Sadly Over-hyped

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

After a series of strange accidents, a local police inspector ties the incidents to a subway station in the heart of the city that was the site of a cave-in years earlier and produced a race of cannibalistic killers feeding on stranded travelers forcing them to stop the beings left.This here was a potentially enjoyable but overall problematic affair. Among the few enjoyable elements found here is the rather enjoyable backstory concocted for the group of killers here. The whole idea of the group of workers trapped underground in an accident and left for dead only to still be alive and living for years underground by feeding on lost travelers is a fantastic concept which plays off the urban legend rather nicely. It adds an extra sense of eeriness with the idea of them being alive and capable of so many atrocities over the years which is what you want in a creature backstory. With the whole final half taking place under the station inside the creatures' lair, there's plenty to like in this section which features not only the scenes of the girl being held hostage with the killer or the big final brawl in the ruins which finally offers some action into this one. That also moves into the series of kills which are somewhat brutal and bloody which aids in the film's brutality levels as well as the fine make-up effects on the deformed beings which makes for the only elements to really like here. Among the main flaws involved here is the fact that there's just not a whole lot of exciting action going on for the vast majority of the first half. That there's more time sitting around a police station listening to people go through their stories and experiences in a typically stiff, dry British manner that makes for a dull, plodding experience. It's not interesting in the slightest to see these people go through these situations and scenarios at all with this type of pacing going through the first half and it's investigation leanings which keep this one so lacking in action and activity that it's really impossible to sustain interest in this. The disinterested air the authorities have in the matter is also problematic and just adds to the overall lame feeling in this section. There's also the issue here in that the film just doesn't really capitalize on its horror leanings for much of the running time. With the film completely ignoring not only the chance to really play up the abductions for horror since they're barely even covered much less mentioned, there's very little about the action in here that really represents much about this being horror. The focus on investigation is just deadly to the film by not offering the action to complement the notes in their investigation as that should not only make for some added thrills but also help out the storyline by helping to enhance the points offered about the family within. Instead, this manages to just get by on the story which is just dull. Even more lacking is the rather dull attacks we do get, from the non-event of the brawling with the station-workers to the pointless attacks we see of them lurching out of the darkness to grab their victims which are extremely mishandled. These here are the film's biggest and most damaging issues.Rated R: Graphic Violence and Language.

I finally caught up with this on MGM HD. I had heard so many good things about it over the last couple of decades. The most common mini-review boiled down to something to the effect of, "RAW MEAT is a crude title for a subtle and effective horror film." Have to say, I agree with the naysayers here. It is a very poorly paced film. It takes over 20 minutes to get to the underground lair stuff, and it just jumps right into that (admittedly brilliantly done) tracking shot the film is famous for. I'm not averse to slow build-ups, but, here, it's just drawn out police procedural stuff that the audience knows from the opening scene is NOT going to be central to the horror plot. Pleasence is amusing, but his scenes come off as a Pilot for a British police TV show.And, as superbly done as the tracking shot is, it just seems plopped into the movie because they realized that it was fast approaching the 30 minute mark and they better get on with it! All of a sudden we cut from the police and young couple story into the "horror plot". It's just too abrupt to be as effective as it could (and SHOULD) have been.As to the rest of RAW MEAT. It's OK, but there really is no forward momentum with the plotting. Although there are a couple of neat shocks (and I mean ONLY a couple), it's pretty obvious where things are heading. Christopher Lee is really good in his one 3 minute scene (but, damn, many fans must have been real angry over the years when they see how disproportionate his billing is!).Why does RAW MEAT have such a strong reputation? I can only surmise that in those Pre-Internet days, a few good reviews in mags like Cinefantastique carried a lot of weight. Combined with how hard it has been to see over the years, and those fleeting good moments such as the tracking shot grow to semi-legendary status. And, heck, it was pretty gory for a "classy" British horror film back in the day, so it had that going for it, too.Worth seeing once.

There's something pretty grisly going on under London in the Tube tunnels between Holborn and Russell Square. When a top civil servant becomes the latest to disappear down there Scotland Yard start to take the matter seriously. Helping them are a young couple who get nearer to the horrors underground than they would wish.Very 70s, but not all that great. The problem is this is sort of a quasimodo frankenstein-ish movie and it takes itself seriously, but it's just not all that compelling.Lots of long segments with the "monster" (for lack of a better term) wallowing in the dark wet space of the London tubes. But it wears thin when nothing happened for so long.

It's one of those horror films that has a nifty premise as its core subject, it's a bit left field and odd, while it toys with the sympathy of its audience, in short it's a cult movie loved and hated in equal measure!I first encountered Death Line (AKA: Raw Meat) in the late 70s and never really got much from it as a youth. When I got around to watching Christopher Smith's 2005 film, Creep, I was jolted into remembering Death Line and thought Creep was a remake. I then always planned on taking another look at Gary Sherman's 1970s culter, to pore over with adult eyes, and thus my reaction is exactly the same!This is not a bad film, but as its mixed reputation suggests it clearly isn't for everyone, it hasn't helped that over the years it has been hyped up as some sort of hidden masterpiece. It is not unreasonable to think that many newcomers to it will be more than a little baffled by what they watch.There is some nice technical touches that show Sherman had some style, the fluidity around the excellent Underground locales is smart, and the cast perform well, though Pleasence as good as he is is on a different plain to everyone else in the movie, more so considering the seriousness of it all.Yet as good as the intentions are in the narrative, it lacks any genuine suspense, the pace often crawls to a stand still and a lot of the police procedural aspects just come off as filler. Then there's the score by Jeremy Rose and Wil Malone, a sort of LSD inspired effort from an alternate universe, it will either prick up your ears or irritate you to the marrow.What the film does have is the originality factor, when viewed now it should be taken on board the time it was made and the subsequent sub- genre horror movies that followed it. It deserves respect, definitely, but it doesn't deserve some of the gargantuan essays proclaiming it as one of the best brainy horror movies to come out of Britain.But of course that's just my opinion and you really should judge for yourself. Because you may just find that it is your bag and join the number who will fight with their last breath to laud it as brilliant. Me? Just like Switzerland I'll stay neutral with my rating... 5/10