With tanned bodies and topless TV stars and the beautiful location of Brazil, John Stockwell has successfully turned Turistas into an easy money making tool. At no point of time you can consider this thriller flick to be a contribution in the genre of horror or thriller movies.

Turistas means tourists. This movie is basically shot in the north-eastern part of Brazil. A group of American tourists meet with a bus accident while travelling in the countryside; however, no one was hurt. As the substitute bus is due by more than 12 hours, the group starts exploring the nearby places, and to everyone’s surprise they reach a hidden beach, almost a paradise in the jungle. The party goes on for the whole night and in the morning when they wake up, they realise that they have doped and robbed. But this is where the trouble begins. Robbery is not the main incident in Turistas. Ultimately they become victim of a kidney transplant racket. Now will they survive or not can be known only after watching this thriller movie.

This movie seems to be quite fast. And even you can find similarities of plot with the Eli Roth’s Hostel. Almost eight tourists are trapped in the game of torture but unfortunately none of them is able to deliver performances worth remembering. And most importantly, the tortures and deaths are so quick that in the end it fails to make an impact on us. Now if you are a fan of Hostel, then definitely you will be disappointed. This is more of a teen movie with limited exposure to blood, gore and violence. After the release of Turistas, there was a huge campaign in Brazil, as they claim that John Stockwell has tarnished the social image of Brazil. The same incident happened after the release of Hostel too. I believe, after all it is a movie and a work of fiction. But then again, some people need causes to protest.

Stockwell has in fact showed much of the real lifestyle of the Brazilians, especially those residing in the north eastern part of the country. The care free lifestyle, hospitality towards the tourists, their friendly nature and love for food, dance and party, cheap accommodation and abundant usage of drugs and the habit of disobeying the rules – are all what you find in Turistas. If you are looking for a bit of entertainment and not a serious nail biting experience of a thriller movie, then you can sure go for Turistas. The amazing Brazilian landscape will surely make Turistas a better experience for you.

Watch the trailer of Turistas

My Rating – 5/10

Learn more about the movie on IMDB

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