While Phillippe's tongue seldom ventures far from his cheek in addressing the cult of celebrity, he maintains a nice technical grip on the tension and intensity — at least until things start to unravel toward the end.
Catch Hell has physical torture and sexually explicit mind games. It has a star who seems resigned to his fate and willing to give up and savage bumpkins straight out of “Deliverance” ready to take out their hatred of Hollywood and Hollywood values on him. That description gives this simple, ferociously feral thriller more depth than it deserves.
Philippe co-wrote directed and stars in Catch, so it’s easy to read a lot into this performance, a low-maintenance, low wattage but still recognizable movie star reduced to making a low-budget film in Shreveport.
A certain curiosity value arises out of Mr. Phillippe’s coincidental occupation here as a professional actor and a director.
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Slant MagazineWes Greene
Slant MagazineWes Greene
The story allows for Ryan Phillippe to indulge in a self-deprecating brand of satire, but he can't work up enough courage to ever make his character--and, by extension, himself--the brunt of any of the film's barbs.
30
Village VoiceRob Staeger
Village VoiceRob Staeger
Catch Hell suffers from both a drowsy start and a dragging ending.