VOD Review: The Man in the Orange Jacket (2016)

"Latvia? Really? Well, hell.

The Man in the Orange Jacket has the honor (depending on how you look at it) of being the first new movie of 2016 to receive the review treatment from us! Woo!

I know, it's really not that exciting, but we're happy that we at least got to start of the year off with a new movie that delivered an intense, harrowing experience, even if it wasn't a perfect one.

Also, we're pretty sure that this is the first ever Latvian Horror movie, so that's kinda cool too.

Nice job, Latvia, on all counts.

BEWARE: THERE ARE SOME MILD SPOILERS AHEAD.

A wealthy Latvian industrialist has just sold one of his harbors, docks and all, leaving a bunch of hard working Latvians out of work and pissed-off. One of those disgruntled employees, known only as Dan on IMDB (not a very Latvian-sounding name to us, but hey, what do we know), starts walking... from the docks, down the street, into the countryside, along a beach, across a mountaintop, through a rainforest... and ends up at his former boss's house, ready to file a grievance.

AHEAD LIES RETRIBUTION.

While the rich bastard and his "young enough to be his granddaughter" girlfriend settle in for a good night's sleep, Dan, who has been skulking around their house like a orange jacket-wearing, rapey shadow, wakes them up, and then beats them to death with a hammer. Then he wraps them up in plastic, dumps them in the basement, and moves into the house. Because they're certainly not using it anymore.

AWW, SHE THINKS SHE'S GOING SOMEWHERE.

As Dan settles in to his new life as a rich playboy, odd things begin to happen around the house: he hears door open and close; hears footsteps; sees dead bodies; has rude visitors who demand a glass of juice; has odd visions and dreams in which he kills hookers before he finger-bangs them; and worst of all, there's a man in an orange jacket watching him, and he apparently has some nefarious plans of his own... In summary, it's quite possible that Dan is losing his mind.

A Latvian fever dream ensues.

LIKE HE CAN'T SEE YOU BEHIND THAT SKINNY-ASS TREE?

The Man in the Orange Jacket is a solid Home Invasion Thriller that did a great job of keeping us on edge, at least in the early going. It's a short movie, clocking in at a mere 71 minutes, which leaves little time for it to languish in plot devices and needless plot developments, which is always a good thing in our book. Aside from the 2nd act, which turned into a bit of a character study for 20 minutes or so, the movie moves forward at a brisk pace. Even the dialogue is kept to a minimum here, which served to add to the film's creepy atmosphere.

I'd really like to call this one a Slasher flick, because it had plenty of stalk 'n slash aspects about it, but really it's more of a Psychological Horror flick if it's anything. At times, especially at the beginning, this one reminded us a lot of Haute Tension; what with its silent, hat-wearing madman stalking after people and killing them violently. On that level, when this movie works, it works very well as far as intensity and atmosphere goes.

THAT ENDING THOUGH...

We could have done without the parts of the movie that were all in Dan's head, especially since they were some of the best violent and gory bits. We really are not fans of the "It's all in their head" thing, even if that whole conceit is an important part of the movie, like it is here.

WAS IT REAL?

What happened with the pool scene? You got a guy who has 2 hot twin sisters who just so happen to be Latvian hookers, and he essentially does nothing but tell then to suck his balls, then dunks one of them under the water? I don't know much about Latvian hookers, but I have to assume that for 300 Drachma, the sexual world is pretty much yours as far as they're concerned.

That could have been a great scene.

SWEET, SWEET LATVIAN LOVE.

There were some pretty good kills, and some intense and disturbing scenes in this movie, although not as many as we'd hoped there would be. Why he didn't kill the hookers, we'll never know.

HE SURE KILLED THE HELL OUT OF HER THOUGH.

No nudity, but there are two twin hookers parading around in bathing suits and acting slutty. Despite the lack of bare skin on display, the movie does offer up some sexually charged moments, most of which are fairly disturbing.

DON'T JUST STARE AT IT, DAN!

The class divide in Latvia is a pretty big issue. Also, hookers can't breathe when you hold them under the water.

SHE'S NOT A FISH, YOU KNOW.

The first half of The Man in the Orange Jacket is simply fantastic, with its gorgeous cinematography, brutal kills, and abundant moments of genuine tension... and then it all devolves into what feels like a slow, bland, character study.It picks up again at the end, and climaxes in mostly satisfying fashion, but damn it if that middle section didn't kill its momentum.

Still, this was a gripping movie that we'd recommend you check out when it hits VOD at the end of the month.

B-

The Man in the Orange Jacket will be available on VOD outlets beginning on January 26th.