Hostel (2005)
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A group of American tourists traveling through Europe find themselves targeted by a sinister organization that sells the experience of torture and murder to wealthy clients.
The story
Two college students, Paxton Rodriguez and Josh Brooks, and their Icelandic friend, Óli Eriksson, travel across Europe. After a dispute in an Amsterdam nightclub, they are unable to return to their hostel and accept an offer from a man named Alexei to stay at his apartment. He convinces them to visit a hostel near Bratislava, Slovakia, promising they will meet local women. Upon arriving in Slovakia, the trio settles into a hostel where they meet two women, Natalya and Svetlana. However, the atmosphere turns dangerous as they realize they have entered a trap set by an organization that facilitates the exploitation of tourists for the entertainment of wealthy clients.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After staying at a hostel in Bratislava, the trio is separated. Óli is kidnapped and murdered, while Paxton and Josh are drugged and separated. Josh is captured and tortured by a Dutch businessman who is a client of the 'Elite Hunting Club.' Paxton, eventually waking up, discovers the truth about the organization. He navigates a series of dangerous locations, including an 'Art Show' factory, where he witnesses the mutilation of others. He eventually faces off against a German client named Johann, manages to escape, and rescues a Japanese woman named Kana. After a high-speed chase and a confrontation with the club's guards, Paxton survives and eventually confronts the Dutch businessman on a train to Vienna, where he kills him. In the director's cut, Paxton is seen on a train with the Dutchman's daughter.
- First release year
- 2005
- Runtime (minutes)
- 94
- Production countries
- United States; Czech Republic
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Eli Roth
- Writers
- Eli Roth · writer
- Cast and characters
- Jay Hernandez · Paxton Rodriguez; Derek Richardson · Josh Brooks; Eyþór Guðjónsson · Óli Eriksson; Barbara Nedeljáková · Natalya; Jennifer Lim · Kana; Jan Vlasák · the Dutch businessman; Jana Kaderabkova · Svetlana; Lubomir Bukovy · Alexei; Jana Havlickova · Vala; Rick Hoffman · the American client; Petr Janiš · Johann; Patrik Zigo · the Bubblegum Gang leader
- Genres
- horror; thriller
- Themes
- exploitation; human trafficking; capitalism
- Tone and mood
- violent; disturbing
- Setting
- Europe, specifically the Netherlands and Slovakia.
- Franchise connections
- Hostel
- Content notes
- gore
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics but was successful at the box office, grossing over $80 million on a $4.8 million budget.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 60% · scale: percentage · review count: 109; Metacritic · score: 55 · scale: 100 · review count: 21
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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