Donkey Punch

Though it’s hard to fault the movie’s premise and performances, Donkey Punch has been infused with an egregiously plodding sensibility that effectively renders its few positive attributes moot. The storyline follows seven young adults, including Julian Morris’ Josh, Jaime Winstone’s Kim, and Tom Burke’s Bluey, as they embark on a weekend of fun and debauchery on board a luxury yacht, though there inevitably reaches a point at which things start to go horribly wrong – with the titular sexual act triggering a series of violent episodes amongst the increasingly paranoid characters. There’s little doubt that Donkey Punch boasts an opening half hour that’s as deliberately-paced and flat-out tedious as one might’ve anticipated, as director and co-writer Oliver Blackburn initially places the emphasis on the central figures’ sordid activities aboard the expansive boat. It’s incredibly repetitive stuff that the viewer is willing to overlook based primarily on the promise of a dark, downright brutal third act, yet the film’s hopelessly stagnant midsection, which revolves mostly around the arguments and double-crosses that ensue between the guys and girls, proves effective in lessening the impact of the admittedly uncompromising final 20 minutes. And while there are a few appreciatively gruesome bits of business contained within the movie’s climax, Donkey Punch ultimately boasts the feel of a perfectly serviceable short that’s ungainly been padded out to feature length.

** out of ****