Trapped (1982)

William Fruet is probably one of the most talented canadian genre-directors I know. Always right on the edge of what people think is "resposible filmmaking" and also with that european sensibility like David Cronenberg. I haven't seen Trapped before, but when Code Red released it I had to own it of course. Henry Silva as Chatwill is really the lead in this movies. Sure, there's some kids being kidnapped by him after witnessing a murder, but Silva (and the rest of the gang playing rednecks) steals every scene. Most of the movie is set in a small country village where the people are living after "The Law", which means they take the law in their own hands.

After Chatwill finds his young wife in bed with a social welfare agent he goes completely nuts (he himself was fucking a girl in the forest at the same time by the way, but like all men he also seem to forget that) and kills the poor guy. A couple of students out hiking is witnessing the murder and soon they're trapped to in the village. But Chatwill isn't that popular anymore, and even his friends and relatives start to realise that he need's to be stopped! One of the students didn't get caught, and now he's gonna kill Chatwill once and for all!

Henry Silva is an amazing actor, and here he plays a brutal redneck as convincing as he plays an indian, an italian, a chinese or all the other characters he played during his career. He's also extremly unsympathetic! Probably one of the most disgusting characters I've seen in a movie. One of those that you really feels deserves to die a horrible death! After seeing him you just want to go Rambo-democratic on he and his stupid inbreeds! But the character is complex to, and it's interesting to see how he reacts when he slowly looses the power over his neighbours, relatives and friends. Like a wild dog who's gonna be shot he's getting more and more agressive and desperate.

The locations are cool, classic redneck-country, and except a few weird-looking day-for-night-scenes the movie has a great atmosphere and looks wonderful. One thing that is weak is the beginning, and it takes quite a long time before you really get into the action and terror. There's some great stuff all over the movie, but it's just the last half hour that's really fantastic and intensive. Silva going berserk with his car, his only friend having a shoot-out with one of the students and a good car-chase is top-notch. Not much blood, but the violence is brutal and has a sadistic edge.

Trapped is no masterpiece as a whole movie, but parts of it are awsome. I recommend it to all you out there that loves a good backwoods-terror-thriller!