This unimaginatively titled "The Search" at least opens with a very imaginative combo of home-jacking & heist sequence! Criminals put an ad in the paper stating the Mercedes of a wealthy family is for sale, and then use the ad to invade the family's house. Then, they also rob and take hostage all the other potential Mercedes buyers who respond to the ad. That's like hitting twenty-three birds with one stone! While the brain of the operation is doing all the work, his henchmen in the kitchen rape the mother of the family and the father gets killed when trying to prevent they also assault the teenage daughter.
After the intro, "The Search" turns into a more familiar type of Revengeploitation-effort, but it remains worthwhile thanks to the nihilistic atmosphere, the strong & plausible performances, and a few grim and impactful sequences. After the ordeal, the daughter turns her luxurious upper-class life around, meets a forceful female role-model, and takes on a job as waitress in a sleazy massage-bar where she eventually runs into one of her assailants. All this, of course, very much against the will of the grieving mother who simply wants her daughter back. The dubbing in English is horrendous, but you can easily see through this and spot the intense performances. Especially the heartbroken mother (Marta González) and the young but furious lead actress (Andrea Tenuta) are fantastic, while the macho villains - with their typically sleazy mustaches - are nasty and loathsome. Memorable soundtrack, too.
After the intro, "The Search" turns into a more familiar type of Revengeploitation-effort, but it remains worthwhile thanks to the nihilistic atmosphere, the strong & plausible performances, and a few grim and impactful sequences. After the ordeal, the daughter turns her luxurious upper-class life around, meets a forceful female role-model, and takes on a job as waitress in a sleazy massage-bar where she eventually runs into one of her assailants. All this, of course, very much against the will of the grieving mother who simply wants her daughter back. The dubbing in English is horrendous, but you can easily see through this and spot the intense performances. Especially the heartbroken mother (Marta González) and the young but furious lead actress (Andrea Tenuta) are fantastic, while the macho villains - with their typically sleazy mustaches - are nasty and loathsome. Memorable soundtrack, too.