS:
     James Bressack's father is three time Emmy Award Winner Gordon Bressack.