Bad acting... Good plot... Bad script... Great filming and lighting... Bad bad acting!
24 Reviews
Bad acting
trolle-109-74067114 November 2020
Breeder
BandSAboutMovies12 January 2022
Warning: Spoilers
A renowned health supplement company is abducting young women as part of an experiment to impregnate them and then bio-hacking their embryo's DNA to reverse the aging process. Mia investigates, but soon she finds herself trapped, branded and tortured in a grim underground facility. Trust me - things get dark.
Dr. Isabel Ruben is able to bring men back to youth, but is driven to continue her research in the hopes that she can also erase her age. She's doing her science in an unhygienic concentration camp lorded over by two men - the Dog and the Pig - who are in it merely to abuse women.
She's also blackmailing Thomas, whose facilities she is using and whose wife is Mia, who is soon branded - and man, this movie has a lot of urine in it, as the burning mark is soon pissed on - and although there are hints that she enjoys BDSM, she is definitely not enjoying the hell that she soon goes through.
Director Jens Dahl co-wrote Nicolas Winding Refn's Pusher, so that should tell you what you're getting into. Writer Sissel Dalsgaard Thomsen has mainly done shorts and while this film could use a slight bit of trimming to its running time, the ending catharis is wild and filled with moments that completely shocked me.
Trust me - there are some moments in here that are rough. Real rough. But it also surprised me with its quality and storytelling.
Dr. Isabel Ruben is able to bring men back to youth, but is driven to continue her research in the hopes that she can also erase her age. She's doing her science in an unhygienic concentration camp lorded over by two men - the Dog and the Pig - who are in it merely to abuse women.
She's also blackmailing Thomas, whose facilities she is using and whose wife is Mia, who is soon branded - and man, this movie has a lot of urine in it, as the burning mark is soon pissed on - and although there are hints that she enjoys BDSM, she is definitely not enjoying the hell that she soon goes through.
Director Jens Dahl co-wrote Nicolas Winding Refn's Pusher, so that should tell you what you're getting into. Writer Sissel Dalsgaard Thomsen has mainly done shorts and while this film could use a slight bit of trimming to its running time, the ending catharis is wild and filled with moments that completely shocked me.
Trust me - there are some moments in here that are rough. Real rough. But it also surprised me with its quality and storytelling.
Started out well
Movie_Reviews13 April 2021
The first 1/3 kept us interested, but then it became quite boring and just went downhill from there. The ending was insanely stupid. I did not find the acting as bad as some claim, though. They should have made it at least 10 minutes shorter, also.
Left no impression
mathiaslolkmagn14 January 2021
As happy as I am seeing Denmark try out more "edgy" and "gory" stuff, and as intriguing as the plot seemed from the trailer, this movie left no impression on me.
The story was sloppy and illogical, the acting forced and cringey, and the whole plot formulaic and predictable. A horror movie is supposed to keep you at the edge of your seat, not bored out of it.
3 stars because the few gore scenes were pretty well made and sort of disturbing.
The story was sloppy and illogical, the acting forced and cringey, and the whole plot formulaic and predictable. A horror movie is supposed to keep you at the edge of your seat, not bored out of it.
3 stars because the few gore scenes were pretty well made and sort of disturbing.
Breeder is good.
Sir_watch_alot9 April 2021
There's really not that much wrong with this one. I really don't understand all the bad reviews. Seems like nothing is good enough. Just watch. The acting is good. The cameramen, lightguys, editors... everybody did a good job. The story is one I almost haven't seen before. Maybe ones or twice.
And if you don't mind reading subtitles, you should have a good time.
And if you don't mind reading subtitles, you should have a good time.
Shallow
postsendesher-1939410 March 2021
As a dane, I was really hoping ...
We have the directors, actors and writers to potentially create great horror movies, but not this time ... This is shallow.
Bad acting, mechanical and lazy .. The monologues were horrible .. I was really hoping for a great horror from Denmark at some point in our lifetime, but this is definitely not one of them.
Good efford, but nah ...
Authentic shock-horror
Coventry14 June 2022
I'm surprised, and also a bit upset, to notice that so many people gave a ridiculously low rating to "Breeder" and wrote incredibly dumb things in their reviews. This certainly isn't the greatest genre effort ever made, but - come on folks - at least this is REAL horror! Like rarely seen in recent years, "Breeder" features shocking images, loathsome villainous characters, extreme gore, and nasty scenery. I don't use this sentence very often, but this movie is NOT for the squeamish or the faint of heart!
The plot isn't exactly original, since in the fifties and sixties already, there were also horror flicks in which crazed scientists attempted to manipulate the natural ageing process by abducting young woman and performing nauseating experiments on them. But it's certainly better than the series of senseless torture-porn movies of recent years and, moreover, "Breeder" holds a truly disturbing and appalling twist in store. You might want to look away when the heroine opens a certain barrel in the final act of the film.
As for the often-read criticism that the women in this film are stupid, I disagree. They certainly aren't dumber or more naïve than in most films, and the lead heroine - Mia - is a strong and likeable character. The torture sequences are sadist and gratuitous? Perhaps, but certainly not any more or less than in the average "Saw" or "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" installment, and "Breeder" at least provides a bit more content and a morbidly tense atmosphere. Most impressive are the villains. Signe Egholm Olsen is insanely hateful as the relentless female scientist, and particularly Morten Holst catapulted himself straight in the top five of most evil cinematic psychopaths ever with his aptly nicknamed character The Dog. He kidnaps and guards the women, but he isn't in for the money or the scientific value. He's the right man for the job simply because he's a sick misogynic.
Of course, I'll be the first to admit "Breeder" also contains multiple shortcomings. The Thomas-character is weak and implausible, and considering the number of women gone missing, it's incredibly unlikely there isn't a massive police hunt going on. Especially in a country like Denmark. Still, every movie has defaults, but not nearly every movie can genuinely shock and petrify. "Breeder" does, hence I'm calling out to the real genre fanatics to seek this one out.
The plot isn't exactly original, since in the fifties and sixties already, there were also horror flicks in which crazed scientists attempted to manipulate the natural ageing process by abducting young woman and performing nauseating experiments on them. But it's certainly better than the series of senseless torture-porn movies of recent years and, moreover, "Breeder" holds a truly disturbing and appalling twist in store. You might want to look away when the heroine opens a certain barrel in the final act of the film.
As for the often-read criticism that the women in this film are stupid, I disagree. They certainly aren't dumber or more naïve than in most films, and the lead heroine - Mia - is a strong and likeable character. The torture sequences are sadist and gratuitous? Perhaps, but certainly not any more or less than in the average "Saw" or "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" installment, and "Breeder" at least provides a bit more content and a morbidly tense atmosphere. Most impressive are the villains. Signe Egholm Olsen is insanely hateful as the relentless female scientist, and particularly Morten Holst catapulted himself straight in the top five of most evil cinematic psychopaths ever with his aptly nicknamed character The Dog. He kidnaps and guards the women, but he isn't in for the money or the scientific value. He's the right man for the job simply because he's a sick misogynic.
Of course, I'll be the first to admit "Breeder" also contains multiple shortcomings. The Thomas-character is weak and implausible, and considering the number of women gone missing, it's incredibly unlikely there isn't a massive police hunt going on. Especially in a country like Denmark. Still, every movie has defaults, but not nearly every movie can genuinely shock and petrify. "Breeder" does, hence I'm calling out to the real genre fanatics to seek this one out.
A brutal and overlong torture slasher
kannibalcorpsegrinder14 January 2022
Attempting to investigate a news story, a woman looking into an experimental drug company's latest line of products is taken hostage and captured along with numerous other women and repeatedly tortured for the delight of the owners of the company, forcing her to fight back to survive.
Overall, there's just very little to say about this one. Among the few bright spots featured is from the cruelty and barbaric treatment forced upon the lead throughout the running time here. The treatment inflicted at the facility, with their dark experiments and malicious mistreatment that purports to tell a message about the elite willing to go through the process of acquiring the treatment through the extreme torture and abuse of other people. These scenes carry off a disturbingly misogynistic streak which makes the scenes that much harder and more difficult to sit through that carries a disturbingly graphic and over-the-top series of scenes that have a great bent to it. It all makes the cathartic nature of the finale half involving the revenge and eventual escape that occurs which does manage to provide a somewhat enjoyable outcome to the rest of the generally bleak scenario. That said, there's still not a whole lot to really get into here. The majority of the film is focused mainly on the wholly uninteresting means of seeing her repeatedly being brutalized and tortured while in captivity against her will, providing nothing of any interest for those who don't care too much for this kind of hardcore material. Regardless of how impressive the scenes are there's very little here that makes an impression in the numerous other films in the genre out there that attempt a similar style which is somewhat unappealing as it goes along. That tends to make the section feel rather redundant and repetitive with the film focusing on the outlandish abuse and torture that's going on in the facility with the whole idea that she's involved in the torture to satisfy her own desires that everything comes off as highly unlikable before indulging in the cruelty on display of torturing screaming women. As well, there's also the films' overlong and unnecessary setup that makes this one far too lengthy for this type of storyline. The majority of the first half here involving the setup of the mysterious drug and the shady corporation at the center of the mystery surrounding them comes off quite convoluted and complex for what of film this is. Rather than inviting itself into a dark conspiracy that gets worked out within the course of her investigation, there's just straight dropping her into the fray without much explanation so it tends to be far more involved than it should at the very beginning. Likewise, the other issue is again the fact that none of this is all that interesting or enjoyable to sit through since it's just a bland corporate thriller about the mysterious drug and its effects as what really goes on throughout here. These are what hold the film back for the most part.
Rated Unrated/R: Extreme Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, and drug use.
Overall, there's just very little to say about this one. Among the few bright spots featured is from the cruelty and barbaric treatment forced upon the lead throughout the running time here. The treatment inflicted at the facility, with their dark experiments and malicious mistreatment that purports to tell a message about the elite willing to go through the process of acquiring the treatment through the extreme torture and abuse of other people. These scenes carry off a disturbingly misogynistic streak which makes the scenes that much harder and more difficult to sit through that carries a disturbingly graphic and over-the-top series of scenes that have a great bent to it. It all makes the cathartic nature of the finale half involving the revenge and eventual escape that occurs which does manage to provide a somewhat enjoyable outcome to the rest of the generally bleak scenario. That said, there's still not a whole lot to really get into here. The majority of the film is focused mainly on the wholly uninteresting means of seeing her repeatedly being brutalized and tortured while in captivity against her will, providing nothing of any interest for those who don't care too much for this kind of hardcore material. Regardless of how impressive the scenes are there's very little here that makes an impression in the numerous other films in the genre out there that attempt a similar style which is somewhat unappealing as it goes along. That tends to make the section feel rather redundant and repetitive with the film focusing on the outlandish abuse and torture that's going on in the facility with the whole idea that she's involved in the torture to satisfy her own desires that everything comes off as highly unlikable before indulging in the cruelty on display of torturing screaming women. As well, there's also the films' overlong and unnecessary setup that makes this one far too lengthy for this type of storyline. The majority of the first half here involving the setup of the mysterious drug and the shady corporation at the center of the mystery surrounding them comes off quite convoluted and complex for what of film this is. Rather than inviting itself into a dark conspiracy that gets worked out within the course of her investigation, there's just straight dropping her into the fray without much explanation so it tends to be far more involved than it should at the very beginning. Likewise, the other issue is again the fact that none of this is all that interesting or enjoyable to sit through since it's just a bland corporate thriller about the mysterious drug and its effects as what really goes on throughout here. These are what hold the film back for the most part.
Rated Unrated/R: Extreme Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, and drug use.
Not bad but classical
searchanddestroy-115 January 2022
It seems to have been inspired by ISLAND OF DR MOREAU, same scheme, but in a more modern way. Good directing and suspense too, adequate atmosphere, oppressive, stressful but unfortunately not surprising at the end. Old school cinema, I would say, though there were batches of horror movies of more or less this kind since several decades. Not a bad film, worth watching. Dario Argento or David Cronenberg would have liked it, I guess.
Frightening- how bad it is
brianlay6532122 November 2020
Brilliant!!
nicola-j-peacock27 December 2021
I am shocked that there are so many bad reviews on here; what do people expect from a horror?! Fluffy bunnies and happiness! This film is raw, brutal, chilling and horrifying! The acting is superb....how do you expect a girl to display her emotions after months of captivity, sheer brutality and cruelty?! I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to all genuine horror fans. 10/10 from me - one of the best horrors I've seen.
Forever young (weird science)
kosmasp10 August 2021
This is a tough movie to watch. You kind of know where this will go early on. But once you are there ... boy, even with this not being as explicit as it could be, it is really going to put you through the wringer. The very beautiful woman who plays the main character has issues - or rather her husband seems to have issues to please her.
It seems he is too invested in his business. More than that actually to be truthful. And she isn't alone in that. So the movie turns on its head sort of halfway through and never looks back - no pun intended. But I'm not going to split hair(s) here - well that is an intended pun. Again this is a thriller but there is a lot of hurt and a lot pain dished out ... not wanting to handle it, does not mean one thing or another. Just be aware this is not for the squeamish.
It seems he is too invested in his business. More than that actually to be truthful. And she isn't alone in that. So the movie turns on its head sort of halfway through and never looks back - no pun intended. But I'm not going to split hair(s) here - well that is an intended pun. Again this is a thriller but there is a lot of hurt and a lot pain dished out ... not wanting to handle it, does not mean one thing or another. Just be aware this is not for the squeamish.
It wants to be sooo controversial
vegeta-oh30 May 2021
But it's just bad, nothing makes sense, it's just torture on the screen and torture to watch, don't waste your time.
The characters simply do all the wrong things for no reason, or for the only reason reason to get tortured a little more.
Nothing saves this move, even the gore is boring.
The characters simply do all the wrong things for no reason, or for the only reason reason to get tortured a little more.
Nothing saves this move, even the gore is boring.
If one must, watch the first 35 minutes....
Otkon14 February 2021
....skip the middle 50 minutes and watch the last 25. You won't miss anything while saving about an hour of your life from being completely wasted. Even just watching the setup and the "payoff" is not a productive use of your time - as this is not a very good film. It is ugly, bleak and lame. It has nothing interesting or new to say about its topic. And its formulaic attempt at generating tension and shock is puerile and tiresome.
Not too bad at all
doujyr12 April 2021
Worst Movie Ever
awesomebelfarigo19 January 2021
Though thin on storyline, its still a very decent gore offering.
AJ_Nel27 August 2022
With Breeder (2020) Jens Dahl, who wrote Pusher, elevated a rather predictable schlock / grindhouse offering to something decent. Yes, the acting "ran" out, but as it started off decent, I tend to blame the script for that. The cinematography, editing, set design, gore effects and direction all punched way above the film's weight class. In fact, Dahl did such a good job at setting up the film, that he might have created expectations which were never the intention of the film. Seeing the film as a tightly directed homage to the grindhouse genre (as pointed out somewhere else) with some solid nods to early New French Horror, would be more in line with the true nature of the film.
Sadistic and Unoriginal
kingp_3531 January 2022
Unoriginal plot, sadistic torture scenes and a ludicrous ending. This is a tough watch and not in a good way.
The most positive thing I can say is it's certainly not boring but shock value for the sake of it does not a good film make.
The most positive thing I can say is it's certainly not boring but shock value for the sake of it does not a good film make.
Brutal and packs a punch
okpilak17 November 2022
This certainly is not a movie for even a general adult audience, as it is tough, brutal and parts are very hard to watch. It truly is a horror movie. Thomas is an investor in a company that is working on rejuvenating people, and Dr. Reuben is in charge of the experiments. Thomas wants to play things by the book, with all the appropriate testing and clearances, but Dr. Reuben has other ideas. Thomas's wife Mia gets kidnapped and becomes a 'patient' at the facility and Thomas, who finds out, is powerless to help her. Dr. Reuben has two assistants, one called Dog, who is a real sadist, and Swine, who is not much better. Mia has a strong survival spirit, and Dog is equally determined to crush it. Who will win? And the story unfolds in a very brutal fashion and in very unpleasant ways. The movie doesn't pull any punches.
Amazingly Stupid
rotini-5258610 March 2021
Started off pretty good...
challe-edh26 September 2021
Garbage
gianmarcoronconi2 July 2023
Real rubbish that tries to be a particular film with a very high moral and plot but which only manages to fail at everything. The film is of an unspeakable banality and flatness and the fundamental defect is that it tries desperately to be a particular and impressive stuff, to be entertaining and beautiful but fails resulting boring and soulless so much as to be almost unwatchable because if it had been a unpretentious film and therefore a trivial thriller but at the same time humble would have been acceptable but instead wanting to overdo this film is terribly insufficient and terribly terribly ugly.
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