Raw and relentless, Olly Blackburn's Donkey Punch isn't your mother's Dead Calm; after straining a bit too hard for jet-setting hipster cred during the setup, it pulsates with debauchery as the tension starts to build and the eponymous jab is thrown. With one dead body on board and six still breathing as the tension starts to built, it's anyone's guess as to who will be the last person standing. Despite the possible exception of its crude MacGuffin and some especially raunchy sex, Donkey Punch really isn't that different from any number of stranded-at-sea suspense thrillers. Still, for those willing to ignore that nagging sense of déjà vu, this cynical little shocker does a serviceable job of amping up the tension as the balance of power fluctuates in a cleverly plotted series of deceptions, manipulations, and double-crosses. Lisa (Sian Breckin), Tammi (Nichola Burley), and Kim (Jaime Winstone) are just three girls looking for a good time in the Mediterranean when they meet up with like-minded lads Marcus (Jay Taylor), Sean (Robert Boulter), and Josh (Julian Morris). Their judgment clouded by excessive alcohol intake and their sense of adventure growing, the girls agree to continue partying on the luxury yacht that the boys have been assigned to look after while their boss is away. In short order, the group has taken their party out to the open sea, where a few doses of ecstasy lead to a frisky dip in the ocean and a playful discussion about such forbidden sex acts as the Dirty Sanchez and the Donkey Punch. Later, everyone climbs back aboard, smokes a hit of Russian Ice, and decides to take the party to the next level, moving into the yacht's master suite. Once there, the sun-soaked flirting quickly leads to a drug-fueled orgy, replete with rolling video camera and a little encouragement to try out the aforementioned Donkey Punch. The swing flies and the recipient dies, leaving the girls to wonder what will become of their friend's body as the guys scramble to make the entire thing look like an accident. The tension mounting as the boys pressure the girls to comply with their plan, it quickly becomes apparent that the killing has only just begun.
Essentially nothing more than yesterday's thriller spiced up with a hip soundtrack, some pretty young faces, and some explicit sexuality, Donkey Punch could hardly be accused of originality. Still, Blackburn and co-screenwriter David Bloom obviously understand the mechanics of suspense, and since the young cast is certainly up to the challenge, the end result is an efficient little nail-biter with a couple of memorably nasty twists. Sure Donkey Punch may not be the most original or innovate thriller ever released, but the filmmakers do deserve a certain measure of credit for managing to keep things interesting even after it's become obvious exactly where the situation is headed. There are certain well-worn subgenres that the filmmakers still manage to mine despite the fact that moviegoers have essentially seen the same stories played out onscreen for decades -- the teen slasher movie or the survival in the wilderness thriller, to cite a couple of obvious examples -- yet something about these deliciously simple concepts keep us coming back to see how the situation might have played out if the story had unfolded just a little bit differently. Donkey Punch is a shining example of the "original" thriller that isn't quite a remake despite having been made at least a dozen times before. Viewers looking to have a brutal blast while guessing which seafarer will be the last one standing are likely to walk away feeling appropriately rattled, though others in search of something that's both suspenseful and original may want to just let this ship sail.