[Popcorn Frights ’23] ‘Beaten to Death’ review: Ultra-violent Australian thriller

Beaten to Death wastes no time living up to its title. The film opens with a man being brutally beaten. And this is just the beginning of the ultra-violent journey for Jack (Thomas Roach) who will have to be forced to endure torture, the harsh landscape, and his own sanity.

Despite its to the point title and visceral opening moments, director Sam Curtain (who also wrote the film with Benjamin Jung-Clarke) doles out the narrative in carefully placed pieces. Beaten to Death is more than an hour and a half of extreme violence. It attempts to tell a complete story.

Why Jack is in his current predicament is told through flashback sequences that are sometimes inelegantly woven into Beaten to Death. These moments often come out of nowhere and are an extreme contrast to what has just transpired. While providing much needed background, it makes the film feel disjointed.

This does not take away from the high level of tension, however. Based on Jack’s condition in the scenes that take place in the present, it is clear he has been through a lot. Each past segment is filled with questions. What is going to happen to Jack next? Why is he being put through all of this?

Unsurprisingly, the answers will not satisfy all audiences. Beaten to Death is shock cinema whose intent is closer to traumatizing than entertaining. Fans of extreme cinema will enjoy the experience. For others, it will be a senseless journey of brutality where the ends do not justify the means.

The Popcorn Frights Film Festival takes place from August 10 -20. The schedule and tickets can be found HERE