Search - The Lost [Blu-ray] on Blu-ray

Holy MOLE Batman... oh yeah, this isn't a kids movie

Ravenskya | 06/30/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I read the novel several months ago, and let this DVD sit around my house looking for the opportune time to watch it. When the kids were finally away for a little while I popped it in, and have to say... I was a bit disappointed. The short summary of the story for those who have not read the book: Ray Pye is a slightly off kilter young man in his early 20's who on a random whim kills two young women while camping. Now 4 years later the police know it was him but can not prove it. Ray's two friends who know about the killings are slowly destroying themselves with drugs and alcohol, but their obsession with the murderous Pye is as strong as ever. When the rejection of several women in town finally sets Ray off, he begins a murderous rampage.

The Good:
-The violence is all there, brutal and on screen.

-All of the sex is there almost to the point of soft core porn. Ray is apparently quite the ladies man.

-In respect to events, this film sticks very closely to the book.

The Bad:
-The time frame is gone, the book takes place in 1969... this is easy to tell because they follow the Sharon Tate case through the book. In the film, some of the people are dressed from the 90's, some from the 60's, Ray looks like a combination of a 50's greaser and an 80's punk with too much eyeliner. The Sharon Tate information seems to be out of kilter because there is no sense of time other than that reference.

-Ray Pye's Mole and Makeup are distracting to the viewer, with him being the only male in the film wearing eyeliner, and that ridiculously huge mole that seems to have been played up... you're eyes tend to focus on the mole and miss the rest of the film.

-The music is all over the ballpark, and in many cases the death-metal sounding music both detracts from what you are watching, and also makes the dialogue difficult to hear.

-The Dialogue on the DVD is at times very loud and at other times, impossible to make out. I am not sure if it's that the actors were mumbling or just too far from the mics but large parts of the conversations were completely unintelligible. This specifically occurs when Ray is threatening people and leans down to hiss at them in their face.

-The relationships that were so crucial in the book are completely left out in the movie; Tim is simply a body with no motive, feeling or relationship with any of the other characters. The relationship between the retired cop and the way too young for him Sally is almost confusing because so little is shown. Catharine comes across as a completely different character than in the book, her power and intrigue never come across properly.

-Many people will get upset with me for this... I did not like the way Ray Pye was portrayed... specifically at the ending... I found him to be way over the top and he ended up coming across as more of a spastic showoff rather than a truly emotionally disturbed individual. I never really bought that the character that he portrayed was capable of what he did.

In summation - This was an okay movie. I have heard people compare it to "Silence of the Lambs" and let me tell you right now, they are WAY OFF. There is plenty of gore and sex here to keep the young men happy, but the heart behind the story was left out.
"

The Best Villian since Patrick Bateman

Captain Insanity | NY | 07/29/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Based on the novel by Jack Ketchum.
And it's seriously enjoyable!!
I'm really lovin' these Ketchum novel adaptions.
(ie: The Girl Next Door, Offspring, & Red)
Ray Pye (whose performance was downright amazing)is going down as one of my 3 favorite villians in a horror movie:
(along side Patrick Bateman from "American Psycho"
& Captain Underpants from "Funny Games")
The opening sequence really sets the pace for the rest of the movie,
a nude Erin Brown (one of the most gorgeous women in Hollywood)
and a double homicide,
lead into a failed investigation by local police,
and the deterioration of Rays two reluctant cohorts.
The conclusion is what this movie is all about!!
And it was downright brutal & utterly phenominal!!
A killing spree for the books.
13 onscreen kills in total!!!
13!!
And plenty of nudity,
and of course Mr. Ray Pye.

MORAL OF THE STORY:
Some friends you wanna keep closer than your enemies."

Another brutal Ketcham adaptation

C. Christopher Blackshere | I am the devil's reject | 11/30/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Derived from some shocking homicides during the 60's, The Lost is an abrasive character study of a sociopath who committed some terrifying random acts of violence.
Meet Ray, a young man lost in his own warped world of frustration and insecurities. He hangs out with younger kids that will look up to him. Ray buys them beer, boasts about his sexual conquests, even stuffs objects in his boots to make himself look taller. But in actuality, he's a frail, pitiful loser harnessing some pent up rage. And when it explodes, look out.
The acting in this movie is adequate, but it's the horrendous acts themselves that keep you riveted. Plus there is plenty of nudity as it also explores a dark realm of unabated sexuality. It all culminates into an utterly vicious and frightening climax that will make you feel helpless and vulnerable right along with the victims.
Not recommended to the faint of heart. A must-see if you enjoyed the horror film The Girl Next Door."

Lost in Translation

Foggy Tewsday | 04/12/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Jack Ketchum's novel from which this film has been adapted (The Lost) was set during the mid to late 1960s. The film version is a little more ambiguous as regards when the story occurs. Modern cars and cordless telephones are much in evidence, but the central character, Ray Pye (Marc Senter), has a definite retro look about him. With his immaculately coiffured hair and discreetly applied make-up, there's something of Alex from `A Clockwork Orange' about him. He believes himself to be the epitome of cool; a party animal that the slightly younger kids are in awe of.

Only two, Jennifer and Tim (Shay Astar and Alex Frost), know that Ray is a cold-blooded murderer. The film opens with his brutal slaying of two young women (Erin Brown and Ruby LaRocca) at a local campsite. It is this event that casts its shadow across the remainder of the story, reaching, years later, into the lives of several of the inhabitants of the town of Sparta.

Although the film is a faithful retelling of the novel in terms of events, there is, I suppose necessarily, something lost in terms of characterization. This is particularly true of Detective Charlie Schilling (Michael Bowen), Ed Anderson (Ed Lauter) and Sally Richmond (Megan Henning). Retired police officer Ed Anderson has recklessly embarked on a love affair with Sally, an eighteen-year-old student. Their relationship is not explored in any depth and Ed's rollercoaster feelings of guilt and elation are nowhere near as prominent in the film as they were in the novel. Similarly, Schilling's obsessive angst at the police's failure to nail Ray Pye for the double murder is not apparent enough.

A slight disappointment, for me, was Robin Sydney's performance as bad-girl wannabee Katherine Wallace. In my opinion, she was miscast in this role. Her dialogue is indistinct in places and her body language is unconvincing in this role of the confident young woman whom Ray Pye falls for. Additionally, the soundtrack music is unnecessarily overbearing at times. Yes, we know horrible things are happening, and we know Ray Pye is a sick and twisted individual, but we don't need skull-pounding noise to remind us of that.

For the most part, however, this is a stylish horror film. Marc Senter is superb as the demented Ray Pye, and aside from the already mentioned reservations, the rest of the cast is excellent. The violence is powerfully depicted and horrifying to behold.

There is an interesting audio commentary from Jack Ketchum which should appeal to his fans as he talks about his various writing projects. The bonus material also gives us a look at Robin Sydney's and Shay Astar's auditions. For those who have read the novel, you may be interested to know that the scene where Ray steals some beer from a convenience store while Katherine, ahem, distracts the clerk is missing from the film. The good news is that it does appear in the deleted scenes.
"