Infliction (2014)

Infliction is a difficult film to review. It is a medium-budget, independent film with a talented cast that does a fine job in bringing it to life but ultimately the film falls a little short because it doesn't have the support of a major studio. However, looking deeper, Infliction's true success may be that it is an independent film because it is doubtful a major studio would ever have attempted what director Jack Thomas Smith has tried to do.John (Mac) and Kenneth Stiles (Armstrong) are two brothers who have taken it upon themselves to deliver justice to those who they feel have wronged them. Their target is as much the system as it is particular individuals but each victim had a part to play in the Hell the brothers were subjected to. Methodically, they visit each target and pass judgement on them, each act of violence pulling towards the final confrontation with their abusers – their own mother and father – and their sister, Andrea.Told via the footage the brothers themselves shoot, Infliction tells a vile story that's all too common in the modern world. We see the judge, the social worker, the couple that could have ended the abuse and the abusers and understand what part they all singularly had to play in the monstrous whole. While the moral justification of the brother's retribution can never be condoned, the anger, hate and misery that led them to it, can and should be.If Infliction falls down anywhere it is in minor places. Some of the dialogue is a little stilted and perhaps some of the insight that dialogue offers is a tad hurried in places but the words themselves are important. John, Kenny and the people around them speak of guilt and consequence. The victims are blamed by both society and by each other and accusations of "why didn't you leave?" and "why didn't you tell us?" are thrown at victim, bystander and abuser. These are genuine attacks by society that victims of abuse are subjected to whenever they tell their story and to hear these questions be asked of one victim by another is challenging. It shows that the culture of victim-blaming we live in is so deep that even those who have suffered themselves indulge in it.Infliction isn't perfect and it never would be but its story needs to be shown because it is one that is happening to people around us right now.Every single day.

I love a movie that, even at the end, you are still wondering who the villain is. The acting in this film is solid and believable as you fall into the characters lives. Two brothers detail their journey on film as they cut a path of killings across North Carolina. This my introduction to director Jack Thomas Smith and after watching I have to confess the style and editing drew me into this. I now have to watch his first movie Disorder. His story telling in Infliction, to me, is well thought out and the edits are used effectively, not having a lot of fluff in the final project. This movie will have you thinking, long after you've turned it off.

I admit that I am a fan of "found footage" or "assembled footage" type films. The problem is, there are too many of them, and for the most part, they all fall into the same trap which is, "Why would you be holding a camera when there's such chaos all around you?" Well, finally, there is a found footage film that manages to avoid this trap and deliver a smart, gritty horror film. Actually, I consider it a dark drama, with horrific elements, as writer/director Jack Thomas Smith certainly does not shy away from the violence.John (Jason Mac) and Kenny (Elliott Armstrong) Stiles are two brothers who are on a murder spree, which, they have decided to document on video. Why they decided to make the choice to record their mayhem is an integral part of the film which I will not divulge other than to say that it is one of the smartest conceits I have seen in a film in a long time.Along the way, the story of how they got to this point slowly unwinds, with scenes of graphic violence peppered throughout the film. However, this is NOT a "torture porn" film by any remote stretch. The violence makes perfect sense in the context of the film and I like the fact that Smith does not shy away from it. The film is gritty, intense and very realistic during these sequences.One of the things I liked best about the film is that it takes time to explore the human emotions behind the violence. The two brothers become much more than hyper-violent monsters, and, as odd as it my seem, I found myself rooting for them more than once. At the very least, the viewer begins to come to some level of understanding and even empathy for the brothers as they attempt to come to terms with their past.Another great facet of the film are the many psychological levels to it. Are we born evil, or does our environment make us that way, or is it some combination of the two? It's the time honored nature vs. nurture debate taken to a high level. "Infliction" is a film that is well written to the point that it could probably be used during a Psychology class and no, I am not kidding about that.If you are looking for a horror movie that is just a pile of cheap scares and gore, then I'm sorry, "Infliction" is not for you. This film is more a study of how people can be driven to unspeakable acts of violence, and it's a very effective study at that. It also explores notions of justice and revenge-as-justice, and tries to answer the question, "Is there a difference?" Following John and Kenny Stiles forces us to really think about how we can come to terms with our past, or if it's even possible to do so. The two actors playing the brothers have amazing chemistry and the dynamic between the two is extremely believable. In fact, all of the characters in the film, even ones that display monstrous behavior, are believable. (I must point out there that actor Don Henderson Baker, who plays the boys father, does so with a level of intensity that would make me pay very close attention to him if he lived next to me!) Overall, "Infliction" is the found footage film I have been waiting for. The fact that it's an indie film is all the more amazing. This is a well written, well acted, and well shot film that is one on my favorite films of the year.

The trailer is freaking awesome first off, but that doesn't even touch the whole entire film. Every family has a story,I get it but this family is seriously screwed up!!! Sick..I can't even imagine what the guy went through who put this footage together. I still can't get certain images out of my head and I usually watch pretty twisted stuff. What I like about this is that I couldn't stop watching it once it started, it's a weird type of film because it's all from these guys cameras but I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen! I've never wanted to really review a film on here, but this one is so different, I just had to. Can't wait to see it again!