Raj Kumar A teenager with usual hen issues, a boy of every girl's dream, a girl with fiber tablet diet and her boyfriend plan to escape a field-trip by double crossing the parents and school authorities by staking out in an unused war bunker.When the door doesn't budge after three days, they are stuck in "the hole".Narrated by one of the four in a psychological session, the film juggles between reality and lies, at one point the movie goes "usual suspects" on you but that is only the half way and there are other loops to untied.Thora Birch gives a strong performance. It's a pity that she didn't make a big career given her potential. Others have given a decent act but the plot loses its charm towards the end and hence plays coy on the whole movie.One time watch.

smellykellyking **spoilers guaranteed**This film has me confused a bit. On the one hand, I'm left feeling satisfied and entertained, but on the other hand, a little unhappy and slightly disappointed.Firstly, the good bits. I LOVE the fact that this is one dirty, no nonsense film with a very unhappy ending and a nice chunk of grittiness chucked in. There is no hint of Hollywood glamour in this, and for that I am grateful. Keira knightly was really good, I really believed her character. The not-so-good bits... It was extremely predictable. I mean, really?? That was supposed to be a twist? I wasn't surprised, shocked or horrified. I did a big 'meh'. I just didn't really care, and wasn't surprised! She was obviously a psycho, no suspense was built up and I was left feeling rather deflated. Also, I've never been massively dehydrated, but if I were I doubt I would think to have some rampant sex with a girl that I didn't even like previously. Also, killing a guy because he had hidden some drink? Maybe after a massive argument or after some tension had been built but there was nothing at all, the murder seemed plonked in the middle of the film for no reason. Finally, why was this girl not the prime suspect??? Why did they all believe her that they were locked in, when there was no evidence against the other guy, and there was no evidence to suggest that she had picked the lock. The only DNA and stuff they found in the hole was of the 4 teens. It doesn't take a genius to realise that the only surviving girl must have been responsible. At the very least, responsible for Geoff's murder and the manslaughter of her lover boy. Just to make the viewer feel even more annoyed, we're expected to believe that a crazy psycho survivor is to be believed over a police psychologist? Pfft, very unbelievable.But still, I applaud the fact that it was a genuinely interesting film, not cheesy, not stereotypical, and not cringe-worthy. I would actually watch it again! Worth seeing, even if you aren't 100% happy, it's a must watch to add to the list.

Robert J. Maxwell Rather unpleasant but gripping story of four teen-aged school kids trapped in an old underground bunker in the kind of "densely wooded area" where all dead bodies are found.The kids have been trying to escape a field trip to Wales and entered the bunker with plenty of booze, planning a three-day debauch. Parties, however, can't last forever, as I've had opportunities to discover, and after the first night they're hung over and, to add to their misery, the iron door at the top of the bunker slams shut and is locked.Three days later, Thora Birch, the lone survivor, stumbles into the arms of the authorities, in shock, her clothing ripped. The three bodies are removed from the vault and Birch tells her sad tale to the shrink, Embeth Davidtz. The story of what happened emerges in several flashbacks as Birch gradually loosens up. I guess I won't reveal the details, due to legal confidentiality.The movie depends largely on Thora Birch and she's quite good as the sullen but conniving school outcast, cum murderess. She plain, but not too plain -- just plain enough to pass for an outcast, and her grooming is semi-Goth. The two horny boys are dispensable. Kiera Knightley is a stunning and flirtatious fox who oozes oestrus. Next to her, anybody would look plain. Both boys throw themselves on her and almost get his jeans off but not quite, worse luck. Too bad, what happens to her.Neither of the young girls is quite as attractive -- not JUST sexy -- as Embeth Davidtz, the earnest and puzzled shrink who is trying to make sense out of this jigsaw puzzle tale. Her Brit accent sounds flawless to my alien ears. Davidtz was born in Indiana but was moved at an early age to South Africa and I suppose that helped. By the end, the cunning Birch has turned suspicion towards Davidtz.If there's a problem with the movie it's that the milieu -- that awful and decrepit underground bunker -- is so dismal. What a depressing place to spend a three-day holiday. And the decor is a catastrophe. The toilets don't work and one of them winds up filled with maggots.I watched it with curiosity and some interest but I wouldn't go through it again.

Kim Bynem I have seen very few good horror or suspense flicks lately. I am beginning to think that almost no one is making such films these days."The Hole" is billed a thriller/horror flick. It is not. It could have been a drama or character study, if the writer had more ability. The cast is misused, as the dialog ranges from mediocre to downright poor.The unreliable narrator aspect, as other reviewers have mentioned (Kurosawa would NOT be pleased, as this flick takes the plot device and makes a muddled over long film a bit longer and more muddled) is no help.Spoilers follow. Thora Birch and Knightly actually are decent performers. This script does no one here any favors, certainly not them. The increasingly psychotic girlfriend or wife has been done much better, by abler writers and directors. For a better movie with a similar theme, watch "Presumed Innocent", or "Shattered" from 1991. Don't waste time with this.