Samantha Andretti (played by Valentina Bellè) reappears 15 years after being kidnapped. While she is recovering in hospital, a celebrated psychiatrist (Dustin Hoffman) tries to help her deal with her trauma while terminally ill detective Bruno Genko (Toni Servillo) makes it his last mission to find the vicious psychopath that has been terrorising the area for decades.
The move is earie from the word “go”. The kidnapped woman describes an extremely disturbing life while she was in captivity, which included sorting out a Rubik’s cube style labyrinth that prompts her to play utterly wicked games in exchange for having her most basic needs met: food, water, clothes… as the years go by, so the stakes of the game rise to the point where Samantha has to allow for someone else’s death to secure her survival.
Dustin Hoffman plays Dr Green, a psychiatrist trying to find the criminal who kidnapped Samantha 15 years ago…
While Dr Green (Dustin Hoffman) is trying to heal her much battered mind and soul, Bruno Genko is out there determined to find the psycho behind. His search leads him to a strange rabbit figure (trust me, you’ll never think bunnies are cute after this) that seems to be the key to the mysterious kidnappings; as well as an old comic called “Bunny” that hides satanic imagery.
Things get even more scary when Linda (she is very close to Genko) appears brutally murdered at her place. I won’t say anymore except that I’ve never felt so uneasy watching a movie since Saw. The movie is directed and adapted by the author of the original novel, Donator Carrisi, who made his directorship debut with The Girl in the Fog a few years ago.
Although in my opinion at times the narration feels a bit confusing and the climax doesn’t measure to expectations, Carrisi masters the art of suspense with a cinematography that verges on the surreal (a bit like David Lynch’s).
The photography is exceptional, with heavy use of colour to create a grotesque atmosphere that aligns with the movie’s script.
Leading Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Toni Servillo, Valentina Bellè, Caterina Shulha.
Director: Donato Carrisi.
Rating: 15
Distributor: Darkland Distribution.
Into The Labyrinth is available on DVD & Digital download from 19th April and can be pre-ordered here
Digital Download Platforms: iTunes, Amazon, Google, Sky, Virigin Media, BT & Rakuten.
Words: Julia Pasarón
Show Comments +