8/10
Still Powerful
27 May 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Death Weekend is a Powerful atmospheric Film. Its a Basic story of a Rich Dentist who loves himself and his money too much. He Brings a fashion Model with him to his country getaway house for the weekend but the pair both have to fight for survival after 4 thugs follow them back to their secluded isolated Country Retreat and hold them captive. The film is Entertaining showing the interaction between The Thugs and the couple. Chuck Shamata plays the dentist who just loves his materialistic possessions and money so much. He has a beautiful house filled with expensive collectibles and furniture. His ego is that of a man who cares for no one but himself and this is evident later in the film when his partner's life and well being is threatened by the thugs who want to rape her and bash her around. The dentist only gets upset and tries to act when his house and possessions are threatened by destruction.

Don Stroud , a Favourite actor of mine has one of his finest hours on film as the leader of the thugs named "Lep". He is really Mean and Violent towards anyone , even his own gang and plays his character with lots of Coolness and Menace. To me , he is a Very bad person but he also shows us in a rare scene or two that he has some feeling towards the fashion model and his behaviour towards her is maybe not purely for the purpose of committing rape.While they are alone in the garden shed after she tries to escape , He stops trying to Rape her after she stops resisting him with her fists and arms , he stops the rape.Then he gently tries to touch her face and kiss her as they are both standing up. She rejects him with a slap in the face and then he hits her but its an interesting scene.A few images of This scene is also cut to at the end of the film after she kills "Lep" by running over him with a car. There is a quick shot of Lep smiling at her in the grassy field and then another cut to the kiss he tried to give her in the shed after she stopped fighting with him. I felt the Director was trying to say something about Lep's character and that he was not entirely all bad as a person. Maybe just a bit lonely and in need of good woman that he wanted to love. Maybe he didn't have to die. The Film has plenty of good scenes. I really liked watching the 4 thugs drink all the alcohol in the house and run amok. They get drunk ,Throw Beer on each other and all around the place ,Act Stupid , Make a Mess ,Vomit , fart and make total idiots of themselves as they totally intimidate and show no respect for the dentist's house.Lep questions the dentist's vast materialism with his house and possessions and labels it all crap. This is funny and it builds to a very dramatic scene where Stroud and his men no longer show any restraint and totally go crazy and start trashing the whole house and furniture to bits. They smash and destroy everything they can yelling , screaming and laughing. Its very funny to see these four morons totally lose it and shows they enjoy acting crazy.

My Girlfriend watched this film with me and had a real hate for Don Stroud's Lep Character and the 3 other men in his gang. She couldn't wait to see them get killed by the Fashion model. They play very evil, sleazy men and act like filthy animals. The Director really portrayed the thugs as very low class human beings. Actually some of the worst thugs i've seen on film ever. Their behaviour is so low life.

Death Weekend is a real 70s Classic. A great Well Paced Thriller with some good Performances. The film is sleazy with its characters but there is no graphic nudity or rape scenes. Overall Well Directed.

Stroud and Brenda Vaccaro are Great and Carry this film....
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