Critic Reviews
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Ted Fry, Seattle Times
Packs a magnetic jolt of fearsome intensity.
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Philip Kennicott, Washington Post
Donkey Punch is almost humorless, and there's no wink and nudge behind the mayhem to absolve us of taking its ugly, class-obsessed subtext seriously.
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Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
It's Dead Calm meets Very Bad Things, with English accents.
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Rex Reed, New York Observer
Unfortunately, Donkey Punch delivers a donkey punch of its own.
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Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
Anyone looking for a stoned and bikinied update of L'Avventura, Purple Noon, Dead Calm, or other boat-bound chillers will have to settle for The Real World: Death Yacht.
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Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger
Watching, it's easy to feel a little stranded, too.
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Kelly Vance, East Bay Express
At least there's not a bag-head haunting the ship.
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William Goss, Cinematical
Blackburn takes one boat, one body, a rising tide of panic and a rising number of corpses and uses them all to craft the best bad news possible.
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Robert Levin, Critic's Notebook
A nasty little thriller that might have worked had it tempered its propensity for outrageous brutality.
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Andrew L. Urban, Urban Cinefile
A first class thriller from start to finish, Donkey Punch has the lot: raunchy holiday fun, gorgeous locations, a luxury yacht, drug-driven sex orgy and a mishap
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Maitland McDonagh, Miss FlickChick
Very Bad Things meets Knife in the Water in ... [this] thriller about not-so-bright young things trying to cover up a nasty accident.
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David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...has been infused with an egregiously plodding sensibility that effectively renders its few positive attributes moot.
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Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
I look forward to Blackburn making a thriller with a script to match his style.
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Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly
On the plus side, at least it wasn't called Dirty Sanchez.
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Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru
Had director Blackburn included at least one interesting character that wasn't bird-brained and had he moved the mayhem much earlier within the plot, the film would have been at least refreshing to watch rather than mostly dull and derivative.
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Kurt Loder, MTV
The ending is never much in doubt. Getting to it, however, involves a slightly better-than-usual assortment of cheap, harrowing thrills.
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Tony Medley, Tolucan Times
An exciting, high-tensioned, fast-paced tale of seven people faced with life-altering decisions when removed from civilization in the mold of "Lord of the Flies."
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James Rocchi, Common Sense Media
Violent, sex-filled thriller is rough, grisly stuff.
Read all 18 critic reviews
Featured Audience Ratings
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Four blokes meet three birds, and when one delivers the titular sexual maneuver, they must decide how to handle the resulting murder.
After the first half hour, the film descends into all the horror movie cliches that <i>Cabin in the Woods</i> satirized. But it's… More
Four blokes meet three birds, and when one delivers the titular sexual maneuver, they must decide how to handle the resulting murder.
After the first half hour, the film descends into all the horror movie cliches that <i>Cabin in the Woods</i> satirized. But it's sexy and occasionally delivers a suspenseful moment or two. I don't like its predictability, and I'm uncomfortable with the fact that many horror film producers think more about odd, creative ways to kill characters rather than developing them.
Overall, <i>Donkey Punch</i> is a horror film for all the good and ill that genre evinces.
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Not bad, but not great. Has couple of good "holy crap did that just happen?!" moments, but a few of those does not a good movie make.
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I actually thought that this was pretty good. At first I thought that it was just another sex movie, but that all changed about 35 min into it. I kept wondering what the heck Donkey Punch was. Well now I know. Nothing good can ever come from that move, obviously. I thought that this… More
I actually thought that this was pretty good. At first I thought that it was just another sex movie, but that all changed about 35 min into it. I kept wondering what the heck Donkey Punch was. Well now I know. Nothing good can ever come from that move, obviously. I thought that this was a rather entertaining movie.
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The first half is actually really good and pretty original, but the second half completely ruins the movie and shows how little thought was put into constructing a suspense thriller. The acting was okay at times, but when things got dramatic and serious the performances fell apart. I… More
The first half is actually really good and pretty original, but the second half completely ruins the movie and shows how little thought was put into constructing a suspense thriller. The acting was okay at times, but when things got dramatic and serious the performances fell apart. I would almost recommend watching it until the actual Donkey Punch and then switch it off, then it might come off as intelligent and bizarre.
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Donkey Punch abides by all the 'rules' but suffers all the same cliques. Its riskiness is really not that shocking and its idea is really not that original. It steals from a couple of classics (Dead Calm being the main one) but it mainly rips off other bad horror films. This… More
Donkey Punch abides by all the 'rules' but suffers all the same cliques. Its riskiness is really not that shocking and its idea is really not that original. It steals from a couple of classics (Dead Calm being the main one) but it mainly rips off other bad horror films. This film is very much up its own arse and is filmed very badly, its directors motto seems to have been, when we can't create the illusion of suspense, turn the light off and let the audience do the rest. This is a nasty little film with very few redeeming features.
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Well...It's a movie about a donkey punch gone wrong. But can a donkey punch go right? Pretty much a subject that had to be addressed, but at the same time, not enough to make a movie about. That's why they had to have a lot of people killing each other to make a good… More
Well...It's a movie about a donkey punch gone wrong. But can a donkey punch go right? Pretty much a subject that had to be addressed, but at the same time, not enough to make a movie about. That's why they had to have a lot of people killing each other to make a good story. In the end, it wasn't too bad. Some pretty sexy stuff, and some pretty gross stuff, including propeller chopped face and flare fire to chest...and a deadly donkey punch. Fun for everybody!
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Severely underrated low budget English horror/thriller! Taking a very modern turn on the horror theme and tackling some very taboo ideas as a group of youngsters decide to live it up on holiday losing all their inhibitions as they drink, take drugs and have sex. During which a sex… More
Severely underrated low budget English horror/thriller! Taking a very modern turn on the horror theme and tackling some very taboo ideas as a group of youngsters decide to live it up on holiday losing all their inhibitions as they drink, take drugs and have sex. During which a sex myth tried out leads to one of them dying. As the others battle their own conscience and morals as well as each other to get out of the mess they are in, only ending up in more extreme violence. A good idea for a film that dares to be different. Some may be put off by the sex scene which borders on porn and by the violence. However it does raise some good issues to make a graphic film. Another good entry in recent English horror films. The DVD has quite a few interviews with the cast, director both after and during the making of. Along with some deleted scenes and commentaries.
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Aside from surprisingly graphic nudity and the entitled act, this is a fairly predictable suspense thriller, solid if unexciting.
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Stop me if you've heard this one before...
A group of beautiful young people are vacationing in 'paradise' and partaking of various illegalities and sins of the flesh. All the obligatory characters are present: the scantily clad blonde bombshell, the brutish… More
Stop me if you've heard this one before...
A group of beautiful young people are vacationing in 'paradise' and partaking of various illegalities and sins of the flesh. All the obligatory characters are present: the scantily clad blonde bombshell, the brutish embodiment of machismo, the shy and sensitive male, and (of course) the 'smart girl' who was reluctant to be there in the first place and distances herself from the debauchery so that she can represent the virtues of morality and moderation. Suddenly, all hell breaks loose and, through a series of violent acts, the cast is whittled down until [SPOILER ALERT!] only the smart girl is left standing.
<i>Donkey Punch</i> is a well crafted, well cast, unoriginal piece of predicable fluff. Don't waste your time.
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Self consciously edgy drama with a token sex scene involving a supposedly shocking act and further novel death sequences. Sadly the characters are so annoying you don't care about their fates anyway,
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Donkey Punch is a movie about the dangers of casual intercourse with foreign strangers, drug use, and deviant sex acts. Apparently, the combination of these three things leads to multiple deaths in the name of self-preservation.
There are copious amount of sex and nudity in the first… More
Donkey Punch is a movie about the dangers of casual intercourse with foreign strangers, drug use, and deviant sex acts. Apparently, the combination of these three things leads to multiple deaths in the name of self-preservation.
There are copious amount of sex and nudity in the first half of the film, and equal amounts of violence and some gore in the second half. Some of the characters are absolutely despicable, but even the protagonists are a bit hard to cheer for. And stupid. Donkey Punch is as distasteful as its namesake, but that's some people's preference. Not mine, however.
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A film that will get people talking about it?s controversial title and explicit sex scene, this is not a film for everyone.
A more realistic approach to this type of Horror film (which was more of a Thriller) and it had its? fair share of tense moments. The film will definitely… More
A film that will get people talking about it?s controversial title and explicit sex scene, this is not a film for everyone.
A more realistic approach to this type of Horror film (which was more of a Thriller) and it had its? fair share of tense moments. The film will definitely appeal more to the 18-30 age group, especially those who holiday to party. Considering its? low budget, I feel it?s a well put together film.
Special Features reveal plenty of interviews with Cast, Director, Co-writer and Producer.
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Aside from the "shocking" notion of a donkey punch this film offers very little in the way of surprises. Not one character can be related to and the bad acting and corny lines only make it worse. The tension is nowhere to be found and the horror is quick and usually funny.… More
Aside from the "shocking" notion of a donkey punch this film offers very little in the way of surprises. Not one character can be related to and the bad acting and corny lines only make it worse. The tension is nowhere to be found and the horror is quick and usually funny. Characters change over the course but in an obvious desperate way, so the two weaklings from either side obviously become hard-ass action stars. The moral arguments are also skimmed over quickly to get back to simple shouting and stabbing. For a hilarious film on an accidental killing watch Very Bad Things. The best thing about Donkey Punch is the title.
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Just so people know: this isn't a horror though some sites have promoted it as such; it's by far a thriller about what people will do when they think they're in the shit. All set on a boat, starts out with some interesting cinematography. Nice graphic sex scene and good… More
Just so people know: this isn't a horror though some sites have promoted it as such; it's by far a thriller about what people will do when they think they're in the shit. All set on a boat, starts out with some interesting cinematography. Nice graphic sex scene and good short backstory lead to to the first mishap of many in this movie. A lot of lying and crazy desperation ensues as some characters battle for truth, some for revenge, some for their lives, and some for a successful coverup to save their own asses. It's hard to care for these characters because they feel transient and without real unique traits, except for the druggie Blue who has a clear lovable asshole personality and the girl Lisa who dies first. The end is not justified from any perspective, and the two most mismatched characters are stuck together,forcing an obvious kill or be killed. Well filmed with great sound mix, but as prior stated, don't care enough about the characters to feel for them when they die.
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Absolut crap! Boring and it's been done before and a lot better,just go and watch Dead Claim.
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In "Donkey Punch," Lisa(Sian Breckin) and Kim(Jaime Winstone) take their friend Tammi(Nichola Burley) to Mallorca, Spain to help her get over being dumped by her boyfriend. So, they go partying and run into a bunch of young handsome guys who just happen to crew a fabulous… More
In "Donkey Punch," Lisa(Sian Breckin) and Kim(Jaime Winstone) take their friend Tammi(Nichola Burley) to Mallorca, Spain to help her get over being dumped by her boyfriend. So, they go partying and run into a bunch of young handsome guys who just happen to crew a fabulous yacht that has been left in their care. As the party gets started, they decide to move it to open water, so as not to wake the dead. And that's when the drugs get handed out...
Despite its explicitness, "Donkey Punch" is little more than just another cautionary tale about what not to do on vacation, especially if it involves nice guys. The movie is meant to be provocative but it is not shocking enough to merit that, maybe as originally conceived but not in its desultory execution. Everything that comes after the title incident follows a strict set of genre rules that as played out here is completely unbelievable. And it is hard to believe that none of the guys lie to try and impress the women, like saying they are wealthy, not just employees. So, if there is only one way this could have ended, why not just tell it in flashback?
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Gorgeously filmed and with a killer soundtrack (<i>Bloc Party</i>, <i>The Knife</i>, <i>Justice</i>), <i>Donkey Punch</i> is a pretty generic film of the "accidental(ish)-death, we-have-to-protect-ourselves" type, only with… More
Gorgeously filmed and with a killer soundtrack (<i>Bloc Party</i>, <i>The Knife</i>, <i>Justice</i>), <i>Donkey Punch</i> is a pretty generic film of the "accidental(ish)-death, we-have-to-protect-ourselves" type, only with particularly gratuitous (though horribly clinical) sex scenes with an abundance of male and female nudity, and some moderately violent bloodletting (which includes a shameless lift from <i>Dead Calm</i>). The performances are mundane and anonymous, the writing is uninteresting, misogynistic and unfunny, the structure predictable. But it does look undeniably beautiful and the ending is very good.
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Fun in that 'pretty people doing ugly things' way.
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[28th Atlantic Film Festival]
Ug. Follows a group of 20 somethings, out in the middle of nowhere on a boat, drugs, alcohol, sex, etc. An errand donkey punch gone wrong causes incident after incident in this schlock horror film.
Tries really hard to be a Guy Ritchie film, but the… More
[28th Atlantic Film Festival]
Ug. Follows a group of 20 somethings, out in the middle of nowhere on a boat, drugs, alcohol, sex, etc. An errand donkey punch gone wrong causes incident after incident in this schlock horror film.
Tries really hard to be a Guy Ritchie film, but the acting, story, dialogue ... well, everything is just horrible. I really cannot overemphasize how bad this movie is. A few people walked out halfway through, and I have no clue why I didn't follow them. Avoid at all costs. 2 hours I will never get back.
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"Donkey Punch" is very well done low budget British thriller film which begins erotic, with three sexy actresses very exposed, and ends gore after a weird accident. Whereas there is a lack of action, it is still a decent fast flowing thriller.
Read all 20 featured audience ratings
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