Three out of
Five stars
Running time:
91 mins
Botched is ridiculously over the top and its uneasy blend of comedy and gore certainly won't be to everyone's tastes, but if you're prepared to go along with it, it's surprisingly entertaining.
What's it all about?
Stephen Dorff stars as Ritchie, a professional thief who gets sent to Russia by his gangster boss (Sean Pertwee), in order to steal a priceless antique cross. However, when Ritchie's psychotic Russian accomplice (Jamie Foreman) kills a woman during the robbery, they are forced to take a lift full of hostages (including nerdy office worker Hugh O'Connor, sexy businesswoman Jamie Murray, ex-commando Geoff Bell and some nuns) after being trapped by police on the 13th floor.
Things quickly go from bad to worse when a hostage hand-over results in one of the hostages getting his head cut off, leading Ritchie to realise that he's dealing with something far worse than the police. And as if that wasn't bad enough, the pious-looking nuns (led by Bronagh Gallagher) turn out to be insane and bloodthirsty religious fanatics with a link to Ivan the Terrible.
The Good
Botched starts off as a routine thriller but tips its hand fairly early with a (thankfully solitary) fart gag, so you know that you're expected to laugh at the wildly over-the-top violence and gore that follows. Fortunately, the comedy gore scenes are so ridiculous that they start to grow on you and you eventually find yourself chuckling despite the growing realisation that the film is actually a bit rubbish.
The Great
Dorff is fine in the lead and Jaime Murray makes a superbly sexy sidekick (think Natasha from Rocky and Bullwinkle), while there's good support from Geoff Bell and Jamie Foreman (usually cast as foul-mouthed cockney thugs), both of whom deliver surprisingly decent Russian accents. Bell is particularly funny, displaying a hitherto unexpected gift for comedy and delivering a scene-stealing turn as alpha male Boris.
Worth seeing?
The violence and gore may not be to everyone's taste but this is surprisingly enjoyable in a brainless Friday night schlocker sort of way.