Caught Inside (2010)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Fantastic!

The acting in this movie is really good.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

"Caught Inside" (2010) is an Australian psychological thriller about a group of surfers who sail to a remote island paradise for vacation. A couple of women join the expedition at the last moment and they bring out the animal in one particular surfer and the holiday turns into a torturous adventure.What I liked about this film, aside from the professional fimmaking and paradisical locations (Maldives), was the realism of the story and characters. The film skirts the borders of the slasher genre and I'm sure it was tempting for the writers to have the psycho (Ben Oxenbould) morph into Jason Vorhees, but they wisely resisted.***SPOILER ALERT*** Someone complained on the message board about how unbelievable it was at one point when a group of four or five from the expedition "cowardly" put up with the psycho's tormenting antics when he doesn't even have a weapon. But this is where the film shines as a PSYCHOLOGICAL thriller and not just a thriller. Bull, the psycho, had gained the upper hand by this point in the story. The others are literally afraid of him and fearing for their lives. They're also in shock since this was supposed to be a paradise surfing vacation. The blond guy with short hair tried to scrap with Bull a couple of times and was easily humbled, not to mention beat up. It's a mental thing. Bull is the king of the mountain at this juncture -- "king" by brute force and arrogance alone. One of the girls, Sam, is anticipating getting raped and who knows what else. The teen dude doesn't know what to do, since he was Bull's little buddy, but now he sees what a total psycho he is. So they're all afraid and considering their options. No doubt they're thinking of ganging up on him, but they simply don't have it in them at this moment, so they endure his tormenting antics. They're also waiting for the right opportunity when their chances of success are best.I didn't find this unbelievable at all; in fact, I found it very realistic.***END SPOILER***If you like films like the excellent "Dead Calm" (1989), be sure to check out "Caught Inside." It's not as good, but it comes respectfully close.By the way, the Australian accents are thick so I recommend using the subtitles.The film runs 93 minutes.GRADE: B

Surfers head out to catch some waves and a power struggle unfolds on a sailing boat. That's the premise of this feature film, which would have benefited from some extra editing. Ben Oxenbould does a great job as your typical testosterone filled Aussie dickhead, who, much like the screenwriter of this movie, seems to be losing the plot quite often. Sam, the female lead who gets a kick out of manipulating people, seems to be equally creepy as Bull (Oxenbould) but the film only threads down this path very lightly. The other characters are pretty one dimensional and the focus stays on Bull, who's up there with other great on-screen sociopaths. The low budget can't be blamed for a missed Oscar opportunity but rather the way the story is presented to the viewer.Recommended for that holiday trip with friends and foes.

Caught Inside is a taught psychological thriller set on a Surfing Safari in the Maldives with a thought provoking script that revolves around a central character who is not unlike Max Cady from Cape Fear.Director Adam Blaiklock and the crew spent a month or so in the Maldives filming Caught Inside. From the outset a requirement was that the actors were all competent surfers and the surfing scenes are all shot with realism. The story is cleverly and quietly developed with moments of real suspense and surprise that make the audience gasp.Ben Oxenbould plays Bull, at first glance popular with his peers, a larrikin who can charm anyone when he wants to. However we soon learn that he has a dark side. He has issues with women and anyone who disagrees with him and his disturbing sociopathic tendencies cannot be hidden in the confined spaces of the vessel.He uses his strength as an intimidation to others but, interestingly, never takes on the Captain played by Peter Phelps. It is not clear whether this is due to some past incident, his respect for authority or the fact that the skipper might be stronger than him but anyone else who crosses his path is fair game.Despite the fact that the Captain laid out the ground rules at the beginning of the trip, it becomes evident that the cruise participants are on their own – miles from anywhere. No one can help. This plays into Bull's hands as his manic tendencies become obvious. There are subtle hints that he has shown this type of behaviour before and he becomes more and more menacing and unhinged as the film progresses.Caught Inside was filmed with a tight budget but it does demonstrate how important it is to base a movie on a great script. The film essentially revolves around Bull and Ben Oxenbould is truly exceptional in the role. He has been known as a comic actor with his performances in Comedy Inc but this film provides him with an opportunity to display a real talent for a complex character role.In some ways the other actors are incidental to Bull but they are generally all very competent.It is disappointing that Caught Inside hasn't reached a wider audience. The sad reality these days is that it is very difficult to get wide distribution without major stars and studio backing. Independent film makers face an up hill battle to get their films screened in cinemas.Highly recommended.

Cards on the table: the director and co-writer of this film are two of my oldest and dearest friends. I attended the world premier screening at the Sydney Film Festival with some trepidation. What if it's awful? Will it be a quaint little Aussie indie flick? What do I say after the film if I hate it? Thankfully, right from the portentous dismembering of fish during the opening titles, I knew I had none of these issues to deal with. Caught Inside is a beautifully made film and a well crafted story featuring believable, fallible, human players. The performances drive the narrative with skill and energy. Bull's menacing presence is carried from the outset with supreme confidence by Ben Oxenbould in a potentially award winning performance. The story is nuanced and the script allows the characters and tension to develop towards an 'edge of seat' climax. I will happily send friends to see this film, not on the proviso of supporting my friends' project, but on the promise of witnessing an excellent piece of cinema. Well written, well shot, well lit, well cast, well acted.May it travel far.