To discover on Netflix, “Like Prey” by the German Thomas Sieben tells the nightmare of a group of men targeted in the middle of a forest. A breathtaking thriller that has fun overthrowing the codes.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT ?
For his bachelor party, Roman goes on a hike with a group of friends and his brother Albert. When they hear gunshots coming from the woods, they first think of hunters. But very quickly, the hike in the wild turns into a desperate quest for survival when they realize that the mysterious shooter is targeting them.
Like Prey, written and directed by Thomas Sieben.
Available on Netflix
WHO IS IT WITH?
Like prey can count on its talented and mostly male cast, consisting of David Kross, who appeared in The Reader alongside Kate Winslet. He gives the reply to Hanno Koffler (The work without an author), Robert Finster (Freud), Yung Ngo (Dogs of Berlin) and Klaus Steinbacher (The Oktoberfest Empire). Maria Ehrich plays one of the only female characters in the film.
WELL WORTH A LOOK ?
In 1972, Délivrance was released on screens. Worn, among others, by Burt Reynolds and Jon Voight, the film would become one of the major works of cinema of the seventies and the decades that followed. Since then, many have attempted to recreate the grim magic of the John Boorman classic with varying degrees of success. Like prey, directed by Thomas Sieben, is added to this list. Without ever touching the power of its model, the thriller turns out to be a rather successful exercise in style.
In the cinema, hikes with friends never end well. Often unlucky, victims can end up in the hands of a witch, remember the Blair Witch Project, or chased by cannibals, like Deadly detour. From the first minutes of Like prey, the spectator does not really know where he is stepping. On the point of returning to their vehicle, five men were targeted by rifle fire. The assailant, well hidden in the forest, does not intend to let them go.
Anke Neugebauer / Netflix David Kross and Hanno Koffler in “Like Prey”.
As the targets begin to shell in the woods, a real suspense takes hold of the film. Where does this invisible threat come from? Who is she and what is she looking for? It would be unfair to reveal in these lines his identity and his motivations because it is this mystery which stimulates the curiosity of the public. When the latter discovers the pot aux roses, the tension goes down a notch. The scenario of Like prey does not shine by its complexity, it is perhaps even a little too thin, but seduces thanks to its inversion of the codes of the genre. Here, the hunter is not always who we think he is.
The very beautiful photograph, signed Andreas Berger, transforms the forest into a terrain that is both enchanting and even more hostile. Like prey looks pale alongside a Issuance, but nonetheless remains a good survival movie led by a compelling cast.
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