Search - Salvage [Blu-ray] on Blu-ray

Solid and cerebral thriller

P. Mann | Los Angeles | 03/26/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Kudos to Jeff and Josh Crook, who wrote and directed this taught little (80-minute) thriller and to the cast, especially Lauren Currie Lewis as the frequent victim and Chris Ferry as the killer.

The plot of "Salvage" is fairly simple, largely because the film can be described as Groundhog Day in hell. The film begins when Claire (Lewis), a clerk at a gas station, ends her shift at the station. Her boyfriend is supposed to pick her up to take her to her college classes, but a man named Duke (Ferry) shows up instead, claiming that Claire's boyfriend asked him to pick her up. She accepts the ride and is soon murdered. Almost immediately, she is back at the gas station, ending her shift once again. The gas station here plays essentially the same role "I Got You Babe" played in "Groundhog Day." In other words, the cycle is fairly simple: end shift at the gas station, get murdered, repeat.

While Claire tries to figure out why Duke keeps killing her and what, if anything, she can do to stop it, she has to deal with a boyfriend who is more interested in getting Claire's friend to join him and Claire in bed than in listening to her problems--even though he seems to be murdered rather frequently himself. The difference, it seems, is that he does not remember his various deaths. Unlike "Groundhog Day" and the similar (and, in my opinion, better than "Groundhog Day") 12:01, "Salvage" does not repeat the same scene every time. Yes, Claire ends up dying again and again, but the world is different each time. The second time, for instance, it really is her boyfriend who picks her up.

Dealing with a world in which only her imminent murder seems certain, Claire tries to enlist others' help, but without much success. The police seem to be little help, and Claire's mother is, in a word, creepy. The clues, however, are there, and the ending pays off by tying the film together (in a montage reminiscent of The Sixth Sense or The Illusionist)--at least for those who think about the film carefully enough.

"Salvage" is an independent film, with all that phrase connotes. Those who insist on glossy, high-tech movies with multi-million dollar budgets probably should not watch this film. But for those, like me, who like to look beyond the major studios because, honestly, there are only so many times you can see the same plot again and again, "Salvage" is rewarding. Lewis, as Claire, delivers a solid performance, all the more impressive because it is relatively understated. There are hystrionics, yes, but they come at the right time (as, for example, when her face is about to be removed). Ferry, in the role of Claire's killer, is also solid, also without being over the top. He is also gifted with the best line in the film as he earnestly tells Claire, "All that matters is what you feel [pause] when I cut your head off." (I may have misquoted slightly, but the gist is there.)"

Nicely done on a low budget

Music Lover in Omaha | Omaha, Ne | 06/02/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Low budget does not mean a film has to be bad. I really enjoyed this film and the ending was something I did not expect. I thought the ending was pretty clever if not a little cruel. I understood it but still... Anyway, Lauren Currie Lewis. who I had never heard of, gave what I thought to be a pretty credible performance, confused, terrified and helpless. Chris Ferry as the bad guy stalking her was really creepy. He was charming one moment then satanic the next. I also thought that John Miller as the sheriff did a better than average job in this film. He seemed to be concerned, caring, and competent even if he wasn't very helpful. I liked his character. My verdict on this one is that it is definately worth watching. Probably more than once. This is creepy and has one scene where I had to cover my eyes. An earlier reviewer said this one was closer to 3 and a half stars than four. That could be right. Four stars does seem a bit high, but 3 is for sure too low. Salvage is a good low budget film."

A Puxatany Nightmare

Captain Insanity | NY | 07/10/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Imagine re-living the worst day of your life,
The day you were brutally murdered, over & over again.
Imagine the comedy "Groundhogs Day" was a horror movie.
A Puxatany Nightmare!
Well that's just what we have here.
A rock-bottom budget flick that had some genuinely creepy scenes,
tension as thick as my Uncle Rudy's skull,
as well as a liberal helping of gore.
It also features some great characters as well,
one of which my wife kept comparing to me, saying:
"that's soooo you....now do you know what you sound like??".
to which I responded:
"Yeah I know what I sound like, but he's the best character in the movie ...no?"
This movie also featured some great one-liners:
"It's all about how you feel,
It's all bout how you feel,................when I cut your head off"
The whole time I was watching it I kept thinking;
"Somebody!! Anybody!!, needs to give these guys more money to do an even better film."
All of this credability however, was blown to bits the minute the conclusion rolled around.
Not only is it a thread-bare twist ending,
but it makes about as much sense as a screen-door on a submarine.
(or an ejection seat on a helipcopter if you prefer)
Yep, what we have here is another "High Tension",
yet another member of the ever-growing sub-genre of "jenga horror"
A great horror premise that's never fully realized,
and sadly laid to waste by a thoughtless conclusion.
All in all it's was well worth the purchase,
but like any meal, at any given, high-priced, french restaurant,
I felt a little cheated at the end.

MORAL OF THE STORY:
If at first you don't succeed, die, die again.

"

Ground-Hog Day in Hell

Juz-b-yosef | 02/14/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Salvage". I didn't recognize any of the actors. A teenaged girl accepts a ride home from a guy she believes her boyfriend sent to pick her up. He turns out to be a terrifying psychopath. He beats and tortures her. Just when the horror is unbearable, she wakes up back at the start of the SAME day, and has to relive the whole ordeal. This happens over and over again for her. Sort of like a nightmarish "Ground-hog Day". The element that makes this movie even scarier is the fact that it seems all the people closest to her are maybe in on it; her boyfriend, her best-friend, even her mom. A bomb-shell ending that I didn't see coming."