Piggy

Director - Kieron Hawkes (Ripper Street)
Starring - Martin Compston (Strippers vs. Werewolves), Neil Maskell (The ABCs of Death), and Paul Anderson (Doctor Who)
Release Date - 2012
Genre - Horror
Tagline's "He stands between us and them" and "A new breed of vigilante"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Lately I have been on a killer pig kick and I reviewed the pig masked slasher Hogmaul which was a rip off of the 2010 slasher Porkchop.  The slasher even went as far as to steal the promotional material for the film.  I had to wash the taste of that film out with something...better.  So I turned to a review copy I received of the film Piggy.  The film looked fun as hell when I initially saw the trailer but from over the years I have learned to never judge a film by it's trailer.  The film's artwork is one thing but the trailer can, and usually, is huge fucking let down.  However, when I tossed this one in I was pleasantly surprised. 
     The film follows shy and withdrawn Joe (Compston) who is grieving over the death of his brother John (Maskell). Joe is having a hard time coping with his brother's death because John is the one that forced him out of his shell and into the real world.  John was murdered by a local drug dealer and his group of friends but the police have failed to put the pieces together.  Soon after his brother's murder Joe meets a friend of Johns named Piggy (Anderson).  Piggy sympathizes with Joe and convinces him that revenge is the best medicine to heal his heart.  The two hatch out a plan to bring street justice to those responsible for his brother's death while wearing pig snouts to hide their identities.  The two set out to kills those responsible but along the way Joe learns that Piggy is not who he says he is.

     I did not know what to expect from Piggy when I first started watching it.  I assumed it was a slasher but boy was I way off.  The film was not a slasher at all but a stylish revenge film with great character depth that reminded me a lot of several amazing British films.  The acting in this one is phenomenal.  The entire cast did an amazing job but Paul Anderson's portrayal of Piggy stands out in every scene.  This is a character that could have easily went on to star in a series of films.  He is so methodical, cool, collected, and brutal.  The story for this one is a more brutal twist on the typical revenge style flick.  We have seen countless revenge flicks over the years but very few actually offer a twist at the end.  However, those that do offer a twist ending rarely are able to pull it off like this film did.  The twist was simple and very effective.  Finally, the film has several beautifully filmed death scenes.  In fact, the deaths scenes we did get were rather surprising at how gory they were.  The special effects for these were great as well making this film very well rounded.  Overall, Piggy is a horror film for horror fans.  Tired of bitching about the current state the horror community is in with so many remakes and sequels?  Then check this film out because you will not be disappointed.