A handful of twenty-something kids set off on a fun, drug and sex-fueled cruise... which leads to death and deceit.

CRITIQUE

To save you from a trip to the Urban Dictionary, then: A Donkey Punch is supposed to be administered at the base of a woman's neck, during sexual intercourse... while the male is about to achieve orgasm. Her “involuntary muscle spasm” [allegedly] produces a sensation that, well, enhances the male's experience. All the woman is supposed to get is a headache.

The point here is that the Punch accidentally breaks a particular woman's neck... and the kids panic about what to do with the body. Call the Coast Guard? Claim she drunkenly fell overboard? At first, the question is purely academic — which would make for a pretty short movie!

The screenplay makes it clear at the outset that the women's personalities are basic: flighty and flirtatious... while the guys are clever and see grand careers ahead of them. Who stands to lose the most if the event is truthfully related to the authorities? Duh. (It’s a misogynist P.O.V. which says more about the filmmakers than the film.)

Once they dump the girl's body overboard the action escalates into scenes of peer terrorism; rising exponentially with each passenger. Under the auspices of videotaping some kinky sex, the identity of the fatal blow killer is available for blackmail and other mentally disturbing diversions. More drugs, more fighting and a deadly game of “who's got the tape?” leads to a failed lifeboat escape attempt and a few more deaths (deliberate, this time). One of the gals is cleverer than she first appears. To say more would take us into spoiler territory.

Viewers, who are expecting a waterlogged version of Hostel, take note: though Donkey Punch has its share of relatively creative murders, it eschews the gore-quotient for a suspenseful approach, like a more-populated version of Dead Calm (which itself is a take on Polanksi's near-masterpiece, Knife in the Water). To its credit, for a good deal of the film's running time it achieves a decent measure of anxiety. There aren't too many times you want to yell at the characters, “what an obviously stupid thing to do! You just should've ___.”  (fill in the blank).

Some critics noted that one female character (who is initially wary of getting on a boat with a bunch of strange guys) makes a rather sudden romantic turn, but these critics are only revealing their inexperience with the drug Ecstasy. Cocaine also provides a novel (albeit temporary) solution to an unexpected medical problem.

The actual “donkey punch” plays such a small role in this feature that it seems like nothing more than a cynical ploy by the producers to exploit the notoriety of a misogynistic urban legend. Victim number one could've been killed by any number of circumstances, it doesn't affect the real meat of the plot: paranoia, lies and cover-up by any means necessary.

The British ensemble cast acquit themselves fairly well; the film as a whole benefits from their status as complete unknowns in America. It's easier to buy into the story without the “movie star” baggage.

Though far from unique, Donkey Punch steps beyond its crass name to emerge as a tight little thriller.

THE VIDEO

Donkey Punch is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. A decent-looking film overall but too much hand-held camerawork may engender bouts of seasickness for landlocked audiences.

THE AUDIO

Donkey Punch is presented in English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround. Something about the mix — not the generic soundtrack, but perhaps heightened FX sounds — bring an extra element of suspense to the proceedings. Subtitles are available in Spanish.

EXTRAS

The unrated version shows about five minutes of frontal nudity (of both sexes). Given the horrible nature of the crime and the character of the perpetrators, we'd be hard pressed to call it erotic...

Making of Donkey Punch: A Making-of in name only, there are no BTS shots, just film clips interspersed with the cast and crew chatting away about what a unique experience they're all having.

Director’s Commentary: Dull.

Cast Interviews: Dull².

Deleted Scenes: Excised for good reason, they reveal little and stop forward movement of the plot.

FINAL THOUGHT

Donkey Punch works best for audiences who haven't been jaded by decades steeped in watching genre films.