Gruesome, grisly, vile and reprehensible. And talk about a horrific road trip. Two attractive young women, Mel(Peyton List)and Jules(Cameron Goodman), returning from a weekend getaway find themselves stranded at the airport in a downpour. Two wannabe studs(James Snyder and Dave Power)are in the same situation. The four are offered a cheap ride home by a Metro van driver(Tony Curran). Already on board is a pantywaist businessman(Cullen Douglas). The driver soon becomes gruff, bullying and down right brutal. This dark ride becomes a kidnap situation full of terror, mutilation and...death. Beware of a gut-twisting and darker than dark conclusion.
93 Reviews
Brings a real issue to light
ultra42910 April 2009
Warning: Spoilers
OK, you could say this movie has flaws. I agree with some of the critique, but only in the sense that if it were me in that situation, I would have killed the driver the first chance I got. Survival is a fight and to win, you must do things you normally would never do.
I wanted this movie to end well, but once it was over, I see this was not the point. The point was to illustrate what hundreds if not thousands of women face, either real or the threat. As less likely it is to occur in the US as some other countries, this kind of thing happens and it is allowed to happen, because humans are greedy and many men in power are sick twisted souls.
I like this movie for making me aware, in a darker more definitive way than Liam Neeson's save the unrealistic day in Taken (great action, but would it happen, no). Keep in mind that when a woman is abducted into sexual slavery, she will probably not have a happy ending.
As far as the holes in the film, hey I'm not a critic. The acting was excellent, realistic, gritty. It kept me wanting more, to see what would happen next. It got my heart beating and me begging to see the women survive and kill the driver. This is much more than I could ever hope for in a film.
I wanted this movie to end well, but once it was over, I see this was not the point. The point was to illustrate what hundreds if not thousands of women face, either real or the threat. As less likely it is to occur in the US as some other countries, this kind of thing happens and it is allowed to happen, because humans are greedy and many men in power are sick twisted souls.
I like this movie for making me aware, in a darker more definitive way than Liam Neeson's save the unrealistic day in Taken (great action, but would it happen, no). Keep in mind that when a woman is abducted into sexual slavery, she will probably not have a happy ending.
As far as the holes in the film, hey I'm not a critic. The acting was excellent, realistic, gritty. It kept me wanting more, to see what would happen next. It got my heart beating and me begging to see the women survive and kill the driver. This is much more than I could ever hope for in a film.
Don't Fear The Reaper
valis19499 April 2009
On the whole, SHUTTLE is a perverse and mean-spirited motion picture, yet the powerful final moments of the film are truly sensational but diabolical none the less. The movie begins with two weary young women who have just ended their Mexican vacation, and need a ride back to town. They board the airport shuttle bus, and are taken hostage along with the other passengers. How will this divergent group free themselves from their psychotic abductor? The plot is straight-forward to the point of banality, yet here is where the story begins to lose plausibility. The fiendish driver takes them on a late night journey that seems endless and lasts most of the night. It really stretches credulity that no one would notice this out-of-control bus, and it would seem that they would have encountered more traffic if the airport had been located in the wilderness of Alaska. Their malevolent driver is menacing to the extreme, and a maximum of physical and psychological torture is dispatched. It is only in the final few minutes that the true motive for the kidnapping is revealed, and this electrifying final impression of abject loss makes the suspension of believe just about worth it.
Fascinating movie..
yourtine9211 July 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I watched 'Shuttle' yesterday night and I have to say it really scared me...
What many people say about the movie is true: Some of the actions aren't credible. There is the female lead, finally pointing with a gun at the captor - and she doesn't shoot. Her best friend who wants to kill him, but doesn't intervene. That 'scared family guy' who refuses to defend - and no one realizes who he really is. I admit - the movie was in some parts predictable. Yet, I was absolutely fascinated. I wanted to know what was going to happen next and didn't expect some of the twists. But what I think makes this movie worth watching is not only the great acting (I really loved watching) but also the message. This movie only tells in the final scene what's been the reason for all this to happen; why five people had to die, but the women don't get hurt at all (except for the one being killed in the end, but even then he doesn't stab her...). I think slavery is an important issue to think about - most people aren't aware of what's going on. This makes the movie soo worth watching.
Not a perfect movie, but MUCH better than many others...
What many people say about the movie is true: Some of the actions aren't credible. There is the female lead, finally pointing with a gun at the captor - and she doesn't shoot. Her best friend who wants to kill him, but doesn't intervene. That 'scared family guy' who refuses to defend - and no one realizes who he really is. I admit - the movie was in some parts predictable. Yet, I was absolutely fascinated. I wanted to know what was going to happen next and didn't expect some of the twists. But what I think makes this movie worth watching is not only the great acting (I really loved watching) but also the message. This movie only tells in the final scene what's been the reason for all this to happen; why five people had to die, but the women don't get hurt at all (except for the one being killed in the end, but even then he doesn't stab her...). I think slavery is an important issue to think about - most people aren't aware of what's going on. This makes the movie soo worth watching.
Not a perfect movie, but MUCH better than many others...
A serious movie
Mesuzah27 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Well, it seems many people don't get this movie. This comment will perhaps contain some spoilers of what it is all about.
There are countless of people abducted in the world, especially young women. They are sold in to sexual slavery, preferably to a country far far away from where they came. Girls from eastern Europe gets sold to the US, Turkey, China. Chinese girls are sold to Hong Kong, Middle-east, US. US girls are sold to China, Russia, Middle-east. And so on.
This movie was to show us how one scenario that these people could use to get away with such an horrendous act. This is not a horror movie per se, but a document to those that families and friends lost. And to those girls that lost everything, and quite possibly their life in the end.
It reminds me in a way of Lilja4ever and Holly, which portrays similar events in eastern Europe and Asia. These are sad stories to tell, but people need to wake up and realize this really happens. These films, if well made, are important.
There are countless of people abducted in the world, especially young women. They are sold in to sexual slavery, preferably to a country far far away from where they came. Girls from eastern Europe gets sold to the US, Turkey, China. Chinese girls are sold to Hong Kong, Middle-east, US. US girls are sold to China, Russia, Middle-east. And so on.
This movie was to show us how one scenario that these people could use to get away with such an horrendous act. This is not a horror movie per se, but a document to those that families and friends lost. And to those girls that lost everything, and quite possibly their life in the end.
It reminds me in a way of Lilja4ever and Holly, which portrays similar events in eastern Europe and Asia. These are sad stories to tell, but people need to wake up and realize this really happens. These films, if well made, are important.
Average persons' view.
heathy200322 May 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Im not a critic myself, I can't rate the acting and the actual way the whole film is made, but as my first review, i thought i just had to comment on this particular movie after watching it.
First off its a genuine thriller, it does make you guess just 'what the heck' is going on here. although having a good story and flow doesn't always cut it for a good film.
SPOILER: now this part is where i jump to just what bugged me the most, in nearly every thriller I've seen where the captors end up having a brief moment of becoming the captive, every every time the people that have finally wrestled control of a terrible situation, always seem to fail miserably at ending what is obviously going to be certain doom to them. example, if you were taken hostage, so far down the road you witness you captor mutilate one of the other hostages, after which you manage to finally get control of the situation, would you really (with all that pumped up, andrenaline rushing mind of yours) just turn the tables and keep them hostage, no, the first chance you got you would most likely end their existence before, the obvious happens, bieng you lose control again. i was just saying to myself 'just kill the guy already geez!' what kind of mentality would you have to have to develop some kind of stockholme syndrome within 2 or so hours, the film could of ended about 1hr in, and yet it doesn't. i don't care if your a Christian saint, if you were in that situation, you would of just shot the guy there and then without flinching. even then at the end .. again its cliché 'shoot the bad guy once .. ONCE! i mean common ffs i would of picked up each and every round for that revolver, and emptyed them all into the guys head, just to make sure he was never going to get back up, and yet .. fail fail and even more fail .. did i mention .. the female lead is uber fail?
now apart from the stupid mistakes of the female leads to keep the movie flowing until its fanale, this would be an awesome movie, except it fails on the simple logic that every one in a movie based on hostage taking or where peoples live are at risk, as soon as you think 'woot they're done for now you've got control now just end it!! common just kill them already!' .. no instead its just fail.
from my point of view the film is good, i liked the plot, even though it gets a bit obvious toward the last 1/3rd of the movie. the acting as far as i can tell is good, I'm not an actor myself or even have much knowledge on the subject, but i didn't think any of the films characters really slacked, i did feel gripped by the film, yet again i was pretty disappointed by the fact that the female characters just failed so badly when given the chance to end the crisis. they totally just.. well failed.
7/10 its worth watching if you can get passed the usual movie stretching problems that seem to occur in nearly every thriller type movie.
First off its a genuine thriller, it does make you guess just 'what the heck' is going on here. although having a good story and flow doesn't always cut it for a good film.
SPOILER: now this part is where i jump to just what bugged me the most, in nearly every thriller I've seen where the captors end up having a brief moment of becoming the captive, every every time the people that have finally wrestled control of a terrible situation, always seem to fail miserably at ending what is obviously going to be certain doom to them. example, if you were taken hostage, so far down the road you witness you captor mutilate one of the other hostages, after which you manage to finally get control of the situation, would you really (with all that pumped up, andrenaline rushing mind of yours) just turn the tables and keep them hostage, no, the first chance you got you would most likely end their existence before, the obvious happens, bieng you lose control again. i was just saying to myself 'just kill the guy already geez!' what kind of mentality would you have to have to develop some kind of stockholme syndrome within 2 or so hours, the film could of ended about 1hr in, and yet it doesn't. i don't care if your a Christian saint, if you were in that situation, you would of just shot the guy there and then without flinching. even then at the end .. again its cliché 'shoot the bad guy once .. ONCE! i mean common ffs i would of picked up each and every round for that revolver, and emptyed them all into the guys head, just to make sure he was never going to get back up, and yet .. fail fail and even more fail .. did i mention .. the female lead is uber fail?
now apart from the stupid mistakes of the female leads to keep the movie flowing until its fanale, this would be an awesome movie, except it fails on the simple logic that every one in a movie based on hostage taking or where peoples live are at risk, as soon as you think 'woot they're done for now you've got control now just end it!! common just kill them already!' .. no instead its just fail.
from my point of view the film is good, i liked the plot, even though it gets a bit obvious toward the last 1/3rd of the movie. the acting as far as i can tell is good, I'm not an actor myself or even have much knowledge on the subject, but i didn't think any of the films characters really slacked, i did feel gripped by the film, yet again i was pretty disappointed by the fact that the female characters just failed so badly when given the chance to end the crisis. they totally just.. well failed.
7/10 its worth watching if you can get passed the usual movie stretching problems that seem to occur in nearly every thriller type movie.
OK movie but very unbelievable
mdarmocida24 November 2010
Warning: Spoilers
The movie starts out pretty good and I have to say its well acted and will keep you fairly entertained for the first forty minutes or so. However half way through the victims start turning the tables, not once, not twice, not three times, but four times (maybe more, I wasn't really counting) and don't kill this guy or incapacitate him to the point where he is no longer a danger. Their refusal to do this is stunning considering he severed all the fingers in one guy's hands, ran over the other guy, almost suffocated one girl, and had the first guys throat slashed. Despite his ineptness, the villain couldn't fail because he had everything going for him (his victims were incredibly stupid, he had more lives than Michael Myers, and he had superhuman powers that allowed him to survive and heal whenever he got hurt along with the ability to magically show up in the right place at the right time throughout the entire movie). By the end of the movie I was cheering for the villain because the supposed hereon was so inept I figured she deserved to die. Thank God the movie ended the way it did, because it would have been very frustrating, and even more unbelievable, if she was able to pull off an escape in the 11th hour (when it was more impossible than ever) considering that she had multiple opportunities throughout the movie and refused to act. At least she stayed consistent and didn't finish the guy off in her final attempt. On the other hand, the villain was pretty inept also in that he allowed his victims to gain the upper hand so many times that it was making me dizzy. Heck, there's one scene that shows a drawer full of drivers licenses of all the women that this guy abducted over the past five years. How could this have been? After five years of experience these two girls got the upper hand so many times that I can't believe no one had overtaken this guy in his prior attempts. Basically, this movie was like watching a battle between dumb and dumber and wondering which one would come out on top.
Very Predictable But Also Very Amusing
Bill35717 April 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I liked this movie but I called every one of it's "twists" way in advance.
It was a great idea on the villains' part to plant a fake on the bus but you can tell by the extreme cowardice of the so called hostage that he was exactly that, long before the empty headed heroes, who didn't catch on until he stuck a knife in one of their throat.
It was shortly after that I turned to my mother and said with a nasty chuckle, "I bet he's taking them to a white slavery processing center!" I was right again. It was absolutely hilarious when the brunette begins putting two and two together and tells the slow members of the audience everything the smart ones figured out long ago.
The most frustrating parts (of this and other films) were the ones where the heroines take control of the gun and refuses to use it to empty the creeps' skulls out onto the floor. When she finally does so, she doesn't make sure the SOB is properly dead and he proceeds to show her how determined he is to earn that money.
I really like movies about white slavery. You can really feel good about them because there's no racism involved. HA!
It was a great idea on the villains' part to plant a fake on the bus but you can tell by the extreme cowardice of the so called hostage that he was exactly that, long before the empty headed heroes, who didn't catch on until he stuck a knife in one of their throat.
It was shortly after that I turned to my mother and said with a nasty chuckle, "I bet he's taking them to a white slavery processing center!" I was right again. It was absolutely hilarious when the brunette begins putting two and two together and tells the slow members of the audience everything the smart ones figured out long ago.
The most frustrating parts (of this and other films) were the ones where the heroines take control of the gun and refuses to use it to empty the creeps' skulls out onto the floor. When she finally does so, she doesn't make sure the SOB is properly dead and he proceeds to show her how determined he is to earn that money.
I really like movies about white slavery. You can really feel good about them because there's no racism involved. HA!
If you're only going to see one lame, preposterous movie this year
rpannier5 September 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Don't pick this one. ****Spoiler Alert***** The plot of this aggravatingly bad movie is four friends are talked into taking the shuttle from the airport by a very zealous driver. On the shuttle with them is a rather milquetoast looking business type.
Shortly into their trip the driver of the shuttle takes an off-ramp and some lunatic driver tries to run them off the road. The end result is they get a flat tire. The driver gets one of the people on the shuttle to help change the tire and the jack slips and the guys fingers are crushed between the tire and the shuttle. It's at this point that the driver reveals himself to be a kidnapper and he has taken all the people hostage.
Now the movie gets extremely slow and tedious, as the characters do one lame thing after another. One of the men is killed trying to escape -- even that lacks any suspense. Finally it is revealed that the milquetoast business guy is in cahoots with the driver when milquetoast guy kills the other male friend by slitting his throat.
There are a couple of attempts to escape by the women. Milquetoast is beaten over the head with a tire iron -- yet he survives.
The driver is also beaten and somehow survived a head on collision with a fence at high speed while kneeling next to the steering wheel. Somehow he didn't go through the window or even get seriously injured with a collision with windshield. Yet the woman driving the shuttle is knocked unconscious -- yet she had a steering wheel to protect her and he had nothing between him and the windshield.
He is eventually able to subdue the women and get them to an underground garage that is a front for human trafficking. One of the women is killed. The other one stabs the driver in the leg with a good sized piece of broken mirror and shoots/grazes him in the head, yet he is able (in what should be a severely weakened state -- severe blood loss, two head injuries and a large leg gash) to drag her out of the shuttle, drag her to a large crate, throw her in and get it locked, all the while with her fiercely fighting him.
Now some people admire the message of the movie about human trafficking and how it is going on today. This is a serious problem. But, making an extremely boring movie about the topic does not entitle it to a higher rating.
Shortly into their trip the driver of the shuttle takes an off-ramp and some lunatic driver tries to run them off the road. The end result is they get a flat tire. The driver gets one of the people on the shuttle to help change the tire and the jack slips and the guys fingers are crushed between the tire and the shuttle. It's at this point that the driver reveals himself to be a kidnapper and he has taken all the people hostage.
Now the movie gets extremely slow and tedious, as the characters do one lame thing after another. One of the men is killed trying to escape -- even that lacks any suspense. Finally it is revealed that the milquetoast business guy is in cahoots with the driver when milquetoast guy kills the other male friend by slitting his throat.
There are a couple of attempts to escape by the women. Milquetoast is beaten over the head with a tire iron -- yet he survives.
The driver is also beaten and somehow survived a head on collision with a fence at high speed while kneeling next to the steering wheel. Somehow he didn't go through the window or even get seriously injured with a collision with windshield. Yet the woman driving the shuttle is knocked unconscious -- yet she had a steering wheel to protect her and he had nothing between him and the windshield.
He is eventually able to subdue the women and get them to an underground garage that is a front for human trafficking. One of the women is killed. The other one stabs the driver in the leg with a good sized piece of broken mirror and shoots/grazes him in the head, yet he is able (in what should be a severely weakened state -- severe blood loss, two head injuries and a large leg gash) to drag her out of the shuttle, drag her to a large crate, throw her in and get it locked, all the while with her fiercely fighting him.
Now some people admire the message of the movie about human trafficking and how it is going on today. This is a serious problem. But, making an extremely boring movie about the topic does not entitle it to a higher rating.
An enjoyable watch
deatman917 October 2012
I have never even heard about this movie and I decided to give it a watch and Im sure glad I did. The acting is not bad and the storyline is believable. Not what I thought it was going to be but still a good movie. Ignore what everyone says about the ending its one of the best parts. Its their opinion because they get sad.
This movie is about 2 friends at the airport on their way back from Mexico. They meet two guys at the airport and they decide to spend sometime together. They catch a shuttle bus to take them into town but the shuttle does not take them to town. The driver takes them on a detour...
This movie was good. It was thrilling and very believable. New original story that has not been done before.
This movie is about 2 friends at the airport on their way back from Mexico. They meet two guys at the airport and they decide to spend sometime together. They catch a shuttle bus to take them into town but the shuttle does not take them to town. The driver takes them on a detour...
This movie was good. It was thrilling and very believable. New original story that has not been done before.
Replace the third letter with i...
natashabowiepinky4 May 2014
What can you say about the film where the general idea behind it is good... but the construction is so appalling? Watching the last few minutes offered some semblance of satisfaction... but recalling almost everything that led up to this point... such as: twists you can see from a mile off, cretinous behaviour from all concerned and a ludicrously indestructible villain meant whatever good feelings I may I had towards the movie came crashing down like a lead balloon.
These two girls have just come back from Mexico, and are trying to get a ride home from the airport. Rather than take an official bus, they rather unwisely choose to hop on a dodgy looking blue van driven by a seedy looking geezer... with the offer of a 50% discount. A couple of lads desperate to get off with the two ladies join them, along with a nervous-looking businessman. His role will quickly become clear for anyone with a half functioning brain. Surprise, surprise... the truck doesn't stop where they want it to. Then, when the vehicle halts abruptly when it gets a 'flat'... that's where the ordeal begins.
And not just for the protagonists. Constantly, we see people having countless opportunities to run for it, kill the bad guy, escape with the van... and do they take any of them? Nope. Admittedly, this would have ended the film much sooner (not a bad thing). But to endlessly harangue us with these venues of retreat, only for the foolish characters to choose THE WORST POSSIBLE OPTION and muck them up is just an insult to the audience. This is a common problem to be found in a lot of recent films... if our heroes are going to fail, at least let them do it in a believable way, not by having them act dumber than roadkill. It also majorly diminishes what sympathy we may have had for the hapless fools... when they're the architects of their own downfall.
As for the evil dude, he can be involved in a major automobile accident, bludgeoned over the head repeatedly, stabbed in the thigh and shot through the skull... and STILL muster up enough strength to not only survive, but force a young woman into a box. Is he a cartoon? It just adds to the lunacy, anyway. And the few curveballs the script throws our way could be anticipated by the most inattentive of viewers. Shuttle could have been a noteworthy horror with originality, but thanks to poor treatment just ends up being a forgettable also-ran... 4/10
These two girls have just come back from Mexico, and are trying to get a ride home from the airport. Rather than take an official bus, they rather unwisely choose to hop on a dodgy looking blue van driven by a seedy looking geezer... with the offer of a 50% discount. A couple of lads desperate to get off with the two ladies join them, along with a nervous-looking businessman. His role will quickly become clear for anyone with a half functioning brain. Surprise, surprise... the truck doesn't stop where they want it to. Then, when the vehicle halts abruptly when it gets a 'flat'... that's where the ordeal begins.
And not just for the protagonists. Constantly, we see people having countless opportunities to run for it, kill the bad guy, escape with the van... and do they take any of them? Nope. Admittedly, this would have ended the film much sooner (not a bad thing). But to endlessly harangue us with these venues of retreat, only for the foolish characters to choose THE WORST POSSIBLE OPTION and muck them up is just an insult to the audience. This is a common problem to be found in a lot of recent films... if our heroes are going to fail, at least let them do it in a believable way, not by having them act dumber than roadkill. It also majorly diminishes what sympathy we may have had for the hapless fools... when they're the architects of their own downfall.
As for the evil dude, he can be involved in a major automobile accident, bludgeoned over the head repeatedly, stabbed in the thigh and shot through the skull... and STILL muster up enough strength to not only survive, but force a young woman into a box. Is he a cartoon? It just adds to the lunacy, anyway. And the few curveballs the script throws our way could be anticipated by the most inattentive of viewers. Shuttle could have been a noteworthy horror with originality, but thanks to poor treatment just ends up being a forgettable also-ran... 4/10
Solid, Suspenseful Thriller
Rathko12 March 2010
On the surface, 'Shuttle' looks like it's going to be one of those slightly laughable high-concept movies like 'P2' - kids get on the wrong airport shuttle bus and all hell breaks loose. You'd be forgiven for expecting little more than incompetently handled third-rate genre clichés. This is one of those rare instances when you'd be wrong. Defying all the odds, writer/director Edward Anderson manages to craft a tightly structured thriller with a genuine sense of mounting dread and performances well above the norm for straight-to-DVD fodder. He's able to create some sequences of real tension and displays more talent and understanding of the mechanics of suspense than many more experienced directors. I, for one, found the story involving, the protagonists likable, and enough unexpected reveals to keep me guessing 'till the very end as to the true nature of the crime being perpetrated. All in all, 'Shuttle' is a solid horror-thriller that chooses suspense over violence, and does so admirably well for such an inexperienced director. I've no idea what Anderson's been doing in the three years since making this movie, but I hope his evident talents won't go ignored much longer.
I enjoyed the movie
zfiany16 September 2009
If you have seen Taken, then you will notice the similarity of the idea of trafficking. I know that both movies were released in 2008 but I don't know which one came first. However, the similarity in here is only in that point and other than that both movies are different and not to be compared in anyway. I loved both though Taken is much much more better but this doesn't make shuttle a bad movie.
Shuttle has good things about it in terms of getting you wondering what the bus driver will end up doing with the girls. It's not that you don't guess why he kidnapped them but you will wonder what will happen.
Overall, the movie does have bunch of entertaining elements in the plot and though the reviewers probably didn't like the characters, I did like them and they were convincing in some parts. One of the reviewers mentioned the fact that the characters were so stupid and at some points could have easily escaped but this is not true. The other day I was sitting in the hospital waiting for my turn to get into the doctor's office and my laptop was with me. And then I read a sign about what to do if a fire starts and started wondering if a big fire flamed out in the whole place and the only way to save myself is to run fast, What would I do? Would I choose to forget about my heavy bag of laptop and CDs to save my life? and I found it really hard to leave my expensive things behind right away. Things have to really get worse for me to start considering throwing my things away. So this is what usually happens with movies when you find some actions stupid and you can't understand them or find the rationale behind them from the comfort of your seat at home. I find these things true and serve the plot and increase the tension.
Shuttle has good things about it in terms of getting you wondering what the bus driver will end up doing with the girls. It's not that you don't guess why he kidnapped them but you will wonder what will happen.
Overall, the movie does have bunch of entertaining elements in the plot and though the reviewers probably didn't like the characters, I did like them and they were convincing in some parts. One of the reviewers mentioned the fact that the characters were so stupid and at some points could have easily escaped but this is not true. The other day I was sitting in the hospital waiting for my turn to get into the doctor's office and my laptop was with me. And then I read a sign about what to do if a fire starts and started wondering if a big fire flamed out in the whole place and the only way to save myself is to run fast, What would I do? Would I choose to forget about my heavy bag of laptop and CDs to save my life? and I found it really hard to leave my expensive things behind right away. Things have to really get worse for me to start considering throwing my things away. So this is what usually happens with movies when you find some actions stupid and you can't understand them or find the rationale behind them from the comfort of your seat at home. I find these things true and serve the plot and increase the tension.
save your money and your time
douglasjeffreys18 August 2009
Warning: Spoilers
In order for a thriller to elicit fear, suspense or any emotion the story must be believable. There is nothing believable or realistic about this film. The protagonists have several opportunities to escape or turn the tables but manage to screw it up every time. The antagonists who supposedly plan this out and customized their shuttle specifically to trap people sure left a lot of improvisational weapons laying around. There is actually one scene where the "smart" girl has a gun to the head of the main bad guy and decides to scold him instead of pull the trigger. This was a thoroughly predictably, brainless "thriller". Every character was one dimensional. The "victims" were the usual gutless, brainless sheep that deserved to be slaughtered. Is there anyone on this planet capable of writing an intelligent thriller?
I'm still laughing!
fedor81 May 2009
Warning: Spoilers
May 2nd: someone clicked 11 NOs, and then proceeded to do 15 more on my previous 15 comments: almost as funny as this turkey!
May 1st:
As I write this, I'm still very much under the impression of what must be the funniest thriller I've ever seen. I've got a major case of the giggles, but I'll try and calm down. (It's kind of hard to write when your nose spills snot and the mouth ejects sporadic drool onto the keyboard.)
A pair of young women who just returned from a vacation take a ride on a shuttle bus. A couple of young guys join them. But the bus isn't really a taxi service: it's a kidnapping vehicle. (Don't snicker!) Its driver has been part of an organized "white slavery" gang who snatch young women from airports, and they've been doing it for FIVE years. (Don't laugh.) Five years on the SAME airport, without the police or even the FBI ever getting any wind of it. (No giggling, please.) Apparently, dozens of women go missing on in the same exact place for years and years - and yet no-one notices a trend. Is the FBI that incompetent? The world of "Shuttle" seems to consist of three types of people: easily kidnappable blonds, dumb/comatose/invisible FBI agents, and omnipotent psychotic gangsters (who hate sexy blonds with tattooed behinds).
The driver has barely stayed alive on this one mission, and yet he's done this for - I repeat - FIVE years, without being killed or losing one of his limbs. (Stop laughing...) Did I mention that the driver is immortal? Need I mention it? We all know that movie psychos have immortal DNA. You can stab them, bounce them against the walls of a bus repeatedly, caress them softly with a hammer, prick nine-inch nails into their ears... Hell, you could stick a hand-grenade into the average Hollywood psycho's mouth, and he'd still escape with only minor scratches. No, the driver is not Satan or even a minor demon, but just a regular Hollywood psycho with better survival abilities than the biggest, meanest sewer cockroach.
The basic plot outline: A guy loses all the fingers on one hand in a silly scene. (A magical bus that reads and obeys minds!) The passengers try to escape. They fail. They get hurt. They sulk. They argue. They try to escape. They fail. They get injured. They argue. They try to escape. They fail. They get injured. They try to escape. They fail. They try to escape. The kidnappees manage to snatch the gun from the driver! Alas, they do not kill him because the Golden Hollywood Rule Of Gandhi-like Pacifism prohibits them from doing it. (No giggling.) One of the other passengers turns out to be part of the gang! (Stop laughing.) He is played by an actor who studied in the Rob Zombie/John Travolta School Of Over-Acting & Silly Mugging. He threatens rape. Later on, one of the gals hits him with a crowbar over the head, about a dozen times... very hard. Only seconds later does he regain consciousness. Yep, he survives. (Immortal, remember?) He gets killed a little later. (No idea how, though! He is not supposed to be killable.) The kidnapees argue. They try to escape. One of them escapes! Alas, the psychos are just far too God-like in their powers not to re-capture their prey. The game starts all over again: the passengers try to escape. They fail. They sulk. They stare into the void. They get hurt. They try to escape. They fail. They get hurt...
You get the picture.
Frankly, I believe that a drugged, heavily disorientated, inebriated snail would have escaped these nincompoop captors with ease. There were so many opportunities. At one point these bumbling psychos (remember: FIVE years!) even send one of the kidnapees into a grocery store! She leaves a message to the police. However, yeah... you guessed it: this fictional fairy-tale U.S. city has no police.
And just as you thought the movie couldn't get any dumber - not even if Luc Besson and Brian De Palma joined forces to lend a hand with the script - it does. The girls are kidnapped in order to be sent to some remote island(?), and this is achieved by transporting them as cargo. Apparently, this fictional America has no FBI, no police - and no border customs either. It does however have immortal criminals with more luck than twenty lottery winners. One blond had her billionth chance to kill the driver, and yet she failed. How is it that victims in these dumb thrillers NEVER try to finish off their immortal adversaries once they have them down on the floor and injured? I guess I answered that one myself: they're immortal! So why bother trying, she must have thought...
So why was one blond gassed to death and the other one boxed and shipped alive (complete with a kitty-litter box, and the funniest photograph since Demi Moore's primary school pictures)? Could it be the tattoo? I think they killed the prettier one, but that's just me. Was her tattoo that ugly?
Could it be that I don't care? Why should I search for logic in a movie made by imbeciles (for imbeciles)? Besides, how can I even think straight when I'm laughing so hard half the time?!
Naturally, this being a 21st-century horror/thriller, the mobile phone doesn't work... Perhaps this invincible gang control not only the FBI, the police, and the customs, but satellites in space too.
Do I have to spell it out? There are far easier ways to kidnap people. And far more intelligent people who should be making movies. Give an idiot a camera and he'll lay an egg every single time... That sort of answers the eternal riddle of which came first: the egg or the bird-brained director.
May 1st:
As I write this, I'm still very much under the impression of what must be the funniest thriller I've ever seen. I've got a major case of the giggles, but I'll try and calm down. (It's kind of hard to write when your nose spills snot and the mouth ejects sporadic drool onto the keyboard.)
A pair of young women who just returned from a vacation take a ride on a shuttle bus. A couple of young guys join them. But the bus isn't really a taxi service: it's a kidnapping vehicle. (Don't snicker!) Its driver has been part of an organized "white slavery" gang who snatch young women from airports, and they've been doing it for FIVE years. (Don't laugh.) Five years on the SAME airport, without the police or even the FBI ever getting any wind of it. (No giggling, please.) Apparently, dozens of women go missing on in the same exact place for years and years - and yet no-one notices a trend. Is the FBI that incompetent? The world of "Shuttle" seems to consist of three types of people: easily kidnappable blonds, dumb/comatose/invisible FBI agents, and omnipotent psychotic gangsters (who hate sexy blonds with tattooed behinds).
The driver has barely stayed alive on this one mission, and yet he's done this for - I repeat - FIVE years, without being killed or losing one of his limbs. (Stop laughing...) Did I mention that the driver is immortal? Need I mention it? We all know that movie psychos have immortal DNA. You can stab them, bounce them against the walls of a bus repeatedly, caress them softly with a hammer, prick nine-inch nails into their ears... Hell, you could stick a hand-grenade into the average Hollywood psycho's mouth, and he'd still escape with only minor scratches. No, the driver is not Satan or even a minor demon, but just a regular Hollywood psycho with better survival abilities than the biggest, meanest sewer cockroach.
The basic plot outline: A guy loses all the fingers on one hand in a silly scene. (A magical bus that reads and obeys minds!) The passengers try to escape. They fail. They get hurt. They sulk. They argue. They try to escape. They fail. They get injured. They argue. They try to escape. They fail. They get injured. They try to escape. They fail. They try to escape. The kidnappees manage to snatch the gun from the driver! Alas, they do not kill him because the Golden Hollywood Rule Of Gandhi-like Pacifism prohibits them from doing it. (No giggling.) One of the other passengers turns out to be part of the gang! (Stop laughing.) He is played by an actor who studied in the Rob Zombie/John Travolta School Of Over-Acting & Silly Mugging. He threatens rape. Later on, one of the gals hits him with a crowbar over the head, about a dozen times... very hard. Only seconds later does he regain consciousness. Yep, he survives. (Immortal, remember?) He gets killed a little later. (No idea how, though! He is not supposed to be killable.) The kidnapees argue. They try to escape. One of them escapes! Alas, the psychos are just far too God-like in their powers not to re-capture their prey. The game starts all over again: the passengers try to escape. They fail. They sulk. They stare into the void. They get hurt. They try to escape. They fail. They get hurt...
You get the picture.
Frankly, I believe that a drugged, heavily disorientated, inebriated snail would have escaped these nincompoop captors with ease. There were so many opportunities. At one point these bumbling psychos (remember: FIVE years!) even send one of the kidnapees into a grocery store! She leaves a message to the police. However, yeah... you guessed it: this fictional fairy-tale U.S. city has no police.
And just as you thought the movie couldn't get any dumber - not even if Luc Besson and Brian De Palma joined forces to lend a hand with the script - it does. The girls are kidnapped in order to be sent to some remote island(?), and this is achieved by transporting them as cargo. Apparently, this fictional America has no FBI, no police - and no border customs either. It does however have immortal criminals with more luck than twenty lottery winners. One blond had her billionth chance to kill the driver, and yet she failed. How is it that victims in these dumb thrillers NEVER try to finish off their immortal adversaries once they have them down on the floor and injured? I guess I answered that one myself: they're immortal! So why bother trying, she must have thought...
So why was one blond gassed to death and the other one boxed and shipped alive (complete with a kitty-litter box, and the funniest photograph since Demi Moore's primary school pictures)? Could it be the tattoo? I think they killed the prettier one, but that's just me. Was her tattoo that ugly?
Could it be that I don't care? Why should I search for logic in a movie made by imbeciles (for imbeciles)? Besides, how can I even think straight when I'm laughing so hard half the time?!
Naturally, this being a 21st-century horror/thriller, the mobile phone doesn't work... Perhaps this invincible gang control not only the FBI, the police, and the customs, but satellites in space too.
Do I have to spell it out? There are far easier ways to kidnap people. And far more intelligent people who should be making movies. Give an idiot a camera and he'll lay an egg every single time... That sort of answers the eternal riddle of which came first: the egg or the bird-brained director.
The ending was spoiled for me, but I enjoyed the film nonetheless
movieman_kev27 July 2012
After two girls, back from a trip to Mexico, get on the airplane shuttle with two other guys they just met they all soon realize that the driver isn't who he seems. Now all the passengers are in for a hell of a ride in this taunt, tense little thriller that I was lucky enough to find on Instant Netflix
I can't help but feel that I would've enjoyed the film much more if I weren't spoiled as to the films ending by some reviews that weren't labeled as having spoilers (tsk, tsk) That fairly substantial gripe aside, the film proper is gripping, good acting, a nice suitably tense atmosphere and kept my rapt interest throughout, I'll rate the film on its own merits and not some outside influence that affected my full enjoyment of said film.
My Grade: B+
I can't help but feel that I would've enjoyed the film much more if I weren't spoiled as to the films ending by some reviews that weren't labeled as having spoilers (tsk, tsk) That fairly substantial gripe aside, the film proper is gripping, good acting, a nice suitably tense atmosphere and kept my rapt interest throughout, I'll rate the film on its own merits and not some outside influence that affected my full enjoyment of said film.
My Grade: B+
good but crushing
LetsReviewThat2623 March 2023
Shuttle was a good thrille/horror. But one that was very crushing especailly getting to the climax of the movie. This film follows two woman mel, and jules played by peyton list and cameron goodman. They have just got off a flight and a mysterious shuttle driver offers them a lift for half the price of the other one. They jump on as well as two men that were eyeing them up. And a man with a briefcase. You know things are going to go well and so they end up in danger. There is a lot of suspense throughout and good acting, especially on peyton lists part. Overall shuttle is a good but brutal movie that makes you relize not everyhting can turn out happy.
I really hated the ending!! And for that...
princess_quetta092 October 2012
Warning: Spoilers
This movie gets one star. I should have stuck to my opinion when I said, this movie was not worth recording. I am HIGHLY disappointed with the ending. Cause seriously, the maniac got shot in the head, glass cut deeply within his knee and he got hit with the light thingy or whatever!! Yet he's fighting like nothing happened to him?? It would have been better if at least one person got away. I am so disgusted with this movie and I'm removing it from my dvr. And this movie did not have its own storyline it's plenty of movie out there about trafficking..this one is just told in a different way so, I don't know what that dude is talking about. Anywho, this movie was wack..do NOT watch!!!
There Are a Few Plausible Moments
payasoingenioso20 January 2021
Another movie elongated because the protagonists harm the antagonist rather than kill them.
Also, the point of the movie seems clear once they board the bus, but, again, the protagonist decisions in this movie are questionable.
I commend the movie's message, as well as the base plot and certain story pieces.
Also, the point of the movie seems clear once they board the bus, but, again, the protagonist decisions in this movie are questionable.
I commend the movie's message, as well as the base plot and certain story pieces.
A Simple Review
jakburton764 May 2009
I've just finished watching this movie and as always I refuse to give too much away on the plot and characters so here is my simple review.
The good points - Original plot, very acceptable acting by mostly unknown actors and OK direction by first time director Edward Anderson on a low budget. The bad points - Not enough time spent getting to know the characters i feel the movie could have spent the first 20 - 30 minutes getting to know about the characters, very poor colour and lighting in this movie everything seemed to have a pale complexion, its got your usual don't do that, why did he/she do that scenarios for thriller/horrors.
All in all could have been better maybe seemed a little too long based on the fact that there was no character development at all.
Average
Try and enjoy if you do watch it though.
The good points - Original plot, very acceptable acting by mostly unknown actors and OK direction by first time director Edward Anderson on a low budget. The bad points - Not enough time spent getting to know the characters i feel the movie could have spent the first 20 - 30 minutes getting to know about the characters, very poor colour and lighting in this movie everything seemed to have a pale complexion, its got your usual don't do that, why did he/she do that scenarios for thriller/horrors.
All in all could have been better maybe seemed a little too long based on the fact that there was no character development at all.
Average
Try and enjoy if you do watch it though.
A dark venture. I enjoyed it
korythacher15 October 2021
Shuttle was enjoying to watch. It's not amazing, but it was good and felt worth the time.
Shuttle had a good enough story, a *little* bit of mystery, and some slight twists. It was fairly engaging throughout, but it was too long and did start to lose me because of it. 15-20 minutes less would have been much better.
There are mild horror elements and light gore. It's not going to turn out like Hostel if that has you apprehensive. I think some of the characters actions were unbelievable, but it was mostly fine.
Unfortunately, is was also dark in the lighting department too. It's not too bad, and they do a good job at making it feel like night without it being pitch black all the time, but it's still too dark. A lot of the scenes in the back of the shuttle are a little too hard to see with enough detail. Most of the movie is in the dark so it just felt like I was straining my eyes by the end.
They also channeled a little too much Michael Meyers, which wasn't great and contributed to all the extra time.
Shuttle had a good enough story, a *little* bit of mystery, and some slight twists. It was fairly engaging throughout, but it was too long and did start to lose me because of it. 15-20 minutes less would have been much better.
There are mild horror elements and light gore. It's not going to turn out like Hostel if that has you apprehensive. I think some of the characters actions were unbelievable, but it was mostly fine.
Unfortunately, is was also dark in the lighting department too. It's not too bad, and they do a good job at making it feel like night without it being pitch black all the time, but it's still too dark. A lot of the scenes in the back of the shuttle are a little too hard to see with enough detail. Most of the movie is in the dark so it just felt like I was straining my eyes by the end.
They also channeled a little too much Michael Meyers, which wasn't great and contributed to all the extra time.
Atmospheric but overlong and lacking originality
krigler30 September 2009
Interesting from the start, though far from riveting, the plot of Shuttle very slowly builds to an incredibly unsatisfactory ending. The premise is all right; people embark on an airport shuttle towards downtown only to discover that they are at the mercy of a psychopath who kidnaps them. What ensues, however, is a pretty by-the-number thriller where there is not one development, plot point or reversal that is unpredictable or surprising in the least. Even a supposedly midpoint twist is totally foreseeable only by the way the main characters are introduced at the beginning. From then on it's merely a long cat and mouse game that loses interest quickly.
Audiences of this type of genre fare are trained to expect a major twist at the end; no such luck here. There is a conclusion but it is neither truly shocking nor original. And to claim that the filmmakers wanted to make any kind of statement about the world and a sad phenomenon with this ending would be easily negated by referring to the sheer exploitative nature of everything that precedes it.
The length is way too indulgent for this material; at least twenty minutes could easily be cut without compromising this story. Shuttle is not without merits though. Acting is surprisingly accomplished throughout, particularly by the two girls, especially in light of the weakness of the material they have to work with. Their backstory, undoubtedly aimed at deepening their characters, is incredibly clichéd and poorly conceived. Directing is top notch, low-budget film-making at its best; again, too bad there is no properly developed screenplay to provide a solid foundation.
Audiences of this type of genre fare are trained to expect a major twist at the end; no such luck here. There is a conclusion but it is neither truly shocking nor original. And to claim that the filmmakers wanted to make any kind of statement about the world and a sad phenomenon with this ending would be easily negated by referring to the sheer exploitative nature of everything that precedes it.
The length is way too indulgent for this material; at least twenty minutes could easily be cut without compromising this story. Shuttle is not without merits though. Acting is surprisingly accomplished throughout, particularly by the two girls, especially in light of the weakness of the material they have to work with. Their backstory, undoubtedly aimed at deepening their characters, is incredibly clichéd and poorly conceived. Directing is top notch, low-budget film-making at its best; again, too bad there is no properly developed screenplay to provide a solid foundation.
Well done intelligent thriller. Awesome.
film_maven-126 August 2008
While there's not a lot of blood and gore for the low-brow slasher devotees, I admired the way the screws slowly tighten as the story unfolded, and the tension cranked up to relentless. Nothing cheap, fast or easy here. Especially loved how everything strange that happened during the course of the night ends up fitting together and explaining all the seemingly random events. This is a smart, compelling film that draws you in and doesn't let go.
Best of all, the climax is original, brutal, gut wrenching and not at all expected.
Highly recommend.
Best of all, the climax is original, brutal, gut wrenching and not at all expected.
Highly recommend.
Put your seat belt on for this low budget thriller!
theboysafter30 December 2013
This movie may be low-budget but it has one hell of a kick. When you begin watching this movie you expect something a lot different, there may not be much blood or gore to this flick but it will put you on the edge of your seat. The movie itself is pretty good, keeps you entertained for a good hour and the two female roles are absolutely beautiful so that make's things even better.
It has it's twists and turns but it is something to watch on a Sunday night. I didn't care much for one of the characters because he was an egotistical annoyance in my opinion but if you like something a bit action and something that will get your heart pumping then this is the right movie for you.
It has it's pros and cons but doesn't every movie? I bought it on DVD before I knew anything about it and I must say, I don't regret it. Watch it and find out for yourself.
It has it's twists and turns but it is something to watch on a Sunday night. I didn't care much for one of the characters because he was an egotistical annoyance in my opinion but if you like something a bit action and something that will get your heart pumping then this is the right movie for you.
It has it's pros and cons but doesn't every movie? I bought it on DVD before I knew anything about it and I must say, I don't regret it. Watch it and find out for yourself.
Sooooooo bad!
roger_gray196524 May 2009
Warning: Spoilers
OK this will contain spoilers. Now I have never seen such a large pile of poop since the laxative/feed mix up at the elephant enclosure in the zoo! It has more plot holes than moth eaten lace and as for the 'realistic' plot line. Well sexual slavery is a dreadful and very real world wide problem and this pile of bilge utilises this plague as a plot device to titillate and tease, shame on everyone involved for that piece of questionable judgement. But back to the film, if you were going to kidnap people from an airport, some of the most secure and camera happy places in the modern world by the way, then why plant a stoolie on the inside of the van who does bugger all until the plot needs a twist. Just wait until you are out of the airport, pull the gun, handcuff the passengers, drive calmly to the warehouse and kill the guys, job done. On the passengers side, on at least three occasions the good guys have the bad guys incapacitated and are armed, WASTE THEM! Once in a movie it can just be acceptable not to put a bullet in the bad guys skull, but COME ON three times! And after he's killed most of you. Also the guy is willing to put down the gun to stop a scarred cheek but kills a girl for a yeast infection that could be cleared up with $20 dollars worth of drugs. I could go on and on about the amount of holes in this but I won't waste any more of my time. Suffice to say that I have rarely been so insulted by such a dreadful piece of drivel and as for the real problem of sexual slavery, girls go voluntarily to new 'jobs' in distant lands and are abused, raped, and often killed by the gang master who meets them off the boat/plane and takes their passports and freedom. This s**t is an insult to anyone whose life has been affected by this! Do not waste your time!
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