Gut

Sat down at about 2:30 this morning to finally watch Gut. This one isn't exactly horror in the strictest sense of the word, although there are some horrific images, Gut is more of a psychological thriller through and through. These types of movies are usually pretty hit or miss with me, I either love them or hate them. So did I love Gut? No, but I didn't hate it either. This one finds itself as a part of a very exclusive club of thrillers that I while I wouldn't immediately refuse a second or third viewing, I wouldn't necessarily add it to my dvd collection either.

Tom and Dan are childhood friends who never parted ways. In fact not only have they grown up together, they work together, in cubicles directly across from one another. Tom seems to be more successful of the two, depending of course upon your definition of the term "successful", he's better dressed, more clean cut looking, has a wife and kid, etc. Dan appears to be the type that maybe never really got around to growing up. He's unkempt, lives alone in a small apartment, and is constantly after Tom to come over and hang out, have a beer, watch horror movies all night, the way they used to back in high school. One night in particular, Tom finally caves in when Dan entices him with an underground horror film he says he's gotten his hands on that Tom has to see. The movie simply shows a woman's abdomen get split open with a knife, and the killer plunge his hand into her stomach. 

Obviously disturbed by what he's seen, Tom storms out of the apartment, encouraging Dan to destroy the video. He can't seem to get the image of the film out of his head though, and a couple of days later a second film shows up in Dan's PO box. They watch again, same thing, different abdomen. A couple more films arrive, and eventually there's one in which the two of them recognize the victim, the waitress from their favorite lunch spot that Dan's recently started seeing. Tom of course questions Dan as to whether or not he's been honest with him about the films, and if he had anything to do with what they'd witnessed. Dan denies having done anything wrong, but Tom begins to distance himself, afraid for the safety of his family and his own sanity.

From there, Gut begins to make you wonder just who is behind the murders, as both guys appear to be unraveling a bit over the films. Tom's having trouble at home, Dan's missing work, drinking heavily, and is desperate for attention from Tom. Of course I'm not going to spoil the ending, but I will say that while I've seen far more disturbing things, Gut did make me sit there for a second as the credits rolled. Disturbing doesn't really work as a descriptor for this movie, it was more like uneasy. Almost like I knew what was coming, I just hoped I was wrong. I wasn't. 

For a movie like this to truly work, the cast has to be on point, otherwise the emotion involved doesn't come across and things just look silly. In this respect, almost everybody involved does a good job. Nobody really stood out performance wise for me, save maybe for Nicholas Wilder as Dan, and even he had his questionable moments. Jason Vail as Tom ended up being my least favorite of the bunch, which was unfortunate as he was the main character, and had the most screen time. 

For an indie thriller effort, Gut manages to fire on most cylinders. The pacing was good, the plot wasn't the deepest thing I've ever seen, but it did manage to keep me entertained, and the cast did a good enough job to make things at least believable. If you're looking for a psychological thriller a little more on the lighter side, this one might be up your alley. If you go into this hoping for the next Feed, you will probably come away a bit disappointed.