The Hole (2001)

Originally Reviewed
Saturday February 3, 2007

 

The Hole "aka" After The Hole, as it’s aptly named in the US, is an attempt at providing a thriller that is both intense and mind boggling, but quickly becomes a film that is more sick, twisted and predictable, nothing close to entertaining.

The Hole is the story of a group of four prep school kids who decide to ditch a boring school field trip and go somewhere to have a party of their own. They obtain access to an old abandoned war bunker and decide to spend the next three days enjoying freedom, but after those three days are up they are struck by the hard truth that they are trapped in "the hole" with no way of getting out!

The Hole starts off fairly well, beginning in the present with Liz (Thora Birch) having escaped the hole and now the sole witness to what occurred and what led up to their eighteen day imprisonment underground. Liz attempts to pawn off a cotton candy story of how they were locked in the hole by her best friend Martin in an attempt to show her that the boy she "loved" Mike (one of the four in the hole) wasn't as dreamy as she thought him to be. But her story quickly concludes with their release from the hole within a period of time that doesn't add up and also doesn't appear to be very traumatic. Its evident Liz's story doesn't fit, and after hearing Martin's testimony it's even more evident it's completely false. The rest of the film spends the time slowly revealing what actually happened in the hole. Liz, who appears to be the only one alive since no one else is ever referred to in the present, begins to be haunted by the 18 days in which they were trapped underground, and slowly revealing the type of sick and twisted person she really is.

The Hole ended up being quite disappointing for me. It's a film that went from quite mysterious and interesting to quite predictable in a short amount of the time. The acting is sub par; I don't believe anyone needs a whole lot of talent to scream and yell especially when your setting is quite unnerving in and of itself. It's also another one of those films where the writers feel the need use the F-bomb five times in a sentence to attempt to show that the characters are frustrated or angry, and unveils the shallow depth of this film's script.

Overall, The Hole is an attempt at making a film that is supposed to test the limits of your mind. Instead the more the story progresses the more ridiculous it becomes. If you truly want a descent thriller check out The Jacket or Stay. In the end, there are two things that one can gain from this film. First off do not willingly go underground to live for any amount of time, especially with people you don't really know, unless it's just you and Keira Knightley. Second, stay away from crazy girls with names like Thora Birch, who have a crush on you, it will not end well. 

4/10

The Hole Full Movie