Numerous genre films over the years have taken advantage of the trope involving a psychopath out on a rampage meeting up with someone or something far deadlier and more dangerous than they are. These have ranged from efforts like “Don't Breathe to Bone Sickness” and even this year's British home invasion effort “The Owners”. Now, newcomer Rony Patel puts his own spin on the formula with the new cross-genre effort Chop Chop, arriving on VOD platforms for rent or own October 20th through Gravitas Ventures.
Buy This Title
Settling in for a home-cooked meal, Chuck (Jake Taylor) and his girlfriend Liv (Atala Arce) are unaware of what lies ahead for them until a bizarre pizza delivery-man arrives at their house. Having to kill the stranger to prevent him from killing them, they promptly set out to get rid of him by dismembering and scattering his body. After trying to discard the remains, they are given a series of random instructions from a massive criminal underworld that takes them deep into a local crime gang full of homicidal maniacs with a set of tasks to perform. They soon realize that to clear their names and get out alive, the two must set off on a wild journey together to get back to normal.
For the most part, “Chop Chop” is a mess without much going for it. Most of that is due to Patel's story which tends to equate shocking moments and surprising reveals with setup or context as the primary factor for what's to be considered scary or thrilling. The opening encounter with the delivery man is a perfect example, offering no clue who this bizarre deliveryman is or why his first scene shows him approaching the house carrying heads in an orange bag. He's not explained, nor are the seemingly supernatural powers he displays entering the house moments later after being locked out to see him sitting on the couch threateningly. Liv and Chuck are more outraged over the interruption this causes to their plans than who he is, why he showed up or if this is the start of something bigger which is a problem with the lackluster story.
Moreover, that's a huge issue with the rest of “Chop Chop” as a whole, since seemingly random events keep occurring to Liv and Chuck. How they manage to go from being a seemingly average couple enjoying a romantic night together to being targeted by a criminal organization and tortured by homicidal maniacs should make some kind of sense yet nothing ever does. Considering the viciousness of the criminal gang they come in contact with, there should be more of a throughline as to how the storyline ties together but Patel never gives any concrete evidence. They're always the one being spoken to or given instructions but nothing comes of who the gang is, how they get their information or what the general endgame is. That leaves “Chop Chop” a confusing, random mess.
Lastly, “Chop Chop” suffers greatly from glaring internal issues that belie its amateur status. Liv and Chuck are completely nonplussed by what they encounter on their journey, reacting to everything with a blank, emotionless expression and barely-audible whispers instead of logically freaking out over the people they encounter or the dangerousness of the situation. Knowing they're in the presence of vile, homicidal criminals should elicit more of a fear for their lives than what's going on which really lowers our sympathy for them. It's only possible to know their names from the end credits as they barely speak to each other which only occurs in that low-register whisper. By the end, when they start to get tortured for information but fail to give any all interest is lost in this random, directionless mess.
One of the most random, pointless, chaotic messes of a genre film released this year, “Chop Chop” has no redeeming qualities whatsoever and features nothing about it worth caring about. There's no real audience for this one as there's something to annoy or irritate any type of genre fan, making it best to just ignore it and let it serve as a failed experience.
