On this island they meet Dr. Hail (Peter Stormare). This is the man who prides himself on his program of working hard on the upkeep of the facilities and a series of interventions given by others in the camp. Everything is aimed at breaking you down before rebuilding you as a more productive and responsible person.
Sure, that sounds good, but the methods are brutal. Death row inmates have more rights. This story takes us inside the camp. We are brought face to face with the "tough love" methods, and a few not so approved methods. We see beatings, starvation, isolation, and events that escalate to sexual assault.
The movie is not all that bad, but it is not particularly good. It is the sort of movie you cannot really watch for "entertainment" as it is just too bleak, but it is not polished enough to pass as a powerful message movie. It is just sort of there — it wants to make a statement, but it is not quite fleshed out enough.
It is strange, even though we have a clear-cut main character to get behind, the story never really takes hold as to why we should care. We are left to our own devices knowing that we are supposed to care; we just have to fill in the supporting material to pull it all together.
With that said, it is tightly paced and is always moving forward. Director Christian Duguay (Screamers, Extreme Ops) gives the movie a gritty realism and does his best to give the dark movie an interesting look. The script by Agatha Dominik and John Cox is nothing special, and riddled with dialogue that does not always feel real; still, it does the job.
The acting is decent enough, although none of the performers give truly standout performances. Mila Kunis did this project following the end of That 70's Show and prior to Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Boot Camp was finished back in 2007). She is all right, although not always convincing. I think her work here is most notable for being so very different from Jackie, the annoying rich girl she played for a number of years. Peter Stormare is the other recognizable cast member, and while he really does not do much here, he is always good to see.
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Article comments
1 - Fran
Eeek! What a creepy premise! I might watch it, as you say for curiosity or to just say I saw it. But doesn't sound like one I would watch more than the one time. I know there are kids that are in trouble or lost, but it makes you wonder sometimes what passes for tough love these days. Thanks Chris, very well done.