Octane (2003)

User Rating:

4.1/10   

Director:

Marcus Adams

Writer:

Stephen Volk (written by)

Release Date:

14 November 2003 (UK)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Driven by Evil

Plot:

While on a late night road trip home, a woman must save her rebellious teenage daughter who runs off with a bizarre group of blood-letting psychos. |

Plot Keywords:

Road Trip | Accident Victim | Razor Blade | Techno | Convertible

Cast

Madeleine Stowe	...	Senga Wilson
Norman Reedus	...	Recovery Man
Bijou Phillips	...	Backpacker
Mischa Barton	...	Natasha 'Nat' Wilson
Jonathan Rhys Meyers	...	The Father
Leo Gregory	...	Joyrider
Gary Parker	...	Vacation Man
Amber Batty	...	Vacation Woman
Jenny Jules	...	Highway Patrol Sergeant
Patrick O'Kane	...	Trucker
Martin McDougall	...	Motivational Speaker
Shauna Shim	...	Paramedic #1
David Menkin	...	Paramedic #2
Nigel Whitmey	...	Detective Ned Stephens
Samuel Fröler	...	Marek Wilson

Also Known As:

Pulse (USA) (DVD box title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, language, some drug and sexual content.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

UK | Luxembourg

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | South Korea:18 | Norway:15 (DVD rating) | Australia:MA | Germany:16 | UK:15 | USA:R | Italy:T

Filming Locations:

Luxembourg

Company:

Delux Productions

Trivia:

Mischa Barton had her belly button pierced specially for her role in this movie.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Senga and Nat drive past the scene of the first accident, the background chatter on the police radio loops.

Quotes:

Recovery Man: You stole my sister!
The Father: She was my sister, too.

Soundtrack:

F.E.A.R.

Good..but not great

This movie would best be categorized as a psychological thriller. I say this because the viewer finds him or herself thinking throughout the whole film and the film is-as Norman Reedus puts it-creepy. There is a basic storyline about a rocky relationship between the mother Senga and the daughter Nat with Nat being the typical rebellious teenager and Senga being the somewhat paranoid and unstable mother. At a rest stop, Nat wanders off with a backpacker her mother offered a ride to and is thrown into a cult which leaves Senga spending the majority of the film trying to find her. Besides that plot-line, there is really no form to the film in that it is overly subtle and things seem to happen with no apparent explanation. All of the actors deliver convincing and realistic performances. Having already seen 5 of Mischa Barton's films, the majority of which are lesser-known drams wherein she portrays quirky characters, I was not disappointed. Though I have not seen many of the other actors' films, their characters were very well-played. The main problem, as I have touched upon before, is the story. However, this depends upon one's own personal taste. If you are the type of person who enjoys subtle films with well-developed characters, this film is for you. However, if you prefer more explicit films with little or no mystery, stay away from this. My opinion is that the film is good in that it is different and unconventional, but the story could could have been a tad more explicit.