As with most thrillers in movies there is a certain protocol that has to be followed. You need to set up a situation where the audience can emotionally identify with the potential victims of the mayhem that is to follow. In the case of the new direct to DVD flick, ‘Toxic’ they meet the requirements nicely and throw in a twist or two for good measure. This film employs another tried and true means of creating suspense; have two separate plot lines moving towards each other. This helps to build the tension as the audience anticipates the collision and grand conclusion. At one point a direct to video release was looked down upon almost as the illegitimate step child of the film industry. Lately this stigma has started to diminish. With the proliferation of DVD players in home and the plethora of cable movie channels by passing the theatrical release is not as bad as it once was. This is a case in point. ‘Toxic’ is a descent movie that will entertain. It most likely would not hold up against the major Hollywood blockbusters, especially with the all important summer movie season upon us. When people go to the theaters they rightfully expect to be wowed. Considering the price of a ticket, snacks and ancillary expenses it is a lot to go out now. For films that have a strong story to tell the direct to video route offers film makers a way to express themselves without the unfair competition with the really big films. Let’s face it, there are a lot of movies with budgets that could support a small nation that are bombs. People are now willing to take a chance on these smaller films. ‘Toxic’ is one that is worth while watching in the comfort of your home.

The film is written by Corey Large and Kyle Kramer. Large has an extensive resume as an actor and more recently moved into production and screenplays. He has a few interesting selections to his name include several in variations of the thriller theme. Kramer is newer to the wordsmith field but has worked with Large on his previous projects. This demonstrates that the two men are used to working together rather than being teamed up by the studio for a quick release story. Here they go more for a psychological thriller instead of the visceral shock-fest that many Indy writers go for. The two main plot lines entwine slowly with skillful effect. The first is about a crime boss with a crazy daughter. She is not the usually rebellious young woman that we usually see in flicks that this she is certifiably psychotic and jut managed to escape from the mental health institution her father committed her to. He sends a pair of bounty hunters to local her and return her back to the hospital. In the second thread there is a strip club with an eclectic group of patrons and workers. Besides the inherent difference in the stories what helps set this script apart is the way each unfolds. The mob boss motif gets right into the action. It draws in the audience and holds their attention. In contrast the strip club story line is slower in developing. It simmers more letting the different characters blend more. Throw in an ancient curse and you have yourself a fun ride.

With a set of stories like this the director truly has to know his stuff. Fortunately Alan Pao is such a man. He has a limited time in the big chair on set but his previous work was with Large and Kramer so once again there is a familiarity to help ideas flow between them. Most of his career has been on the production side of the business with a few thrillers behind him. Okay, he also produced ‘Senior Skip Day’ so he can play low brow if necessary. The important thing here is he was able to change the pacing of his direction to suite the requirements of the two main story lines. In the faster paced daughter search he uses quick cuts and kinetic camera work to height the mood. During the strip club scenes there was more a feeling of lingering; like the stares of the patrons would move slowly over the dancers.

The film opens with a young woman in a car with an older man. She is Michelle (Susan Ward) and the man is not yet seen. He is helping her away from the mental hospital where until recently she was a patient. The camera angle is low, looking up at the girl. This helps set the stage for her unorthodox perspective on the world. The shot is broken by a fast montage of the abuse she suffered in the hospital, men with guns and one man in drag. The CD player starts to skip, just like Michelle’s life. We flash back to a year ago with her father, Van Saint (Tom Sizemore), a powerful crime lord, demanding to know where his daughter is. He is told she is in a dark lonely place. The woman telling him this is Lena (Bai Ling), a psychic. He hires two men, Antoine (Danny Trejo) and Sid (Corey Large) to locate her. The first we see them is when they are dangling a man over the edge of a roof; they are laughing hysterically, nice guys. The scene is stark in its contrast with the color palette pushed to the limit. Pao uses split screens, inverted camera angles and some white writing on the screen to identify characters. It is a little annoying but kind of retro in some respects. It adds a light hearted initial feel to the movie. Conrad (Steven Bauer) interrupts the proceeding and demands a sum of money from the dangling man in excess of $1 million. Sid was the bartender at a strip club called Toxic. He apparently got a hold of a lot of money belonging to Van Saint. When we first see the club one of the patrons is Ron Jeremy, infamous porn star. One of the girls working at the club is Nadia (Dominique Swain). She is looked after by a man in club security, Angel (Master P). She confides to him that she just can’t do the job anymore. In this club dancing isn’t the only service provided to the customers. After the two lines are established and being to merge the killings start. The violence is brought to a boil as the victims are trapped one by one by the killer.

After awhile the white writing on the screen and the split screens does get annoying. As mentioned it was useful in cutting through some exposition and character introductions but after that it is used too often. The hyper color palette does grab your attention but could have been employed in a more economic fashion. Over all the film is a good thriller that pulls you in to the story. While some of the methods used in the presentation is distracting the story wins out. Helping a lot is the large ensemble cast with a group of excellent actors. This film is released by Genius Pictures in association with The Weinstein Company. As always you can count on them for offbeat but interesting flicks like this one.