 Get help! That's a good idea when carefree friends traveling the back roads of Texas run into trouble. So they ask for assistance at an eerie, ramshackle farmhouse. That's a bad idea - one that cranks up the whirring, ripping terror of this fear-choked re-imagining of the cult fave The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Producer Michael Bay (Transformers), director Marcus Nispel (2009's Friday the 13th) and their filmmaking team bring edgy contemporary style to a gory frightmare. Jessica Biel leads the cast of roadtrippers who must battle the spinning steel of monstrous Leatherface. Join them for a savage game of hide and shriek. Storyline: Driving through the backwoods of Texas, five youths pick up a traumatized hitchhiker, who shoots herself in their van. Shaken by the suicide, the group seeks help from the locals, but their situation becomes even more surreal when they knock on the door of a remote homestead. It's quickly apparent the residents are a family of inbred psychopaths, and the unlucky youths suddenly find themselves running for their lives. In hot pursuit is a disfigured, chainsaw-wielding cannibal known as Leatherface. Written by Love Hewitt Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, October 1, 2009 -- An idyllic summer afternoon became a nightmare. 2003's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre does so many things right that its one downfall may be that it's just too good at accomplishing what it sets out to do. While that's normally something that would make a movie an all-time classic, this is one instance where "too much of a good thing" can have the opposite effect. On one hand, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is an incredibly well-made movie in the context of its genre. One of the most chillingly atmospheric films viewers are ever likely to see, there's not one single frame in the movie that doesn't at least hint at despair; the film's vomit-toned color palette is evidence of that. The atmosphere is made possible thanks to stunning cinematography, chillingly grisly and worn down locales, and above-average acting from every member of the cast. The film is also incredibly brutal; legs and arms are hacked off, people are impaled on hooks, bodies are sliced in half from the groin up, people are shot through the head, and their faces are worn as masks. The gore, combined with the atmosphere, simply becomes too overpowering. Five friends are en route to Dallas to see Lynard Skynard in concert. Driving across the back roads of Texas in a hot van with no air conditioning, love, good times, and "Sweet Home Alabama" are in the air -- until the van almost strikes a dazed pedestrian wandering aimlessly about the road. The girl -- clearly traumatized, bloodied, and claiming that everyone is dead -- shoots herself in the back of the van. In a panic, the friends -- Kemper (Eric Balfour), Erin (Jessica Biel), Morgan (Jonathan Tucker), Andy (Mike Vogel), and Pepper (Erica Leerhsen) -- soon find themselves with the unenviable task of explaining the situation to authorities. Despite their best efforts, they cannot track down the local sheriff. Finally becoming privy to the location of his home, Erin and Kemper leave their friends behind to find the only man that can help them. However, he's nowhere to be found, and while Erin once again tries to contact him, Kemper goes missing. Returning to the sheriff's home with Andy and in search of Kemper, Erin comes face-to-face with Leatherface (Andrew Bryniarski), a deformed, chainsaw-wielding killer. Though Erin escapes, Andy is not so fortunate. Finally meeting the town sheriff, Hoyt (R. Lee Ermey), it soon becomes clear that he's in on the fun and that the surviving teens are in for a night of pain and suffering beyond their wildest imaginations. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a tale of two worlds, a grim film of unrelenting terror framed around a beautiful shooting style that utilizes angles, a mixture of steady and handheld shots, and distant and in-tight framing to tell the story. Simply put, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is to gore what South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut is to bad language. There's no way around it; this is a terribly brutal film that's difficult to watch, and even seasoned gore hounds will likely find themselves wincing during several scenes, though the film's dark and unforgiving atmosphere and hellish locales only add to the intensity of the violence. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre might be grotesque beyond imagination, but it's also a well-crafted film from a technical perspective. There's an ever-present feel of doom-and-gloom that permeates every frame; even the film's more free-flowing, happy-go-lucky opening minutes feature a vomit-toned color scheme that positively spells out the dread and despair to come. The film also differs from its predecessor in that it eschews that film's grittier, documentary tone and surprising lack of on-screen, front-and-center violence in favor of atmospherics and sheer brutality. As a result, this remake is less effective in tone but not in style. This is certainly a film geared more towards modern audiences; it can be slow and deliberate -- and effectively so -- in its opening act, but when the chainsaw starts a-buzzin' and limbs go a-flyin', there's no reprieve until the credits begin to roll. One strength of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre that seems to get lost in the shuffle of the atmosphere, gore, and cinematography is the surprisingly sound acting from the bevy of lead characters; Horror aficionados are all-too-familiar with the shoddy performances that seem to come standard with the genre, but The Texas Chainsaw Massacre throws that hindrance to the side and delivers a collection of raw, emotional, and all-too-real performances that sell the sense of dread and terror that overlay the film. Biel and Balfour in particular are excellent; though Balfour doesn't stick around long enough to face the nightmare head-on, he delivers a fine performance as a man facing an impossible situation while trying his best to take it all in stride and provide something of a much-needed leadership role to the group after the suicide. Of all the players, though, Jonathan Tucker delivers what might be the single-finest moment in the film. Facing off with Sheriff Hoyt in the back of the van, he positively exudes fear in a scene that demands to be witnessed in its entirety to be fully appreciated. One thing that helps the actors along the way is the film's locales, design, and make-up. They always seem to be in the midst of dark, grimy, inhospitable locales and covered in filth, blood, sweat, and, in times of great panic and fear, their own spit, snot, vomit, and tears. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre truly is a product of its look, and the atmosphere, cinematography, gore, and performances -- for better or worse -- come together in nearly perfect harmony to create one of the most brutal and bone-chilling films ever made. No doubt about it, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the most effective movies ever made. It absolutely captures the tone it strives for, but it's so effective at being positively terrifying that it often seems just too much to bear. As to whether this is a "good" movie or not, that's up to each individual viewer's tolerance levels for the material. Most over-the-top or excessively violent films seem to have some sort of lighter, maybe even comedic edge to them, but not here. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is dark, unforgiving, exclusively violent, and unbearably atmospheric from beginning to end. Be forewarned. New Line's Blu-ray release is generally spectacular. The 1080p transfer recreates the film's intended look just fine, and the Dolby TrueHD lossless soundtrack reinforces the film's chilling atmosphere to near perfection. Also featuring a plethora of bonus materials, this Blu-ray comes recommended to fans of the film. [CSW] -2.8- Although Unnecessary, a Good Remake. Cast Notes: Jessica Biel (Erin), Jonathan Tucker (Morgan), Erica Leerhsen (Pepper), Mike Vogel (Andy), Eric Balfour (Kemper), Andrew Bryniarski (Thomas Hewitt [Leatherface]), R. Lee Ermey (Sheriff Hoyt), David Dorfman (Jedidiah), Lauren German (Teenage Girl), Terrence Evans (Old Monty), Marietta Marich (Luda May), Heather Kafka (Henrietta), Kathy Lamkin (Tea Lady in Trailer), Brad Leland (Big Rig Bob), Mamie Meek (Clerk). IMDb Rating (11/26/10): 6.1/10 from 40,053 users
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