6/10
Och aye the grue.
2 October 2014
Warning: Spoilers
According to British folklore, Sawney Bean was the head of a 48-strong Scottish clan executed for murder and cannibalism in the 15th or 16th century. This movie posits that one member somehow escaped justice and that descendants of the Bean clan still live in the highlands, living in a network of caves, feeding on human flesh. Investigating a spate of recent grisly murders, reporter Hamish MacDonald (Samuel Feeney) unravels the horrifying truth...

Although the film suffers from a few pacing issues, with proceedings getting bogged down somewhat by Hamish's tedious investigative process, Sawney: Flesh of Man features just enough OTT gore and sporadic bouts of craziness to ensure that the film is an entertaining ride regardless. Sawney is played with relish by David Hayman and he is a delightfully slimy character, slurping blood off his still writhing victims, sexually gratifying himself with a victim's severed hand (before finishing the job by raping a female prisoner), and gleefully hacking up corpses, while the other demented characters in the clan include a cannibalistic dwarf, a pair of deformed brothers adept at parkour, and their monstrous mother who is fed spare body parts drenched in blood.

Twisted highlights include an exciting chase scene through the rugged Scottish landscape that culminates with a girl choosing suicide over capture, an unfortunate traffic warden being buggered by one of the Bean brothers, a brief cocaine-fuelled martial arts scene (I kid ye not), and a ridiculous finalé in which one member of the flesh-eating family produces a machine gun and begins blasting away at poor Hamish (who is still reeling from seeing his girlfriend's severed head in a fridge). Also worthy of note is the excellent cinematography, which captures the untamed Scottish wilderness in all it's rugged glory and looks like it comes from a much more prestigious production.
4 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Recently Viewed