The Facility (2012)

Good start, but then it gets ruined

As Good As It Gets

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

"The Facility" has an eerie suspense in it, at least during the first half. Barnard, Coleman, Reid, Roberts et al are all capable performers and deserve much better scripts. Unfortunately I was able to see the direction the film was going by the time the first three "victims" had isolated themselves and gone bonkers as a result of the "pro-nine" drug they had been administered. It culminates in little more than a bloody mess, and a few brief follow-ups to signal that the 80-minute film is over - apparently it's based on an actual occurrence. I had been hoping for more of the eeriness, for example: when Katie discovers that Adam (Barnard) is actually one of the controls. The concept of people lured to a remote facility in order to earn money and finding out that they are being systematically tortured and left to their own devices is nothing new, but I thought that the first half-hour or so was very well done and suspenseful. Barnard is probably a star in the UK and is very expressive. He was also starred in "Citadel," which is even worse - louder and even less coherent and more gory than this ultimately disappointing thriller.

The acting was reasonable, directing fairly seamless, storyline predictable. How you could give it nine stars is beyond me, surely only a subjective cast member.It's the kinda film that opens so predictably that you're almost sure it will contain some twists, but it doesn't. Seems low budget, but the funds were spent wisely. Problem is, everything you think is gonna happen, happens, and is not really resolved, except for a few narrative notes before the closing credits, that kinda annoys me in films, especially when there was no substance during the film itself. They human guinea pigs turn up, get these mysterious injections for the promise of 2 grand payment for 2 weeks of clinical trials, some of them go nuts, few of them attack other patients and it's all over before sunrise. We don't know why, we don't know who is doing it or what the tests are about, nothing. I thought the homeless guy was possibly the best actor, rest were fairly generic, nothing memorable. There were some suspenseful moments, like waiting to see what the drug effects would be like, little bit of violence and gore. I gave it 4, it had potential to be a good horror, but was disappointing. My wife gave it a score of 4 pillows out of 5, 5 meaning she slept thru the whole thing.

The facility despite its micro budget and short length proves to be an actual entertaining movie that you feel could actually happen in real life and isn't to far fetched like the major budget movies being released these days.its the story about 8 strangers all going to a medical clinic to do some medical trials for some money and things go horribly wrong very quick.I went into this one expecting one of those terribly acted extremely cheap films made on a shoe-string budget you just turn off after 10 minutes because there down right disgraceful but i have to say i was surprised with this one.All of the cast put in some really top notch performances and really set the atmosphere to the film and the special effects were impressive as well but the script lacked a little and the film failed to make sense in some parts like were are the cellphones? I'm sure they owned them and brought them with them so why not call for help? and despite one of the characters having taken a placebo instead of the actual drug he fails to come up with the idea of leaving the facility and coming back with help and could of saved some lives in the end because there was an obvious escape route and in the film they actually do go outside only to return to the building. the writers could of done more to amp up the script and plot without costing them money but they failed to do so.despite this the film kept me interested and entertained for the 80 minutes it ran for and i enjoyed the old guy who sounds an awful lot like johnny Vegas.nice job well acted but could of been a lot better 6/10

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Ian Clark's first feature film, being familiar with his classic shorts, particularly the heart-warming 'Def ' and 'Jenny and the Worm'. This tense, tightly- controlled movie focuses on a drugs trial that goes horrifically wrong, with seven 'guinea pigs' from various backgrounds and professions coming together to test the drug Pro 9. The resulting tragic consequences lead to escalating tension as each participant realises they may be next in line to react violently to the drug. Blood and gore is in evidence here but never overdone. In fact, suggestion is all, and Clark's intelligent script, clever camera-work and the omission of overblown music bullying the emotions, allow the viewer's imagination free rein. Claustrophobic scenes of characters in close-up in tight spaces add to the tension, and although there are familiar and unfamiliar elements from the horror genre this is a new and refreshing angle on a neglected subject. There are some loose ends, there's some less than convincing acting at times, but 'Guinea Pigs' is a fine example of what can be achieved on a low budget. An impressive debut, and an exciting foretaste of Ian Clark's next film venture. I, for one, can't wait.