Red Dot

Streamed via Netflix

What a pleasant surprise! _Red Dot_ is a well crafted Scandinavian vacation-gone-wrong thriller about a couple goes on hiking trip in attempt to rekindle their marriage only to be stalked by a mysterious shooter and forced them to survive in the unforgiving wilderness. The story is really good, paced really well and keep me guessing the whole time. I liked the beautiful frozen landscapes. There are moments where the acting is pretty unconvincing but the tension is real and the emotions are delivered. Lots of brutal and graphic moments (a dog died in this movie) and full of twists even though some are quite predictable.

**THE GOOD: ‘RED DOT’**

WRITING: 65
ACTING: 60
LOOK: 80
SOUND: 60
FEEL: 85
NOVELTY: 25
ENJOYMENT: 85
RE-WATCHABILITY: 85
INTRIGUE: 85
EXPECTATIONS: 90

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**THE GOOD:**

This film uses very simple methods to build and maintain tension. The northern Swedish wilderness, the constantly shifting angles and lively cinematography, as well as the sudden moments of silence followed by all hell breaking loose, keep most of the film flowing.

This film isn’t scary in particular, but it is intense and forces the audience to endure watching the two leads getting tortured by an unknown assailant.

The vast snowy landscapes and winter weather help to give this film a creepy atmosphere.

The actors do a pretty good job acting desperate, scared and panicked as they struggle to survive their hunters and the extreme weather.

I find it fascinating how, although two-thirds of this film is pretty much a rinse and repeat process, the film still manages to feel tense and exciting and never loses steam.

I didn't see the central twist coming and have to say it is pretty neatly executed. It's about the only form of depth this film features.

The final act is almost excessively intense but also serves as a satisfying conclusion to a film with almost no plot.

Ultimately this turns out to be a Nordic take on a Shakesperian tragedy.

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**THE BAD:**

Geeze, Nanna Blondell and Anastasios Soulis are simply another forcibly Scandinavian young couple with zero chemistry and stereotypical gender roles.

The plot is thinner than paper and lacks any bigger depth. Even the obstacles our protagonists face don't seem to have a very high impact on their overall experience. They survive one and stumble into the next like beating levels of a video game.

Another film that abruptly cuts from one scene it another tight when the scene has established a nice atmosphere. At least let us take in the moment before pulling the rug from under our feet, goddammit!

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**THE UGLY:**

Never underestimate what you can learn from FPS video games, kids!

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**VERDICT:**

_Narratively thin and largely clichéd, this Nordic Netflix thriller is surprisingly tense and offers some unforeseen twists for an overall enjoyable experience._

**72% = ✅ = GOOD**

The usual horror/thriller formula of making your main characters do increasingly dumber things is very present here, but Red Dot manages to be engaging with a decent twist if you're willing to forgo the overtly dumb lead-up to the final confrontation. Not bad.

My cat couldn't bring herself to follow the red dot and I couldn't be bothered either. It's competently made but the twist cheats the viewer, and the film suffers narratively as a result.

They should've called this film _Befrielse_ because it's _Deliverance_ in Swedish.

And oh the secrets they have to keep from us and reaches they have to make and the WTs they have to F to get to the ending that's as surprising as an unwrapped regift.

I didn't have any expectations so i didn't wait for even a decent film from Netflix. Very mediocre, the twist doesn't even save the movie it just gives a why. But that's it, the trailer has more action and suspense than what you actually see.

Yep I had to quit when they were torturing and killing the dog. There should be a warning on this crap when they're torturing animals. Gross.

Good movie not baad liked