User reviews

Uwe Boll is compared to Ed Wood and I think it is justified, he has a lot of very annoying habits as a director, his aesthetic sense and/or his skills at cutting movies are off.

And I think these bad habits are still present in "Rampage" (for example, in my opinion the movie would look better and have more tension without all the foreshadowing in the beginning).

However Boll managed to minimize his annoying directorial habits to an acceptable level and create a good movie with its own style. The movie shocks with its nihilistic sensibility and I think it is a biggest sign of the theme being treated in a non-stereotypical way.

This movie has a very non-pretentious style, but actually I think it treats the subject matter of mass murder more non-stereotypically then a more "highbrow" movie like "Elephant".

The actors are good, especially Brendan Fletcher who plays the everyman psycho protagonists, reminds me of young Christian Slater.

I recommend this movie and will check out other higher-rated Boll movies,

I rented Rampage last night. I didn't know anything about the film but the cover looked good enough. When I saw Uwe Boll's name at the opening credits I exclaimed: "Oh no! I have just ruined my evening!!!" But there was nothing interesting on TV so I went ahead and watched it. It turned out to be one of the most astonishingly pleasant surprises I've ever had as far as films are concerned. It was an Uwe Boll film and it wasn't a piece of garbage. I was really avoiding his films in the past for reasons I don't have to explain. I never thought I'd ever write any reviews about films but Mr Boll made a film that I enjoyed watching. That is something. I don't want to dissect the film and analyse the acting, effects, camera work and all that. All I know is that I didn't regret spending neither the money renting it nor the time watching it. Will Mr Boll make films in the future that will give you some fun instead of a nervous breakdown? We shall see.

I've read the criticisms of Uwe Boll, heck I've seen House of the Dead and it was brutally bad. This movie, on the other hand, was all too good. Uwe Boll shoots and scores on this movie.

I'm not a camera guru, but the movie is shot with a home video feel to it. The picture was a touch grainy and not all that crisp like you'd expect from a feature film. That didn't detract from the movie at all.

Rampage is, unfortunately, a very familiar story in this day and age. From Columbine to Virginia Tech to Sandy Hook and, as of a few weeks ago, Isla Vista, and as of a few days ago, Seattle. A young man, just out of high school, is fed up with his life and people in general. So, he deals with it the way some young people have decided to do in recent history; he goes on a shooting spree.

The movie does a brilliant job to tear at you much like the movie Falling Down. In other words, in no way would the average person condone random killings, but you are shown the frustrating events that occur to the young man to put him in a violent frame of mind. Ultimately, you can draw your own conclusions about the young man. Maybe some are enthralled by his actions while I know many would be absolutely mortified by his actions. The excellence of this movie was in the developing of this young man/monster.

Everyone has their opinion of Uwe. The man's made some horrible, horrible movies. But it seems like when he's working with his own material (i.e. not a video game) he can do some good work. Look no further than Postal (which, granted, is based on a game but is mostly original) to see that he is capable of doing good stuff that is criminally underrated just because he's Uwe Boll. I fear that may happen with Rampage as well.

The story itself isn't terribly in depth. It's basically just a frustrated young guy who's kind of a loser in the eyes of his small town who straps on a suit of full body armor, grabs some serious firepower, and mows down everyone he sees (mostly). I'd love to tell you that it's a serious look at the troubled mind of a small town guy who's pushed over the edge, but it's really not. It is, however, still quite good. Some people will probably get tired of a guy walking through town shooting random people, but I think it serves it's purpose to further the story and isn't completely mindless killing. What little story is there is pretty solid which is a hell of a lot more than you can say for a lot of Boll's work.

When all is said and done, I'd definitely recommend it.

I watch a lot of horror titles mostly because I like the B movie element that exists within this genre without ever really being genuinely creeped out or scared. Rampage however is a true horror movie in that it portrays an event that is all too familiar to anyone who watches the news in the so called, "civilized" west. From Hungerford(Uk)to the many tragedies meted out every year in America this film delivers an almost all too real truth and it does so in a mesmerizing and highly unpalatable manner. This is not a criticism either, a film of this nature needs to be visceral and needs to lack sense or at least rationality that the "normal" person can comprehend. Uwe Boll has his critics and lets be honest rightly so but this is a film which I didn't expect to like or appreciate. As you are probably sensing from my tone in this review the reverse was true - or at least I was fully engaged throughout but I am not completely sure I can like a movie which is almost too real. Violence in films is so often glorified and romanticized (Uwe Boll himself is surely guilty of this)but after watching Rampage I think the director has certainly realigned the balance between what is acceptable violence for narrative purposes and what is purely gratuitous. Overall Rampage is a well constructed, well acted film that is highly effective in delivering a horror movie that is more horrifying than the vast majority of movies out there - mainly because it skillfully portrays an "unpalatable truth".

I abhor violence, but Rampage was one hell of a good movie, despite the subject being absolutely disturbing. I didn't like watching people getting gunned down, but it really hit home the social commentary Rampage tried to make, and it's a touchy subject that's been explored far too little. You can't tell the story of a lone gunman without it being in-your-face.

I've never had a problem with Uwe Boll like most people. Sometimes he makes things I can't watch, but most of his movies I've watched I actually like. He thinks differently, which means you're going to get something different, and different to me is well worth investing the time into.

Rampage is different, told very realistically, and has a lot to say about the world around you and I. Well done Uwe Boll, you've really (and I'm going to say this completely aware it's in bad taste) gunned down the critics with this one.

The only movie I had seen from Boll was House Of The Dead. It was a lot of fun because it was so bad. I read reviews of other movies he made, and I suspect they weren't much better. I was infuriated with what he did with the Alone In The Dark franchise, with guns and bimbo scientist and all.

I went to see Rampage (at the L'Etrange Festival) with a smirk on my face. I missed the 15 first minutes and I'm almost glad I did: the lousy messages, the jump cuts, the ad lib dialogue were about to get me out of here. But the actors weren't bad, things kept moving, so I played along.

Then started the said "rampage". There is not much to tell about it. It feels like Boll wanted to stick the nose of GTA players into their own *bip*, asking "So you thinks that's funny? See what it's like, is that so much fun anymore?" The movie gets better every minute. By the end of it I also wondered if the beginning was playing on the fact that we expect something stupid, illogical and aimless from his movies.

The logic is not without faults, but nothing that couldn't be discussed, the humour is great, scarce and surprisingly witty, overall, for me it was a success. If you get a chance to watch it, stick with it, at the end you might find yourself surprised at how it got there, from where it started.

As a side comment I would like to add that Mr Boll is a very nice person, on the first day of the festival he stood in the middle of the multiplex for hours (without boxing gloves) just to talk with people. I'm familiar with festivals and you don't see a lot of directors doing that.

Okay, first of all, I had to write this review because I came to IMDb expecting to see a beautiful pile of hatred towards this film. I have no earthly idea how most of the reviews of this movie are positive, so let's just get all this misinformation cleared up:

This film is AWFUL. It's DIABOLICALLY BAD. It is a BIG SH*TTY STINKING PILE OF DOG SH*T. This movie is the biggest middle finger to anyone who ever thought of cinema as a form of artistic expression. As someone who likes good movies and hopefully will get to write movies someday, I can honestly say that this is one of the most offensive things I've ever seen.

I'm not gonna be talking about this film's completely backwards 'moral', which is basically misunderstanding the phrase 'survival of the fittest' and contorting it to mean 'kill everybody because they're all part of THE SYSTEM and they don't follow MY BELIEFS'. I just want to talk about this film on a technical level.

Now, I sort of see what it's trying to go for. It's sort of the protagonist/antagonist setup that a lot of crime movies have, where the main character would normally be the bad guy. The one thing this movie doesn't understand, however, is that if you want the audience to feel anything for your main character, you have to make them have ANY kind of redeeming qualities, or be justified in the horrible things they do. This movie's main character (even before he goes on a killing spree for no real reason) is a COMPLETE ASSHOLE to EVERYONE. And that wouldn't be such a bad thing if it was a Walter White scenario, but this movie is clearly acting like you should be rooting for this guy. Why should i put myself into the shoes of this guy when i actively want to see him dead?

And even without the horrible characters and the broken morality, this would still be a complete mess. The cinematography is dreadful, just more shaky cam sh*t to the point where the screen is just a blur of color and you can't even see the action, The colors and sound are incredibly dull, and APPARENTLY according to the trivia section, this whole movie was improvised. And it REEEEAAALLY shows. The dialogue and acting are horrendous and the scenes make no sense because the whole thing was done on the spot without any direction.

Please, don't see this movie. Not just for your safety, but for the safety of World Famous Manchild Uwe Boll, one of the worst directors in human history.

Saw this on the web last night and couldn't have been more impressed. Everything about it was top notch which was a huge surprise considering it's a Uwe Boll film.

Brendan Fletcher was absolutely excellent in the very difficult role of portraying a brutal mass murderer who also happens to be a very sympathetic character. At several points in the film, he reminded me of a young Christian Slater, the Slater who used to pour everything he had into a role.

Kudos also to Shaun Sipos who, oddly enough, reminded me of a young Brad Pitt from Twelve Monkeys, especially in the chicken restaurant scene with Fletcher. I hope both these guys get much more acting work as a result of what they accomplished in Rampage.

My only question is how on earth did Uwe Boll pull this brilliant movie out of his ass after a career full of crap I wouldn't want my worst enemy to have to watch?

In any event, this film, as shocking as it is, is a warning that the worst is yet to come. In fact, Columbine and the Virginia Tech mass murders may soon pale in comparison to what the next "Bill" ends up doing with a rage that can't be quenched.

Watching an 84 minute long movie directed by Uwe Boll would generally make an experienced movie watcher's eyes bleed so why should this one be any different?

Well avid readers let me tell You. Most of our generation has felt the enormous pressures inflicted to us by our modern societies. We also have been exposed to a wide range of violent, sometimes brutal images. That being said, I'm sure most of us will admit to having fantasized in the past about robbing a bank or smacking your boss. Our main character Bill Williamson (Brendan Fletcher) takes it one step further...

It's a kind of movie you hate to like and like to hate. One thing IS for sure: Rampage will definitely keep your entertained. I think it's worth mentioning that Bill's best friend Evan (Shaun Sipos) makes a pretty cool second character. You might also recognize Bill's dad (Matt Frewer) and one of the cops (Michael Pare) from a bunch of movies not worth typing.

All in all: Original material, not too long, good entertainment.

If it wasn't for IMDb, I wouldn't have heard, or seen this movie in the first place.

Uwe Boll has already made a name for himself as the "Ed Wood Of The New Millennium". I agree with that statement, for I had to endure "House Of The Dead", "Alone In The Dark", "Bloodrayne", even being a fan of Jason Statham won't save you from "In The Name Of The King". Those were just jaw-dropping, shockingly awful films. And the more famous stars Uwe gets, the more crappier his movie becomes. Then came along this gem.

At which point I urge you to forget, not forgive, everything you know about Uwe Boll and watch this film with an open mind. This disturbing thriller packed with social commentary is not only Uwe Boll's best film, but also one of the best films of the year. I can't believe that I'm saying "Uwe Boll" and "best of the year" in the same sentence. But hear me out before you start flaming.

First, we have a simple story. Just a young kid who gets frustrated and decides to mow down half of his town. "Falling Down", perhaps? Not exactly. For we get a very interesting main character who spites the condition of the world today and decides to clean up the planet, one small step at a time, beginning with massacring the town where he lives. This character, Bill, is played to perfection by relatively fresh Canadian face Brendan Fletcher, whom deserved an Oscar nomination in my opinion. However, it sadly didn't and wouldn't happen since Uwe Boll's name and reputation destroyed any chances of this film getting an Oscar nomination.

While Fletcher acts his role with ease and focus, Boll directs the film, especially the action sequences, with his usual frenetic directing style seen in his previous movies. Back then those were just merely miserable attempts to pull the audience into the action. Now it works with brutal and unflinching force. The cinematography and music have also improved considering these are some of the same crew that worked with Boll in some of his debacles, and the production design is somewhat slick, a feat if you take the film's low budget into account.

Yes the film has it's flaws - , some repetitive editing, some dodgy and obvious CGI in one scene and the actress playing Bill's mom giving a mediocre performance, but the film has a message to tell us and with that purpose alone Boll has succeeded brilliantly. It's as if Boll was reflecting upon gamers' affection towards video games and violent ones to boot. Remember video game fans are the ones who especially hate Boll's guts. Boll shoots the violent scenes where people, mostly innocents get shot down mercilessly, something commonly seen in games like "GTA", "Hitman" and "Call of Duty". I couldn't play "Hitman" for two weeks after watching this film, for it made me think whether we are like Bill, or Bill is like us. Boll also puts in some neat drifts of social commentary within the movie, making us think about those other real-life massacres.

So in short, well done, Boll. I'm amazed that he can pull off a magic trick after so much crap from him... I won't forgive him yet for those four video game atrocities of films but it's interesting to see where he goes to from here... that "Darfur" movie looks intriguing...

Goodness... I'm awaiting Uwe Boll's next movie... isn't that insane?

Overall value: 74/10

I saw this at the Candian premiere at DEDfest and honest to god vowed to sit through some of Uwe Boll's other atrocious films to try and catch the exact moment when he became competent. From House of the Dead to Seed to Rampage his next film could well be a bona fide masterpiece! Granted there were some problems but most films have problems and compared to the complete trash he's produced in years past this was his Shawshank Redemption. Brendan Fletcher really keeps this movie up and his eerily dopey presence adds all the more to the ensuing violence. Smart but not too smart somewhat believable. One scene however stands heads and shoulders above the rest and it involves old people and bingo. enough said. Thoroughly enjoyable not too much film school editing and slick over all. If you only ever watch one Boll film let it be Rampage.

There have been a lot of reviews about this movie. A lot of them have been good, praising the director, the script, the cinematography. Did you praise the Colombine massacre?

This film is an abomination. It is sick, twisted, and disgusting. A young boy takes it upon himself to massacre a town, and somehow, this is OK?

This movie was terrible. Not because of the camera, dialogue or acting. This movie was terrible because it was a movie about killing, pure and simple. No moral, no lesson. If you value yourself as an innately good human being, you will forget you've ever heard about this piece of modern art garbage.

This movie was rather interesting and surprisingly so. I had expected a mediocre movie at best, so I was pleasantly surprised.

What made this movie have a big impact, is the fact that things similar to the events in the story actually do happen from time to time in our messed up society. Just take the school shootings from USA or Finland for example. Uwe Boll played his cards well in this movie, and delivered somewhat of a social and political heavy set movie here.

The acting was sparse, and wasn't really needed in a movie of this type. But the lead role played by Brendan Fletcher was remarkable. He put on a stunning performance with his psycho role.

Now, the only thing that kind of irritated me in this movie was the hand-held camera stuff. That was horrible. Had Uwe Boll decided to go with a steady cam instead, the movie would have been just that much more cool. Sure, hand-held cams are nice as well, but it was just a tad too much in this movie. Every single shot was shaking back and forth, often to a degree where you started to pull your hair and scream "keep it still, for the love of Hollywood gods!" But looking past the camera issue, then this movie rocked phenomenally.

This is most definitely a movie to check out. It is packed with action and at the same time taking on the gloves to punch our sick society in the face.

This is the first Uwe Boll experience I have had, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Albeit some bad direction marred this otherwise bleak outlook on the mind psychopathic yet deceptively cunning man.

The plot: Bill Williamson (Brendan Fletcher) a seemingly average young adult builds up an arsenal to attack his apparently materialistic society.

The writing: Is actually quite good, Uwe Boll has created a character that is scarily believable and a scenario that seems plausible. The rampage itself takes up over half of the movie but is done in way that it does not become mundane, this is done by adding new key moments and tension building scenes. The characters themselves are believable with only the main character being a bit overly powerful. This is evident when he takes a full clip from a policeman, even though he is wearing armor bullets should have fractured his body. The scenario Boll sets up for the man is also clever and the machination Williamson creates for his rampage is quite sophisticated. He sets up distractions and plans out his attack perfectly to maximize the damage he can do and the movie illustrates this very well and realistically to a point (where he is able to attain certain materials is a bit far fetched). 3/5

The acting: Is very well done, I am probably guessing Boll had little direction in this as the actors in this movie are relative veterans. Fletcher is a convincing Fletcher being calculative and remorseless to his victims. The side actors are good, but they play very minor rolls albeit Shaun Sipos does a good job at portraying Williamson's advocative friend Evan Drince (the only other character that had a major role in the movie). The victims did well at conveying their fear of Williamson and the rapid cutting made it fast paced enough for them to not become grating. 4/5

The cinematography: Is average, the lighting is done nicely having a cool filter in it to convey the merciless imagery shown. However I believe Mr.Boll should look into investing his budget on a tripod as many of his shots were very shaky and unfocused. One may argue that this is artistic direction but I just found it jarring, and frustrating during some scenes where characters are standing in the same place but the camera is shaking as if the cameraman had a little to much to drink during his break. 3/5

The score: Mostly comprised of ambient noises, there were some rock influenced tracks during the movie and they did well to build up the excitement. During the rampage itself there was very little music, and sometimes the music goes into what Williamson would be hearing inside his helmet (a muted filter that only makes his breathing audible). This works to the movie's favor as it conveys the concentration and vindication that Williamson feels during these events. During the rampage when not in Williamson's helmet we just hear the screams of bystanders with the blaring sirens of a fire alarms and police cars, this does really well to portray the chaos that is transpiring. 4/5

Criticism: The ending is rather shallow and I would have preferred they end the movie about 10 minutes before the actual conclusion. The aforementioned over powered nature of Williamson made it slightly surreal. The shoddy camera work which made some of the scenes just unpleasant.

A dark movie that is worth a viewing. From what I have heard of Bolls other works this maybe his masterpiece as it is both riveting and engrossing to watch. It is not pleasant movie to watch and kind of mean spirited but it will keep you glued on the screen.

7/10

Just saw RAMPAGE at Phantasmagoria in Swindon and two days later its still rattling around in my head. Will definitely buy the DVD to add to my collection of extreme cinema. Uwe Boll was at the festival and had some curious things to say about the film being a satire of banks and the their recent collapse. Uwe has had to face a lot of negative criticism about his film-making, but I think Rampage might will prove otherwise. Personally, I found him inspirational; a one man film industry who could teach aspiring film-makers and entire national film industries how to make it in the movie business. His next film is about Darfur and apparently confronts us with the true horror of the genocide that is still taking place. When I watched SHOOTING DOGS I thought it was a santized depiction of genocide made comfortable for first world, middle class sensibilities. Uwe Boll's DARFUR will apparently not pull its punches and will hopefully bring the issue back to our attention.