It's just too bad, then, that the characters aren't as interesting as the plot. That's no fault of our three female leads, though. They all give their characters a fair shake. Roth's script is just so focused on the film's much-publicized "twist" and the back-story that interesting and believable characters obviously weren't on the menu. I will give credit where credit is due to Richard Burgi and Roger Bart, though, as the "American buyers." Their performances are rock solid and completely believable.
Some have also complained that Roth deleted most of the visual grit from this sequel and opted for an "artsier" look in comparison. The torture chambers are still putrid in look thanks to fantastic set design, but Roth is much more interested in crafting a more visually conventional picture this time around. He treats this movie like any other director would treat their project, not just as a horror director making another horror flick. The use of event foreshadowing, great slow-motion shots, beautiful montages and a fantastic sequence involving the saturation of color makes this some of Roth's most appealing (and mature) directing yet.
One of the biggest complaints aimed at the theatrical cut of Hostel: Part II was that there wasn't enough gore. There was, in fact, more gore than the previous Hostel, it just wasn't as abundant. This unrated director's cut of Hostel: Part II really doesn't add much to its 95-minute run time other than more wanton violence and gore, but I'm sure that's just fine with many horror fans. Nearly every gory set piece has had some kind of extra footage attached to it, including but not limited to Paxton's dream sequence, the "Mrs. Bathory" sequence, and the sequence involving the unmentionable appendage getting clipped off.
I really did enjoy Hostel: Part II, but it took me a few watches to truly grasp that. I liked the first for the gore, but I ended up enjoying this one for the fleshed out back-story on the Elite Hunting organization, as well as for the subplot involving Burgi's and Bart's respective characters. With all of the fanboy love ad nauseam Roth injects here, this one is strictly for the fans. But maybe Eli has something more on his hands than we've given him credit for thus far. Bring on Hostel: Part III.
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