I'm surprised that this film has such a low rating on IMDb as I thought that the acting was excellent, it is probably quite true to life and it justifies the moral of the story very well.
It is horrifyingly brutal from the outset with pretty graphic sex scenes so don't watch it with your little, 80 year old granny! It's not uplifting either so don't expect The Skulls. Also, it obviously doesn't have their budget. The washed out colouring, shaky camera style and stilted conversations gives it a much more indie feel than any of the big Hollywood movies.
Ben Schnetzer was excellent in Pride, underused in The Riot Club and a completely sympathetic and damaged character here. I am so impressed by his acting skills and I don't yet think he's been recognised for how good he is.
I wasn't sure about James Franco, he seemed to make a cameo just for the hell of it. He marches in, plays the psychopath, munches up the scenery and then disappears as quickly as he walked in. I've seen him play better psychopathic roles.
The brother (Nick Jonas) is difficult to read sometimes - You're not sure where his loyalities lie (but then are you meant to know?). His character is complex but slightly unbelievable at times..... is looking good in front of your fraternity brothers really that important? This culture is totally alien to the UK.
It is pretty uncomfortable viewing, especially considering how many pledges have died needlessly over the years in the US. It reminds me of the Stanford Prison experiment conducted at Stanford University, where strangely the (randomly chosen students who acted as) guards freely caused psychological distress to the 'prisoners' despite knowing they were being watched and not needing to cause this much distress. As one student in the group saw others acting cruelly, they began to do so and so the experiment spiralled out of control and was terminated early. It freely showed what one human being was willing to do to another in a situation of authority.
Unfortunately, the plot takes the obvious route and the reaction of the university, the fraternity and the wild cannon are even more obvious. I think the film could possibly have done with a little more imagination but then again I don't think it's looking to surprise you, just teach you.
Overall, I enjoyed this film and I could see how this could be quite true to life, as demonstrated by the Stanford experiment.
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