Catch Hell (2014) User Reviews

Doesn't do anything to separate it from the rest

[jtindahouse · 6/10 · 8 December 2015]

Ryan Phillippe's directorial debut 'Catch Hell' is a strange little movie. It's an interesting story that never really goes anywhere. The plot never really advances. And Phillippe in the lead role is never really given any opportunity to shine. He co-wrote the story as well so this surprised me. Surely when you write a character that you know you're going to play you give yourself every opportunity to be the star of the show, but this was never really the case. The kidnappers had the most interesting characters of the lot.

It's not an overly bad movie, it's just simply pretty forgettable. There's no element to it that separates it from the bunch. Does Phillippe have a future behind the camera? I don't see why not. This film would have been about as straight forward as they come to direct, but I still didn't see any glaring mistakes he made. The choice of the scene over the credits was a bizarre one for me. I'm not sure exactly what he was going for with that and I'd love to hear his explanation. Give it a look if you're short of something to watch but otherwise you're not missing a whole lot.

Ehhh.

[caja-49761 · 6/10 · 25 April 2019]

And the sheeple gain way and ridicule for another Hollywood false prophet........again.

Although the film is mediocre and you know the ending within the first 20 minutes I still have to give it 5 stars. Why? Because the beauty of these films is for one reason and one reason only. This society depends way too much about the Pitts and the Hanks and the Kardashians the Cruises the Bales the Hiltons etc...its an absolute disgust. We love a good falling down rich guy story or just being rich and famous fascinates most of this idiotic land mass. So here you go. Here's another one for ya to suck up and crap out.

Catching up

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 18 April 2015]

Morality tales are always difficult. Going after the whole fame makes one vulnerable thing too. Put "crazy fans" into it and you get something weird like this. And all that with one of the worst plans (if any) in recent memory. Things can go sideways and they will especially if you haven't really thought about them.

Don't get me wrong, there are quite a few scenes that are difficult to watch, because they are brutal and you feel the pain just watching. Nothing that is exciting or fun in any way. Thankfully it doesn't stay on that track too much. Not the kind of movies I like to watch anyway, this lacks a bit of empathy. Ryan Phillipe might feel at "home" (no pun intended) with some of the scenarios (job and fame wise that is), but this won't help him get back on any Hollywood radar any time soon

What Indie films should be about

[aGuiltySoul · 17 October 2014]

Independent films aren't what they used to be. They rarely get much play. These smallish, low budget niche films famously launched newcomers and gave opportunity for more experienced performers to take risks, doing something new. At the same time the venue often times created films far more interesting than what the studios were financing. With the occasional exception, those days are all but gone.

Catch Hell is one of those exceptions. Written, produced, directed, starring, and promoted by Ryan Phillippe along with his partners, this is the little film that could. It rests on the shoulders of mostly unknown performers who give it their all and show the depth of talent that's available should the big film makers only take notice. Catch Hell is part horror, a little bit thriller, and most parts character study. It tells the story of a man who shares Ryan's initials and POV, an actor who is kidnapped while on rather remote location for a film he's been forced to sign onto because of a fading career. Mike, the older of the two kidnappers, believes the actor had an affair with his wife and has enlisted his passive yet young and strong nephew to help kidnap and torture Reagan Pierce.

Reagan is taken to a shack in the swamps of Louisiana, violently beaten, chained and held captive. Not just satisfied with maiming him, his captors use his phone and laptop to start posting homophobic rants in his name. He suffers several more beatings and is starved. The future seems grim and hopeless for Reagan.

While held captive Reagan spends most of his time with the nephew, Junior, played by Stephen Louis Grush. Junior is not very intelligent and seems to be more of an instinctive creature of the swamp than of modern civilization, but if you think that makes him a one note mental defect, you'd be wrong. One of the most intriguing parts of this film is how fascinatingly and, yes, even sympathetically, Junior is portrayed. Without relying on shallow sentiment or corny back story, but by virtue of performance and dialog alone, Junior quickly becomes the heart of this film, a strange little half man who the world has never known and will quickly abandon.

Ryan Phillippe has described this film as a simple short story. I can't disagree with that. Ultimately, Reagan Pierce survives his capture and the two kidnappers suffer primitive justice handed out by their desperate prisoner in order to escape. The story is pretty straightforward. But that doesn't mean it is shallow. It's a fascinating character study of the kidnappers and of Reagan Pierce. There are some beautifully done moments in the film: Junior's knowledge and kinship with the swamp, his preparation of gator stew, and Pierce and Mike, the older bearded kidnapper, having a drawn out conversation about Mike's wife. You can feel the testosterone fumes in air as these two men face off as Reagan in his outrage seems to have no regard for his helpless state. And, there is Junior's shy infatuation with his prisoner and the way Reagan starts to flirt with Junior as a way to lower Junior's defenses. It's a slow swamp dance that Junior thinks is in his control, but proves to be his undoing.

Ryan Phillippe layers his own character with a sense of what it is to be an actor in today's social media mad world. It's interesting to see how even Junior understands such things as the Internet and sites such as TMZ. Hmmm, could Ryan be giving us a statement on the mental acuity of the people who post such vile comments on various sites?

Tig Nataro, the comedienne, has a small part in this film as Mike's sister. She is so good that I wish her part had been larger. For all of the above reasons, this film shows that it is the hands of a new, but gifted filmmaker.

I can't close without remarking about two things. One is the beautiful way that the Louisiana swamp is filmed. The cinematography is overall beautifully done. And lastly, the closing credit sequence. Such a surprising choice. Funny as hell. A little tip of the hat from Ryan Phillippe to thank us for giving his film our time.

Swamp Thing

[ferguson-6 · 3/10 · 25 October 2014]

Greetings again from the darkness. Ryan Phillippe has hit the big Four-O, so it makes sense that he would want to explore the other side of the camera with writing, directing, and producing. He's had a pretty successful acting career given what could be termed a minimal lack of range and a quiet screen presence. His feature film directorial debut utilizes a script he co-wrote with Joe Gossett, capitalizing on Phillippe's lot in Hollywood right now ... the once promising star looking to recapture the magic with a "game-changer".

The film opens with a dramatic shot of actor Reagan Pearce's (RP ... get it?) stunning mansion. We see him catch a flight to Shreveport, Louisiana and take a meeting with a slightly spastic director and blow-hard producer. He decides to stick with the project in an effort to re-establish his career ... he's just out of rehab (of course). The next morning, things go really badly as Reagan is kidnapped by a couple of Louisiana hillbillies and locked up in a swamp cabin.

Brutal torture scenes follow and we soon enough learn that one of his captors (Ian Barford) is seeking revenge for Reagan's dalliance with his wife on the set of a movie. The plan is to destroy his reputation and then kill him once he is hated by all. The script attempts some Hollywood satire and makes some obvious commentary on the whole tabloid and celebrity world, but mostly it comes off as a bit self-indulgent for Mr. Phillippe.

There are some flashes of interesting moments, mostly involving Stephen Grush as the second hillbilly with homosexual overtures towards Reagan. Unfortunately, the film does not take advantage of the colorful swamp setting and instead takes place almost entirely within the run down cabin. You will note dashes of Deliverance, Black Snake Moan, and Misery, but this one isn't at that level. Instead it comes off like a bucket list item for Phillippe ... director/writer/producer/star of his own film.

Kinda dug it

[rzajac · 7/10 · 15 January 2015]

An amazing thing about Catch Hell is how unexpectedly *watchable* it is. I really figured it wouldn't have staying power, yet it coaxed me in.

Others have commented on the film's modest strengths, which are; decent writing, good acting, good pacing (the scenes that seek to capture the long waiting of a hostage situation like this don't feel interminable), good (if elemental) character development, good editing, interesting scenario.

And, amazingly, the final scene (which ingeniously plays over the end credits) struck me as a profound redemption tour-de-force. Rarely have I seen such a cosmic message writ so bizarrely. I can think of one other example, off the top of my head, that comes close. And, when I say "redemption", I don't mean the redemption of a person. I really mean the redemption of this film from being a mere low-rent action/horror snack. I'm sincere about this: It says an important thing about the nature of grace; that you might encounter some at the very bottom of a very deep, very dark pit.

Worth watching, even if only because you're fascinated by the promise of smart low-budget stylizing.

Oh Lord......Don't CATCH this.....

[mgiorgio66 · 2/10 · 3 December 2014]

Yikes. I heard Phillipe promoting this on the radio and was intrigued. Downloaded it and boy was I disappointed. Just awful in almost every way. Now, I am not a fan of horror or B thrillers, and maybe that's what they were going for here, but still.......... Some of the actors were like out of a Troma film, the script was shoddy, predictable, pandering, and at times just simply stupid. The only good point to this entire movie, and the reason I didn't give it 1, was the actor who played Junior. He was wonderful. Interesting to watch, made some great and creepy choices, really seemed to delve into the world of the movie without taking US out as a result, and made his scenes memorable. Furthermore, it seemed apparent that the writer probably had this character in mind initially and built the script out from there, since he seemed to also be the only character that was fully developed, had layers, and a sense of a back story. There's even a really creepy shot of him doing shirtless chin ups and then just hanging on the bar like a monkey staring at Phillipe. A bit of artistic symbolism that seemed to conversely come out of nowhere in the rest of this mess. Ryan: stick to acting......you've been privileged to do some fantastic films alongside some turkeys. This one by far gobbled the worst.

Surprisingly Good! Don't Believe the Negative Reviews!

[Topaz1922 · 7/10 · 27 January 2015]

Based on the negative reviews, I almost didn't get this movie. But after renting it from Redbox and figuring that besides losing my time, it wouldn't hurt to lose a $1.50 so I took the "risk". I'm glad I did. Not only was it entertaining all the way throughout the movie, it was really good to be Ryan Phillippe's first crack at directing. Don't forget that he also wrote AND starred in it!

Despite the majority of the movie only revolving around three characters, there were some funny parts associated with the typical stereotypes of people in the Louisiana bayou but I would definitely recommend you see this movie and not just out of boredom. Go rent it.

Awful

[zetes · 3/10 · 31 December 2014]

Ryan Phillipe's career goes down the toilet even further in this action thriller which he directed, wrote and stars in. It's more sad than embarrassing. Playing a somewhat autobiographical character, Phillipe stars as a down-and-out Hollywood star. He's seen better days, and is now set to star in a low budget thriller filming in Louisiana. There, he's kidnapped by a couple of rednecks who want revenge. Ever the cad (though he wants to stop being one), Phillipe banged one of their wives. They take him to a remote cabin in the bayou and torture him. Before killing him, they want to ruin his reputation by taking over his Twitter account and posting anti-Semitic rants. When the cuckold leaves his buddy to guard Phillipe, of course he turns out to be a closet homosexual who wants to rape Phillipe. The whole thing comes off as a weird fantasy of some way Ryan Phillipe could once again become noteworthy. It must really hurt that his more talented ex-wife is getting the reviews of her life

Catch to watch

[alin_1-1 · 7/10 · 21 April 2015]

Wondering how come this has under 2k voters in over 4 months since the release.

Maybe the script is not something new, but this is the case with almost everything nowadays. However, the way how the things are presented and the acting level is notable.

The situation is simple and one young actor is trapped into a scam for doing a new film, things ending up with him being a prisoner. But from an initial ignorance and the 'stars attitude' he is going to transform himself and to experience a new reality, of being afraid, insecure, hurt and even losing his 'image' for the outside world.

Ryan Phillippe is putting a great effort in impersonating all these emotions, while on the dark side, you will get a good acting level from both kidnappers.

Could have been much better

[aceellaway2010 · 5/10 · 30 April 2015]

I give this movie a 5 because it is watchable. There are certain scenes that both repel and fascinate. Watching the guy skin the alligator was too much for this viewer, too graphic and detailed. Somewhere there was the essence of a good movie. But some things stand out as odd. This is not the first film I have seen with Ryan being held prisoner and tortured and beaten. When the "gay" part came up it seemed odd that it hadn't figured in the scenes of him going to the bathroom. Wouldn't the "Junior" character have said "I can't untie you, I'll have to unzip your pants and hold you stuff"? Which would have allowed a nice shot of Ryan's junk and not just his backside later in the movie. Ryan seems to think that a homo would only be interested in intercourse with his backside, -admittedly very pleasant to look at, and quite courageous I guess to put it on display in such a fashion.

I found the role of the older kidnapper difficult, it just seemed too much of a caricature, seen in too many films.

probably not the actor's fault but my feeling was "If you've seen one ,you've seen them all".

Ryan certainly looks good for his age.

I have no idea what the final sequence was about... was he thinking "I wish that me and junior had got it on...", or "it wasn't all bad..."

I dunno, not a bad film, but not good. Maybe Ryan's next effort will be better.

PS" my use of the words "intercourse" "stuff" and "backside" were forced because the review site would not accept the more "real' words I used.

Impressed

[seanface · 8/10 · 19 January 2015]

I wasn't too sure what to make of this when I first read up on it however, after watching it I was really surprised.

The story line was really good, so was the acting. Maybe my expectations of the film were quite low as I hadn't heard much talk about it. So when I actually watched it, it exceeded the low expectations I had.

This movie keeps you gripped all the way through and has some twists and turns you weren't expecting which is great in any movie!

I'm no movie critic but in my opinion, this film is well worth a watch. Not the best kidnap film ever made, equally, it's still a good film with a strong story line and one I would recommend.

A star is.....re-born!

[rbrb · 7/10 · 4 August 2016]

When I viewed this movie it was named "Chained".

It is a drama thriller about a Hollywood actor with a declining career who is kidnapped by thugs and held locked up in a remote cabin....

I thought the lead players all give full throttle performances including the baddies and the film is mostly compelling and well presented.

The very last sequence I found a little bit odd but despite that I was impressed with this picture and Ryan Phillippe is not someone who I had noticed before but he certainly has star quality:

7/10.

A film that tries to be something, ends up being nothing.

[jake-lamotta-batman · 1/10 · 16 October 2014]

This was quite a bad feature film, and as a debut film it truly shows a lack of potential, as in all of the influences are starkly obvious and the film adds none of it's own originality to the mix. This is most certainly a film to avoid, the performances were sub-par, the dialogue & Character Development were horrendous. The ending of this film gave me the exact opposite reaction which Misery gave me, as in the protagonist in this film showed no redeeming features what so ever and I wouldn't have cared less if he had lived or died. This film is not comparable to Misery which is a masterpiece next to this, which provides you with how the protagonist was captured and how the escape attempts come in to play and the mental war between the fan kidnapper and the fading sane celebrity. I feel sorry for Ryan as he seems like a good guy based off of his appearance on Opie & Jim this month (one of the reason I watched this film), but if he sees this character as a representation of self, he must see himself as quite a Giant douchebag without any redeeming features. It's hard to say this film had potential as the subject matter has been done much better, and the directing ability appears to be that of someone who enjoys watching movies, but isn't a cinephille by any means, and he is in the film industry already, why not? Well Mr. Phillippe, this movie is exactly why not.

Better material for a debut

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 21 January 2015]

Ryan Phillippe directs and stars in Catch Hell the story of a film star on the downward slope of his career getting kidnapped by a pair of rednecks. One of them is Ian Barford who has a psychotic personality and a grudge against Phillippe for having a quickie with his wife. Poor Ryan he just can't remember who it was. Turns out she was a wardrobe girl on the set of one of his films. Barford and his nephew Stephen Louis Grush who's just a follower type drive off with him from his hotel in Shreveport, Louisiana and take him to a secluded cabin in the bayous.

Of course Barford wants to kill him, but he also wants to humiliate him as well so he gets Phillippe to cough up his computer and Twitter passwords and he starts posting all kinds of noxious material, the kind that has ruined the reputations of folks like Charlie Sheen and Mel Gibson.

No doubt Ryan Phillippe was going for a gay audience as well because of Grush's character. Throughout the film he's giving the look of love to Phillippe as he's a most closeted gay man. Life throws Grush a real nasty curve however. It gets good and homoerotic with Phillippe and Grush.

I wish Phillippe had picked some better material for a directorial debut. But the man does show some promise there.

Phillippe's Directorial Debut...Doesn't Suck..??!

[MovieHoliks · 6/10 · 3 June 2015]

I caught this awhile back off Netflix, and forgot to review this. Ryan Phillippe, who recently turned the big 4-0, made his directorial debut with this torture thriller, also starring as a has-been actor (sound familiar? LOL) who is kidnapped and tortured by two backwoods thugs in Florida (I think??) while shooting a little movie there.

I was surprised that I didn't hate this movie, in fact I would actually give it a borderline recommendation for fans of Phillippe (and torture or snuff films! LOL). In some ways, this is the best acting work of his career. He said in an interview (and even near the end of the film) that the experience of this movie taught him to treat others better- or at least made him a little more aware of how he treated others-?? I think that's something we all could take a lesson from...

Just awful... I'm embarrassed for Phillipe.

[AvnerLipschitzDDS · 1/10 · 4 June 2015]

Wow was this (TV?) movie horrible. Even for Hallmark channel standards. I can't honestly find a redeeming quality in the film except the shooting location which was under utilized. Whoever is writing Phillipe's positive reviews clearly have more talent with diction than he does.

While Phillipe has been in a couple decent films, this was quite far from one of them. He is certainly not a screen writer. He is even less a director. I hope he didn't produce this bomb because it is frankly laughable.

The dialogue- pedestrian. The character development- virtually none to speak of and only exists as a cheap parody of stereotypes. The plot- an uninspired remake of hundreds of episodes you might see on any Lifetime TV series.

In short... It's a large turd. So do yourself the courtesy of a preemptive courtesy flush and save yourself the smell of complete and utter desperation.

Background scene for the credits is a total Crock!

[joyteachem · 7/10 · 3 March 2015]

Other than that it was an entertaining flick... But I need TEN lines! Hmmm...I know! Excerpt from Genesis ! 24 ¶ And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 26 ¶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 29 ¶ And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. 31 ¶ And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. 1 ¶ Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. 4 ¶ These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. 6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. 7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

experiment

[Vincentiu · 4 February 2015]

the good thing - Stephen Louis Grush's performance. the bad thing - ambition of Ryan Phillippe to do a horror.because the result is a not inspired experiment - too large, too confuse, chaotic and predictable. and nothing more. not purpose, not answers. and the desire to say all in a kind of ironic image about Hollywood. a film saved by a single actor and the final scene. and it could not be enough when all is known and the expectations are reasonable. the collection of old tricks, the mistakes at every step, the not convincing acting, the dusty solutions are only bricks for a strange work. and the excuses , in that case, are lost. a film about fame and revenge. like too many others.

Trash

[CptDrA · 1/10 · 24 September 2018]

Simply trash. Don't waste your time and money. I'd give it 0 stars if I could.

Shades of Deliverance

[lavatch · 7/10 · 20 December 2022]

This drama set in the Louisiana bayou recalls "Deliverance," one of the iconic films of the 1970s. The environment of danger were captured effectively in this "hostage" film.

The characters of Mike and his nephew Junior were credibly repellent. But the standout in the film is their hostage Reagan Pierce, played with conviction by Ryan Philippe.

The film was angling for a message about how pampered and narcissistic movie stars can be taken down a notch and taught a life lesson about humility. But the strength of the film was in the action of Reagan overcoming his captors to live another day.

Some viewers may feel squeamish due to the violence and unpleasant nature of the kidnapping and long spell of the protagonist in captivity. But, much like its predecessor "Deliverance," "Catch Hell" delivered on the experience of a nightmare in the bayou.

Not much of a good reason to watch this

[kysta · 4/10 · 9 November 2021]

Kudos to RP for multi tasking in this production however it's low budget (where it's painfully obvious its low budget and doesn't have many redeeming qualities to rely on).

It all feels a bit half baked/amateur hour and i can't recommend it for the fact there is nothing to really note otherwise. Pick something else.

loved it!!

[jayceeg8 · 10/10 · 13 November 2014]

This movie is a super fun ride. Thoroughly entertaining, suspenseful, smart and funny you will not be disappointed with Catch Hell! The film is rich with beautiful shots and an awesome soundtrack that create a perfect backdrop for the clever and disturbing writing. This well crafted script has many surprising twist and turns that will leave you on the edge of your seat....wanting more. Ryan Phillippe's performance both in front of the camera and behind the camera is raw, real and quite impressive. My favorite take away is the film's message on karma. A dark comedy that will surely be a cult classic and stir a following with Ryan Phillippe fans. Don't miss the last scene.

Odd, boring, brokeback mountain for poor ppl

[markolaubsch · 1/10 · 21 February 2019]

Gay kidnappers, Weak story, really dumb figures, and again and again same quotes... hard to watch till the end

Above average thriller!

[bayareamike · 8/10 · 17 January 2015]

What to say??? We've seen this before - a guy get's kidnapped, tortured & told he will be killed later (why they don't just kill him now when it would make sense would erase the need for the film so we go through it). It is a well filmed thriller (low budget i'm sure, but it doesn't show). The actors are good, the action is good, and the story ends like all of the others - the guy eventually escapes killing the people who chained him up. There is some "Deliverence" style stereotypes of those in the woods wanting to have sex with other men because there is nothing else around, or simply because no woman would want to have sex with these swamp folks. There are some racial & homophobic statements throughout (which is fine with me, but the 'Political Correct' folks probably don't like it thus I would venture to guess the low rating of the movie). I think it deserves a rating higher than 5. Anyway, it is above average for the type of film it is - I enjoyed it. Didn't look at the clock once, so that's also a good sign. I wouldn't go out of my way to see this film but if watching it an option, it is more than worth a 2 hour viewing if you want some backwoods action! I would rate it a B