Frontier(s)

Introduction

With films like Ils (Them), Sheitan (Satan) and Haute Tension (Switchblade Romance), France has undergone some sort of new-wave in horror. Frontière(s) (Frontier(s)) begins with a gang of bank robbers on the run, in a Paris consumed by riots and pre-election tensions. They escape to the country and seek refuge in a seemingly friendly looking inn, only to discover it is run by 'Father' (Jean-Pierre Jorris), who addresses his family of cannibals dressed in full Nazi regalia and spouting Third Reich slogans.

Video

An excellent transfer, with suitably gory visual effects and a particularly grim palette.

Audio

The Dolby Digital 5.1 French soundtrack is clear in terms of dialogue and the surrounds are used well to pump up the tension.

Extra Features

The making of isn't a structured piece, but merely a collection of behind the scenes footage.
There is also the theatrical trailer and some teaser trailers.

Conclusion

Frontier(s) is nasty. Very nasty. People are strung up by their feet on meat hooks, one guy has the Misery treatment applied to him, only with a bolt-cutter and another gang member is served up as dinner.

Hitman helmer Xavier Gens gives Frontier(s) a political subtext, with the Paris riots echoing the civil disturbance in the banlieus and the mass disgust at the popularity of the far right candidate, no doubt influenced by Jean-Marie Le Pen's campaign in France's 2002 presidential election.

With the 'bad' guys (the 'good' guys are thieves and killers) as Nazis, there are several allusions to the concentration camps - Yasmine (Karina Testa) is stripped and forcibly showered before having her hair shorn and Farid (Chems Dahmani) is shut in a gas chamber-like steam room. Gens toys with bad taste here, but it would be frivolous to accuse him of that in a film of this nature.

Gens has made a tense and disturbing film that, sadly, loses its way at the end. It's not a great movie - it's not even a great horror movie, but it's one that gore-hounds might well enjoy.