Stricken

Rating:
Summary: You will forget you are watching a movie...
Review: There are only a few films that drag me into the story so much that it leaves me emotionally exhausted. This film is one of them. At the closing credits, Stricken left me in mourning. Each of the cast members had their strengths and weakness', but as a whole, this film was exceptional. It was driven by the story, by the madness, and by an unbelievable performance from Jamie Kennedy.
True, Kennedy is one of my favorites, the man has talent, and I'm going to be real..he's butterscotch all over. However this man was fierce in this film! He OWNED this role, and once you see this film you will hold Jamie in the highest regard as an amazing dramatic talent.

The story held my interest from go. Let me brake it down for you.

Six friends are obsessed with playing practical jokes..on each other. Now most of us would just up and leave, find new friends to hang out with, but it's like they have no one else. They are all drawn together no matter the hell they put each other through. The tension between these kids is powerful. I found myself frustrated by the cruelty of some and the naive innocence of others. It was all fun and games, until someone ended up dead!
Trust no one. Know that no one is really your friend. You were just a joke for their amusement. How does one cope with the realization that you have been used by those you trusted?

Jamie Kennedy plays Banyon, and his character was the most believable and complicated of all the others. Life is not simple. There are no fairy tale endings here. The irony of Banyon's story is that murder does not complicate a situation but it clarifies things. Banyon makes you question the murders themselves. Our inner self tells us murder is bad, but in this film it's much more complicated than that. You see how they treat Banyon, how his father treats him, and you find yourself looking at things through his eyes, coming to the conclusion that you are the only victim here.

Jamie Kennedy's performance is flawless. Take notice to his eyes when he speaks. There is so much going on behind those piercing and troubled eyes. Kennedy gave Banyon so many layers, he was the innocent, and yet he was the maniac. Can an innocent be driven to murder? And if the innocent was driven can you blame him? When all you know is cruelty..can you really be blamed when cruelty is all you can give? You only can give what you receive.
I found myself forgetting that this was a movie. I was swept up in the chaos between these six kids. I felt only for Jamie's character, Banyon. We have all had times where we were the joke, where we felt used and abused. How far can you be pushed before you fall over the edge.

" I was stripped of my clothes. I laid there naked in front of those sluts. They were laughing at me. " - Banyon.

At the end of the film I felt a little responsible for all that had happened. I found myself wondering; if things would have been different if those kids would have shown just a small amount of human kindness. In a strange way you feel that everyone in the end, get what they deserve. You can only get what you give in to life.
In the end, I felt responsible. I wished I was in the story. I wish I could have saved them from themselves. I wish I could have saved Banyon. I sat there watching and couldn't do a thing to stop it. This film really hurt me.

Stricken moved me - seduced me - depressed me - excited me - confused me - and frightened me all in the span of 90 minutes.
This is the first film in a long time that troubled me. I found myself sliding off my chair, creeping up to the TV screen to be closer. I wanted to be there, try to make things right. In the end, I felt like one of the victims. I felt like Banyon.
Buy this movie to experience it for yourself.