This is a feature from the UK, which seems to be living under a very different atmosphere than the US. I had a similar feeling when I watched Eden Lake, which reflects different set of anxieties than the US. I suppose it would be similar to someone raised in the UK watching movies like I Spit on Your Grave or the Wrong Turn movies, and not quite understanding the way that other parts of the US feel about the south.
This movie is not as brutal as Eden Lake was, which is good. Most of this movie takes place in one room, with four characters. A few other characters show up, but most of them don't play as big a part. With a bit of polish, this could easily be turned into a stage play, which could be very interesting.
Since most of the movie is just the couple being held captive, gagged and bound, most of the characters development happens in small bits of dialogue from the captors. We get a sense of the power structure between the gang members. But we also don't get a clear sense of their motivation. We know that something happened that resulted in a relative of the lead gang member going to jail. They seem to get angry whenever anyone tries to ask what happened.
What I found more puzzling was how little planning the gang members put into their actions. A home invasion usually has a goal in mind - robbery, mostly. The gang has no particular interest in their victim's parents, so it seems dumb to involve them. It's more work, a more stressful situation, and more loose ends to tie up. They could have easily just waited across the street for their victim to return home.
The movie is pretty vague about the violence that happens. We know that the mother is raped. We know some of the minor parts of the beatings that happen. We never find out exactly what happens to their victim, if he lives or not, or what the gang member was planning on doing with the axe.
Incidentally, this is the first movie I watched on Netflix streaming. At our new house, we moved up to a faster internet connection, and I plan on watching more streaming movies. Right now... I'm not too impressed. The selection seems to be hit and miss, and the quality of the image seems to vary. At one point, the picture completely stopped, but the sound and subtitles continued. When I tried to get it sync up again, it just got worse. I had to close the application, kill it off, then restart the whole thing. We'll see if it can do better with a faster connection.
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