Paradise Lost review

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Hostel heads to The Beach in this south-of-the-border slice-’em-up, as a group of kick-seeking Turistas (the film’s US title) are lured onto the operating tables of a Brazilian black-market surgery. Turns out their organ-harvesting torturers have an agenda beyond sheer sadism: “The whole history of our country is you taking from us,” jungle death-doctor Miguel Lunardi tells his latest Yank victim. A provocative point, sadly drowned out by the screams, squelches and stapler-snaps of the 18-cert action. Outsides as well as insides get a good ogling here, the swimwear-clad cast ranging from the inoffensively dull (brother and sis Josh Duhamel and Olivia Wilde) to the outright punchable (Brit whinger Desmond Askew). Sadly, Blue Crush and Into The Blue helmer John Stockwell gets water on the brain again, as underlit, overlong sub-aqua scenes drag down an otherwise efficient splice of sexploitation and sick-trigger thrills.

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