Another giveaway, tragically, was the leading man, Breck, who passed away in 2022. I hope he got to see the final product, as he does some great work here as the perfect dotty old gentleman. He is the ultimate representative of the Greatest Generation, which has now disappeared into history. He has the right measures of elegance, along with a constant outrage for anything modern that rings true. Breck would give Art Carney in Harry & Tonto a run for his money in the lovable coot category.
It is a final feature performance worth checking out. De Mol is an absolute wonder as the enigmatic Magda, taking the audience member on a truly twisted path across the dark side of the street. First off, everyone will be instantly hypnotized by her pink hair, allowing the visual and accent to pre-formulate assumptions that are later shattered. The team-up between the leads conjures up that “opposite sides thrown together” magic, which keeps you stuck like crazy glue until everything becomes even crazier in the third act.
“…has all the earmarks of an unearthed cinematic treasure.”
It is rare that what is at its core an exploitation movie gets called adorable, yet here we are. Gone to Ground is the sweetest movie you will ever see that features chainsaw action. It plays it very quietly for a while, then gets really louder out of nowhere. By the third act, the loudness has become deafening with the kind of moves you see in the old school video nasties. The juxtaposition between the wholesome character drama and the unwholesome flesh hunter grittiness is jarring at first, as this is a new way to party onscreen. Then you will realize how much the building of personas increases the vibrancy of the exploitation elements. The blood just shines brighter when the audience is more invested in the players, like they are here. Peel also does a masterful job of lulling the viewer into creating expectations of how it will turn out in their head, then plot-twisting that head clean off. Am not sure there is a genre equivalent to this stateside; the only thing close would be a
Lifetime movie and a grindhouse flick getting together to get high as f**k. While Peel made this years ago, it has sat like a land mine and will blow anyone who stumbles upon it sky high. Gone To Ground breaks new ground in high-octane entertainment to set your night on fire. It was a long time coming, and it was worth it.
"…the sweetest movie you will ever see that features chainsaw action."
