By Malice Intended

American films have never been known for realistic depictions of violence.  More often than not, violence is shown as thrilling. It’s nearly impossible for onscreen carnage to evoke the same sort of horror as its real life counterpart.  That being said, it is still possible to disturb modern audiences.  Filmmakers from countries where violent death runs rampant offer some of the most startling images audiences are likely to see. 

The gritty Russian gangster film The Alien Girl has an equally hard boiled pedigree.  It’s based on a popular graphic novel written by ex-gang member turned blogger Vladimir “Adolfych” Nesterenko.  The movie tells the story of Angela, a young girl in Prague whose brother is in league with gangsters.  When he agrees to cooperate with the authorities, his former employers kidnap Angela in an effort to keep him quiet.  She is taken to the Ukraine and sold into sexual slavery.  She then begins to play a deadly game against her captors, playing one against the other in a bid to earn her freedom. 

The trailer opens in the midst of an assassination.  A car and its passengers are riddled with machine gunfire.  What is striking about the sequence is how plain and matter of fact it is.  It has none of the cosmetic touches of its American counterparts save for the use of slow motion.  There are no geyser-like sprays of stage blood, nor any lovingly rendered gun shots wounds or splashes of crimson on the cars interior.  The shot is not meant to be impressive or to stand out in an artsy way.  The event simply happens.  The assassins carry out their jobs in a very matter of fact manner.  There a number of scenes like that in this trailer.  The lack of melodrama and artistic pretense makes it all the more disturbing.   

Alien Girl looks compelling, though its stark treatment of its subject matter will definitely be off putting for those with tender sensibilities.  That, coupled with it being a subtitled foreign film makes it chances for mainstream success non existent.  It will likely curry favor with cultists and audiences members who are a bit more daring and open minded.  As hard as they may be to watch, such films are necessary in these days and times.  American filmmakers often treat violence with frivolity, or as something to spice up an otherwise mundane story.  Something like Alien Girl can serve as effective counter programming. 

[pro-player width=’425′ height=’344′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vrx8bCE8WZM&feature=player_embedded[/pro-player]

Follow Us on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/planetill

Follow Malice Intended on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/renaissance1977

Join Us on the Planet Ill Facebook Group for more discussion

Follow us on Networked Blogs