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Hole, The
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment // R // October 19, 2004
List Price: $19.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Hole is a love story. No, not that kind of hole, and no, not that kind of love story. It isn't the sort of love where feet are awkwardly shuffled and words are nervously stumbled over, but an unrelenting obsession where the very thought of a person gnaws away at you from the inside. So afflicted is Liz Dunn (Thora Birch), a student at a posh British academy who, along with seemingly every other female in her class, has been quietly doting over Mike Steel (Desmond Harrington). Mike, the son of an impossibly famous American rock star, has recently parted ways with his supermodel girlfriend. Seeing an opportunity, Liz enlists the help of classmate Martyn Taylor, who's been harboring a crush on her, to arrange an encounter that's certain to win Mike over. Mike, his best friend Geoff (Laurence Fox), and Frankie (Keira Knightley) are offered a chance to duck away from a droll field trip and pass the next few days hiding out in an old war bunker. With Liz in tow, they enthusiastically agree but soon discover that they can't escape the hole. Liz describes their not-particularly-unpleasant sounding ordeal to investigator Philippa Horwood (Embeth Davidtz), who immediately notes that her story doesn't add up...namely, that the time table is a couple weeks shy of the eighteen days these four students were missing, and it fails to account for whatever unspoken fate Liz' companions suffered. Horwood soon hears a couple other explanations of the events behind the hole, uncertain who, if anyone, she should believe. 
Although a thriller centered around a group of teenagers may send long-repressed memories of I Know What You Did Last Summer's ilk flooding to the surface, The Hole spends most of its time veering away from convention. There aren't any jump scares or psychopaths in fright masks, and it's free from bloodied knives and over-the-top kill scenes. It's smarter and more clever than its American-lensed teen-centric brethren, taking its time to build tension and suspense without a shred of smirking irony. It's unsettling to see the group start off as boozing, carefree teenagers and gradually degrade into hollow-eyed, half-starved, dehydrated shells. The fact that there isn't wall-to-wall violence makes the more intense sequences seem more powerful than they would have otherwise. At first, the approach to the storytelling was somewhat jarring, as Liz' story is constantly interrupted with unnecessary leaps back to present day. The necessity of this quickly becomes clear, though, when perspectives begin to shift. This multithreaded take and the use of unreliable narrators is an interesting device, one I've seen several times on television but not appearing as frequently in film. There are some nasty contrivances as The Hole comes to a close, devolving into something more traditional than what's offered up to this point. The impetus for Death #2 is incomprehensible considering the circumstances, and Death #3 is so heavily foreshadowed that I was expecting someone to keel over before everyone even made it all the way down the hole. It's not the type of movie that holds up well to intense scrutiny, but I enjoyed it enough that I don't feel obligated to nitpick every last leap in logic. 
Although Thora Birch falters somewhat with her stab at a British accent, she once again proves herself capable of carrying a feature film. Her character is somewhat reminiscent of her turn in Ghost World -- both Enid and Liz are self-loathing narcissists, as much of a contradiction in terms as that may sound. They try to pass themselves off as far more confident than they really are, and both wind up irrevocably alienating themselves from the people they supposedly care about. The material requires a wide range of moods and emotions from its leading lady, and she pulls it off effortlessly. Birch is inarguably the star of the film, but the remainder of the small cast hold their own as well, even though not nearly as much is asked of them. Keira Knightley takes fifth billing but is nearly as much of a standout. She's absolutely stunning, and if I could find some way to trick her into being locked in a subterranean bomb shelter with me, even if it resulted in the senseless deaths of several people, I think I'd still have to reach for the brass ring. Although many of the readers skimming through this review probably haven't watched the movie, they've likely seen the widely circulated screencaps of a sixteen-year-old Knightley flashing the camera. That's not the only time she appears topless in The Hole, but without trotting into spoiler territory, the other shot isn't even a little bit titillating for anyone keeping track at home. Those exceedingly brief glimpses of nudity aren't a compelling reason to pick up this DVD, but it is a cherry on top of a thriller that's imperfect but entertaining. Video: Presented in anamorphic widescreen at an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, The Hole looks fantastic. The image is sharp and nicely detailed, remaining so even in the more dimly lit sequences in the underground bunker. No edge haloes or other authoring flaws were spotted, and the source material is predictably in mint condition. There is some extremely minor speckling, but nothing particularly noticeable or intrusive. Certainly an above-average effort.
Audio: Although English Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes of the movie are present on many of the releases overseas, this domestic DVD only features a stereo surround track. It sounds okay -- dialogue is clear and discernable, and the electronic score by Clint Mansell (Requiem for a Dream) is haunting and effective. When there's a lot happening at once in the mix, clarity fades away, and things become muddier and less distinct. It's not a bad mix by any means, but I'm not impressed either, leaving me wondering how the multichannel soundtracks floating around most of the world sound by comparison.
Other audio options include a French dub as well as English subtitles and closed captions.
Supplements: The extras on this DVD are all carried over from the Canadian release. I'd imagine even the brief bios and filmographies were lifted directly, since nothing more recent than 2002 is listed. Director Nick Hamm contributes an audio commentary, and he doesn't really concentrate on cute anecdotes or an overabundance of intensely technical details the way many commentaries do. Hamm's emphasis is on the motivation of what he's trying to accomplish at any given time and how he went about expressing that. It's not a particularly bombastic discussion, and Hamm does devote more time than necessary to narrating the action on-screen, but I found the commentary interesting and would think others who've enjoyed the film would feel the same way. There are nine and a half minutes of deleted scenes, many of which offer an extended look at the police investigation. An alternate take of a teary explanation, a pair of montages of haunting images, and a ridiculous and thankfully excised epilogue comprise the remainder. Rounding out the extras are a full-frame theatrical trailer and a minute-long selection of various production stills. The Hole comes packaged in a keepcase and does not include an insert. The disc features a set of lightly animated 4x3 menus and twenty-four chapter stops.
Conclusion: Although any degree of scrutiny brings out the flaws in the movie's storytelling, I found The Hole to be an above-average thriller with a pair of appealing leads and a tense atmosphere. The DVD contains some light but worthwhile extras, and the visual presentation is first-rate. Although the $29.99 list price seems bloated to me, the disc is available online for half that, and I think that's a reasonable price to pay for what's offered here. Recommended.
Related Reviews: DVD Talk also has a pair of reviews of the Canadian release, if you'd like a second or third opinion.
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