Titreenp SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Palaest recommended

SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

Mabel Munoz Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Scarecrow-88 To say this is unsettling would be an understatement. Seeing a "male chauvinist womanizer" emasculated and "womanized" against his will is quite a concept for a mad science horror film. The change for those who feel it is important in expressing who they really are is one thing: but to do so against someone who doesn't request it is whole other matter.The abduction, imprisonment, removal of fingerprints and penis, eventual incorporation of breasts, "re-identification process", use of music and child's diary, and the torture applied by the doctor/surgeon and his brutish "associate" (who appears to be a dumb misfit with a tough exterior) all serve a purpose, believe it or not, and the reasoning behind it--while seemingly and patently bizarre to us--makes sense to the one conducting the entire orchestrated and elaborate transformation.Stephen Weigand is the abducted, fortunate for the filmmakers to have features that could allow him to be feminine and masculine. Bob Bancroft is the warped and delirious doc, with affections and dedication to his murdered daughter that transcend normal behavior. Brendan Kelly is the muscle; it appears as if he might have been an experiment/subject in transitioned behavior as well. Stacy Haiduk (who looks fantastic) is stuck with the thankless "snooping detective" part that you realize early won't end well for her.I don't think this will be offensive to a trans audience because the methods behind what the doctor does is rooted in what sordid acts were perpetrated by the abducted young man prior to his kidnapping and forced transition. This doesn't mock the trans community as much as use what happens to allow them to become what they believe they should be in the structure of a horror plot regarding misguided attempts to force upon one person the identity of another.A father's pain is quite emphasized and it is the motivating factor behind what happens from beginning to end. Weigand is astonishing in how he is able to change as his character does. To see his identity raped, and another imprinted on him, being able to portray that, is quite impressive. The reenactment which explains everything, except this time the abuser is in place of the abused, is rather mortifying. That this whole scenario plays out just for the reenactment is a telling series of events. How the lead is unveiled as something monstrous alleviates any sympathy perhaps afforded to him during the running time. Quite a tragic and disturbing, not to mention, manipulative little movie. Heartbreaking finale. The open-ended conclusion leaves us with an ambiguous character with an identity that seems totally altered...but where will "she" go and do with the new life infused upon her?

billcr12 Much like either Saw or Hostel, Victim involves people held against their will in a basement for a series of experiments by the evil Dr. Rudolph Volk(Bob Bancroft). His assistant, Mr. George(Brendan Kelly) picks up unsuspecting young women in a bar and abducts them for a fun time with Dr. Rudy. The movie is never scary and the acting is horrendous by the entire cast. The script is film school material. Do not be fooled by the intriguing advertising poster with a topless woman with a man's head between her legs. I was lured to Victim by the poster, and I always admit my mistakes, and this was one of them, and a waste of 90 minutes of my life. Avoid this garbage and take a long walk instead.

Dingus McGee Definitely an A+ for the twist in this one. In the middle of the film it was easy to see what was taking place, but the finale really sneaks up on you, ending with you empathizing with the doctor despite having shared the victims plight through the entire movie. So why the bad rating? The main actor was terrible. Cheesy and awkward in his movements, speaking, and facial expressions. There were some horrendously bad "only in a horror movie" qualities as well; i.e. ridiculously ineffective police officers. Very disturbing to watch, you definitely need to stick with it to the ending to have the knot in your stomach untie. That being said, I couldn't take anything seriously with the protagonist's poor acting.

rickleo123 VICTIM Review by Mike Pickle for MoreHorror.com The poster art for Victim might fit the tone of the film and the synopsis may let you know, basically, what goes on so you may think you know what you're in for. Wrong. What you get with Victim is something inexorably different. Something more. Directors Matt Eskandari and Michael A. Pierce have achieved something rare even for the most seasoned of filmmakers. They manage to unflinchingly display stark brutality on screen while the most disturbing aspects creep up behind you and worm their way into your consciousness. These aspects are the ones that stick with you long after the end credits have rolled.The film opens in an instantly discomforting fashion with hand-held camera footage. The man holding the camera is talking to a beautiful woman and unexpectedly begins attacking her, beating her mercilessly and seemingly killing her. After the opening credits; focus is centered on a good looking young man hanging out in a bar. He starts to leave and notices that his tires have been slashed. He is attacked from behind, knocked unconscious and wakes up in a cell in what looks like a dungeon laboratory.Soon he meets his captors, the creepy and enigmatic Dr. Volt and his huge, menacing, mute assistant George. The sadistic duos proceed to subject the poor man to what seems like senseless physical and psychological torture. As the nameless "victim" is being beaten, his fingerprints burned off and made to endure sadistic operations; his only comfort comes in the form of a young girl's diary left in his cell. The voice-over of the innocent, adolescent author and parental guidance being played through speakers in the cell add layers to the experience that take you beyond the "torture porn" corner that some people might paint this film into. This man is being transformed inside and out. Dr. Volt tells him "you are no longer you" and we soon begin to realize that this is not just torture. This cruelty has a purpose and is all part of Dr. Volt's scheme.There are many questions raised through the course of this film. Many questions that, had they not been answered so profoundly satisfying, would have dampened the experience. There's a reason why the mute George is helping the demented doctor without hesitation. There's a reason why the victim is stripped of his dignity so quickly and easily before the real pain begins. There's a reason for every atrocity the victim and viewer are made to endure. There's even a reason for the side story of the female detective who is suspicious of the doctor. Yes, it takes us out of the madness, but let's face it; we need a break from scouring the depths of physical and mental torment. It also gives the viewer hope for the otherwise hopeless victim and serves as a brutal example of what the doctor is willing to do to complete his ambiguous master plan.In an attempt to piece together the puzzle of exactly why this film has such a penetrating and abysmal effect; I have to mention the score. Much like the film itself, the music is both subdued and over the top. Pitch-perfect and maddening. It's a bold soundtrack and it works. Another important piece to the puzzle is the use of special effects which are used both sparingly and abundantly depending on the scene. Some scenes bring you closer and closer to the carnage before cutting away at the precise wincing point leaving the worst to your imagination. Armed with a false sense of security and thinking the worst will be played out in the mind; the viewer is taken past the point of wincing until the gore is staring them in the face and displayed just clear enough to feel real. One scene of a throat being slit is particularly realistic and one of the most convincing effects of its kind that I have seen.Holding all these pieces together are strong performances by the three main stars. Stephen Weigand portrays the nameless victim and had a hefty role on his hands. His performance pulls you into his world of pain and confusion as well as a wide range of consuming emotions that come full circle in the shocking climax. Bob Bancroft portrays Dr. Volt with similar depth and is crucial to the potency of this film. He shows a pain of his own at times, but for the most part, is a figure of both menace and calm, cold indifference. There to provide an even stranger twist to the impact of the film is Brendan Kelly as the disconcertingly silent George. His lack of lines takes nothing away from his contribution to the film or the development of his character. His insistence on glaring at the victim while he is made to perform a particularly humiliating deed is one of the many subtly creepy moments that makes this movie so effective.Victim is tied together by one revelation, but that revelation does not make the film. Matt Eskandari and Michael A. Pierce have crafted a horror thriller that's not just another horror thriller and not just another entry in the torture sub-genre. It's a multi-layered triumph of a film whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Something special happens when a film strikes this many chords so effectively. It resonates. Just like any work of art; it's not always clean and pleasant, but it stirs a lot of emotions. It's almost impossible to be so moved by a film with such unrelenting ruthlessness, but I was both moved and disturbed and not for the obvious reasons.Distributed by IFC Films who brought us such films as Human Centipede, Dead Snow and Lars Von Trier's Antichrist; Victim had a limited theatrical and Video on Demand release, and will hopefully be released on DVD soon.