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The online film magazine Combustible Celluloid offers new movie reviews, DVD reviews, film reviews, actor interviews, actress interviews, director interviews, film books and all things cinema related for the thoughtful and passionate. Online for ten years! Over 3000 reviews!

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The Hole (2001)

Rating: 2 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

Party Down

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy The Hole on DVD.

This straight-to-video thriller was criticized in its native England for casting an American actress (Thora Birch) in the lead. She plays a shy but manipulative English student at a private school who organizes a party for herself, her bitchy Barbie-doll friend (Keira Knightley) and two boys, one being the unrequited love of her life. The story takes place in flashback after the teens have been trapped for over two weeks in an underground bunker. Embeth Davidtz plays a shrink who tries to figure out what really happened. As directed by Nick Hamm, the film has some clever ideas and uses its flashback structure well, but eventually succumbs to a standard-issue thriller plot.

Starring: Thora Birch, Desmond Harrington, Daniel Brocklebank, Laurence Fox, Keira Knightley, Embeth Davidtz
Written by: Ben Court and Caroline Ip, based on a book by Guy Burt
Directed by: Nick Hamm
MPAA Rating: R for pervasive language, some violence, sexuality/nudity and drug use
Running Time: 102 minutes
Date: November 2, 2004