Waz Reviews

Waz

In a word Why? Awful stuff.

Waz crap!

A truly awful film in every way. Don't bother.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Stay with it and you will be rewarded..

So what WAZ that all about, the first 25 minutes and you are fidgeting and wondering where all this is going, gangs - police infighting, random bodies. Stay with it though, because after those 25 minutes it all starts to make some sort of sense, and turns out to be a more than watchable movie with a reasonable few twists and grips that will keep you entertained. If you miss it at the cinema this is a perfect one to have on your rental list, not a list topper, but definately worth a watch nonetheless.

WAZ

A dark and dingy delight, this neo-noir thriller from deb director Tom Shankland has more twists and turns than a barrel full of snakes!

Featuring grit-filled performances from a fantastic cast, including a stellar turn from Mr Skarsgard, grimy cinematography and adrenaline fuelled editing this movie takes you to the dark heart of the human soul.

Forget Saw, this film owes far more to Seven in tone but with a style and edge all of its own. A Must-See!

was waz but now spaz

Very disappointing. The bit where they destroy the lead char in a hail of sparks with the mains transformer in the garden out the back of the big mansion house, not the small one, really made me believe that some people have lesser or no imagination dependent on the pre-consumed media in the same manner that most abductees describe aliens as grey or Blue with those large shiny eyes? But surely their planet would not have the same output from their star.. who would believe that coincidence.. Ahh you say they are really us .. coming back from the future.. but hey! they would need torches as the Sun is getting bigger and bigger over time.. it will be 20% bigger before too long.. only a cooupla bliion years too go.

* * * This review contains spoilers * * *ShowHide

love/hate

Unfortunately, I'm afraid this film is destined not to receive the acclaim it fully deserves.

Don't watch this film if you are easily put off by sexual violence. Having said that though - I watched the film with my wife & 18yr old niece (both of whom I would describe as sensitive individuals), & they were both impressed with the film whose 18 certificate serves only really to protect from it's sensitive subject matter & is not an indication of overtly graphic violence/gore.

We gave the dvd a go one afternoon, not really knowing what to expect. Although the conditions were not what i'd normally regard as condusive to 'horror' viewing (sun creeping through closed curtains), the film instantly had me hooked with the underlying tension which is apparent even from the beginning, and builds right up to it's revealing climax. The whole 'WAZ' equation theory almost becomes insignificant.

Ok, so you might see the twists & turns coming a long way off, but for me that doesn't affect the film in the slightest. What really makes the film is it's dark simplicity, brilliant direction & solidly real performances from a non-A-list cast. This film is for me what SAW always promised to be but got lost in it's pursuit of 'ever more creative ways to die'. WAZ isn't an in your face gore-fest with fantastically OTT special effects on a massive budget. It's so much more than that - A dark, gritty, highly atmospheric thriller with a dose of real emotion!

You will love it or hate it! I hope it's the prior.

A really GOOD end!

The dark edginess and mood set for this film reminds me of 'Seven'. I admit the beginning is NOT promising, but as one reviewer rightly said to stay with it till the end as it will be rewarding. This film at times feels hopeless and empty, going nowhere in particular, but the plot unravels rather surprisingly. The film is brutal and dark, but the end leaves the viewer moved with a very promising glint of hope. Well worth a watch, as the movie delivers and delivers astoundingly well. Great performances from everyone concerned. Don't give this film a miss, it IS worth the time!

[Highly rated reviewer]

"There are many shades of grey ".

In my part of the world (Yorkshire) waz is a verb. If you waz something you throw it away ( hopefully disposing of it in an environmentally vigilant manner) but apparently Waz is an equation regarding genetics. And it’s that equation that is at the heart of this film. I won’t go into detail lest I give too much away . Neither is Waz a horror film. It,s pretty gruesome in parts but it’s more a gritty psychological thriller than anything .Comparisons with Seven and Saw are apt though . Here we have a serial killer making people deal with the consequences of their own actions ,distorted through the killers own perverted filter. Helen Westcott( Melissa George) has just been seconded onto the force in an unnamed American city ( It looks like New York in some shots though much of the film was shot in Ireland) When a mutilated corpse turns up with a message carved into the flesh she is paired up with gruff detective Eddie Argo ( Stellan Skarsgard) and it transpires the victim was the pregnant girlfriend of a notorious gang member. Eddie seems to have something going on with one gang member Daniel (Ashley Walters) and maybe knows more about the case than he is letting on. As he says “there are many shades of grey “ though he actually puts it more colourfully than that…..ironically enough. Helen is the eyes of the audience for this film .We learn things and see things fresh pretty much as she does. At times she looks more appalled at the attitudes of her male colleagues than the grisly pile of bodies. Needless to say Waz is not a barrel of laughs and the films grainy cinematography ( courtesy of Morton Soborg) adds to it’s gloomy ambience. The performances are very good with Skarsgard capably nuancing his role as a man weighed down by his guilt and the things he has seen .Melissa George shows like she did in Paradise Lost that she is an actress worth keeping an eye on and there is a an effective cameo role for Selma Blair. Director Tom Shankland says in the interview avoidable in the extras ( Along with deleted scenes and commentaries ) that Waz is about altruism and redemption as much as it is about revenge. I can see his point but I feel that pretty much Waz is a film about making people pay for their actions and choices by understanding implicitly the suffering they have caused. Shades of grey again It’s cheapened slightly by the supposedly dramatic twist that I saw coming a mile off and a noble act of sacrifice at the end that just doesn’t wash. None the less this is a serious , thoughtful , studied take on the serial killer /thriller genre .Very much worth watching once though I doubt it would be a film many would want to watch again and again . That does,nt mean you should waz it though .

Waz -Up?

Waz this a good film -No! Nothing new here and what you see is not done very well, rubbish acting, poor script, predictable and the use of stereotypes shockingly awful especially the crack house scene. A waste of time and effort, why film makers think scenes of torture are the key to making good films is beyond me. The revenge element to this film is so devoid of reality ...ah why bother going on - this film sucks!!

[Highly rated reviewer]

More gruesome, CSI Vegas 8/10.

We half expected another gory shock horror movie, the classically simple Friday nights no frills entertainment kind, yet at the same time after up and coming actress George’s last movie of this type, Paradise Lost, we had a small hope for something more. Happily Waz delivers, just as with the above mentioned title this film takes a slight step away from the norm and delivers a refreshing and gripping dark thriller. The story is based around two police officers investigating some unusual and gruesome murders (Skarsgard & George), slowly their investigations lead them deeper into a dark and sinister truth behind the murders. The story unfolds very slowly, which works perfectly for this genre, supported by strong acting from the main cast (some of the support acting was on a budget perhaps) and plenty to keep you gripped Waz intrigued us from start to finish. The style is similar to Seven or a darker, more gruesome, CSI Vegas with elements of the shock horror genre thrown in to boot, a combination we felt worked well. Waz had dark streets, gangland action, interesting twists, a few stomach churning scenes and an ending that caught us both out completely. If you enjoy any of the styles of movie mentioned above then you should enjoy this, the balance is good and nothing is OTT. 8/10. A healthy 4 stars.