Trackman (2007)

Thanks for the memories!

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

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

Or is it "My bloody Russian-tine"? Any which way, this tries to mix horror and action into one movie. And while it is very familiar (to anyone who has watched a slasher movie before), it is done decent enough. Not good mind you, but not bad either. The characters are exchangeable (but then again, what slasher movie has great characters in them? Exactly!) and the death scenes are not overly inventively (not in my book anyway).What stays is a nice setting/atmosphere and an extra point for trying. Russian movies that are successful outside their homeland were mostly movies that are thoughtful (Solaris et al). Recently of course there was some Fantasy (Nochnoy Dozor aka Night Watch for example) and here we have a slasher. Nice for a try, but nothing to get too excited about.

Obviously blatantly "inspired" by a few other horror films (namely "My Bloody Valentine" and "See No Evil") "Trackman" is a rather boring and lazy film that meanders along through all the typical slasher film clichés that we have come to know. However, a tad of originality never killed anybody and this is a concept that completely eludes the makers of this film.The plot centers around a couple of criminals who decide to rob a busy bank in the downtown Moscow area. After fatally shooting a security guard the crooks take a few female hostages and escape into an abandoned tunnel that runs below the bustling city of Moscow. However, it seems they chose the wrong hiding place, as a serial killer wearing a variation of a gas mask and armed with a pick axe (sound familiar?) patrols the tunnel, ready to kill and collect the eyes of anyone foolish enough to venture into to it.The Good: "Trackman" is a great looking film. The production values are top notch and, stylistically, the film the film works better than most horror films that have made it into theaters lately. The tunnel setting is definitely creepy and claustrophobic, but the director doesn't take full advantage of this opportunity. The killer is also pretty creepy and intimidating, and his mask/costume works pretty well. He is certainly your 80's style slasher film killer.The Bad: For starters, the characters are all annoying as hell (even the two hostages), so it is really hard to sympathize or even care about any of them. Instead of going this route with the plot/characters, I feel the film could have been more effective following the typical "teenagers in peril" formula. Instead of having robbers as the main characters, have a bunch of teenagers who venture into the tunnels for a little partying be the victims. In fact, when I was watching this film, I kept thinking of the film "Catacombs" and how, if we could take elements from each of these films to make one film, it could be pretty darn good. In addition to having uninteresting characters, the film itself gets pretty boring. There are long stretches of time where nothing happens except the group wandering around the tunnel, occasionally stopping to yell at each other or slap around the hostages. It doesn't keep the viewers attention at all, and when the slashing does begin, it's entirely too late and too tame to redeem the film. Again, we don't care at all about the characters, so it is hard to get too invested in what happens to them. When the end finally does come, it is such a head-scratcher that it makes you even more angry that you just bored yourself for an hour watching the dang film.Overall: A film that is pleasing to look at because of its high production values and stylish setting, but suffers because of a boring pace, extremely clichéd and predictable plot, and unlikeable characters. I'd strongly suggest skipping this one and popping in "My Bloody Valentine"(either the remake OR original!), as no matter how many times you have seen it, it will still be more exciting and entertaining that "Trackman!" FrightMeter Grade: D-

Thieves remove money and three hostages from a Russian bank, take it to a labyrinthine underground subway system of tunnels where their mastermind is supposed to be waiting since he understands where the exit is. What the three bank robbers don't expect is a psycho wielding a pickax with a penchant for removing eyeballs as keepsakes! The film highlights Grom(Dmitri Orlov)as the most level-headed humane figure among the thieves who soon becomes leader of their motley frightened group hoping to set some sort of trap for the killer, but his problem is that only the "trackman" understands his way around the underground maze. Kostya(Tomas Motskus)and his partner were responsible for this seemingly perfect plan of snatch-grab-hide-and-escape not knowing that there would be a major set-back awaiting them in the tunnels. Kostya and his pal had planned on keeping the loot for themselves which, in a wicked twist of fate, is spoiled thanks to their choice of location.The killer wears an eerie pair of goggles over a ski-mask, heavy overcoat and pants, carrying not only his trusty pick-ax but an eye-removing device as well(..one of those nasty kind of creations obviously designed and made by his own mind and hands). Director Igor Shavlak often shoots the trackman in ominous ways and really exploits the dread of our characters' situation thanks in part to the choice of location. The ancient abandoned underground subway tunnels make an ideal choice for an atmospheric hunting ground for a killer, and the perilous situation our characters find themselves in works in the film's favor. The idea that the killer knows the method of travel and escape in the tunnels as the others attempt various ways to escape heightens the suspense even though slasher fans have seen this all before. Director Shavlak mostly pulls his punches, not really elaborating on the attacks with great detail, disguising the pick-ax violence(..and eyeball extracting)through cunning camera-movements and editing. What is a constant, a certain success, is that the location, claustrophobic and unsettling, where light is privilege the characters often lack and their cold breath is always visible, works it's hold over you..you would certainly not want to be caught in this environment with a killer who knows where every nook and cranny is of the place. Unlike a great number of films in the slasher genre, the identity of the killer is of no great importance to the plot as a whole. He's a warped and dangerous psychopath who constantly threatens those he pursues. Guns are used in ways which shape the outcome of certain characters' lives thanks to a killer who hides and moves well in the dark patches of the place with fear often separating them. One robber, who decides that there's no way in hell the killer would get his trophy, slashes his own eyes with a blade. We do witness an eyeball being pried away from the socket, but it's rather brief. I think the novelty of this being a Russian slasher might catch on with fans of the genre, while others will find it just another average entry in the ever-growing cycle of films regarding a serial killer chasing his prey.

A splendid movie, in which a couple of Russians end up in a abandoned subway system beneath the streets of Moscow. Before you know it, a freak (mentally and physically challenged one) is poking their eyeballs out with an eyeball.... poking....thingy... Even though they're all armed to the teeth, almost all of them, somehow managed to die. In the end Grom(some Russian fellow) and Katja(Some Russian bimbo) Surprisingly managed to kill the mentally and physically challenged freak and escape on a motor bike. A THRILLING conclusion to a great, twisted, filled with metaphor and eyeballs masterpiece of a movie. A MUST SEE!(if you happen to have an unpoked set of eyes) P.S. I think it would have been a tiny bit better if the guy shoved the eyeballs in his rectum while making the following sound: "Hargh!" Thank you and good night. Sincerely,The eyeball