Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Ceticultsot Beautiful, moving film.

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Ginger Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Peter Pluymers Aggression Scale : (noun) A psychological test measuring the frequency of overt aggressive behaviors that may result in physical or psychological injury to others.Actually it was my intention to begin with a quote from Owen, the teenager who's at the core of this bloody home invasion, but this is impossible because he says not a single word throughout the film. Not a sound even. I was expecting a typical B-movie but as the movie progressed, I was pleasantly surprised. You can call it "Home Alone" for adults ("The Aggression Scale is like Home Alone on crack." I read somewhere) : bloody, vicious and sometimes straightforward explicitly violent. Compared with Owen, Kevin looks like a wimp. And the viciously tricks and booby traps that Owen constructs for his attackers, are worse and more deadly than those of Kevin.Essentially the story isn't that extraordinary. A certain Bellavance (Ray Wise) just left prison and wants to leave to a safer place together with his son. The only problem is that his hard-earned money is stolen. Four loyal gang members are instructed to find the money. And this task is tackled in a simple way: you take a list of all people who had something to do with it and you start off from the top of this list. Those who can't answer the questions, are unceremoniously provided with some fresh ventilation holes. And that's the first image you get to see in "The Aggression Scale". Immediately a bluntly and senseless slaughtering. The victim didn't even get the time to answer the question anyway. But it had effect, this "in-your-face" violence. I must admit I immediately sat straight after that moment. A real attention grabber that clarifies which direction it'll go.What Lloyd (Dana Ashbrook) and his companions weren't expecting, was the presence of the young scion Owen (Ryan Hartwig) of the family Rutledge, which was next on the list. This silent boy carries a fairly destructive secret with him. The Rutledge family has just moved into their new home where they wanted to start a brand new life. Lauren (Fabianne Therese) isn't happy about this course of events and clearly shows that. She doesn't feel like babysitting the weirdo Owen in this reconstituted family. However, she doesn't realize that she should be happy that this youngster stands at her side.Clearly it's a low-budget film, but one that was enormously appreciated by me. A fast-paced aggressive film that keeps your attention all the way. The continuous flow of violent scenes is perfectly dosed and the thoughtful actions of Owen make it interesting. Although he sometimes looked like a youthful MacGyver who used far-fetched methods which were successful because of the necessary amount of luck and coincidence. Also the performances can be praised. Ray Wise, who of course became known as Leland Palmer in "Twin Peaks", his contribution wasn't extensive. But the moments he came into the picture, he managed to portray a ruthless gangster.Also known from "Twin Peaks" is Dana Ashbrook (as Bobby Briggs). I surely didn't recognize him with that graying hair and rounded beard. He made me think of Ruben Block, the singer of Triggerfinger. But what charisma he exuded on the screen. The atmosphere changed immediately when he appeared. A threatening and unapproachable posture. He's surrounded by a few stereotype individuals : the mindless muscle bundle with a tremendous resilience, a moronic idiot and the cowboy-type with a "Je mon fou" attitude. But it's Ryan Hartwig who excels in his wordless role. In the beginning he looked like a retarded autistic boy but soon he grows out into a clever and inventive survivalist when he and his family are in danger The only one who irritated me immensely was Lauren. When trying to escape cold-blooded killers, you don't start running through the woods like a hysterical teenage girl screaming your lungs out. Luckily she calmed down near the end and gained control over herself again.There are several movies that show how someone can collapse psychologically and starts to react extremely aggressive. "The Aggressive Scale" however, shows how far one can go in his aggressiveness. It's a disturbing thought that someone is unable to control his aggressiveness without medication and constantly threatens others. But it's a starting point that's suitable to weave a fascinating concept around. The best hidden item in this film was the way Owen and Lauren grew together. They began as two strangers who interacted apathetically with each other and end up as a kind of Bonnie and Clyde. Inseparable and deadly vengeful.More reviews at http://opinion-as-a-moviefreak.blogspot.be

emfgds There have been a lot of Home Alone comparisons in other reviews and I thought exactly the same thing as I was watching this idiotic mess of a film. Take the Home Alone sequel script that was dug out of a dumpster somewhere, sandwich it against the First Blood:The Teenage Years script that didn't quite take off and then hire someone with little command of the English language to skillfully weave it all together. I've seen better dialog written for WWE banters and better acting to boot! I'm not going to even bother recapping the film, because I just don't want to think about it anymore.Should've known when Ray Wise popped up...

david-511-37028 I wasn't sure what to expect from this film, having seen others I've been disappointed in from this production company. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised. The Aggression Scale was a lot like an adult version of Home Alone. The film was suspense-filled, keeping me at the edge of my seat waiting to see how these kids are going to handle everything. Watched with a friend who is very familiar with autistic children, and his reaction was very positive. The portrayal of the main character was spot on for the obsessive habits of an autism sufferer. The cinematography was expertly done, but the soundtrack left a little to be desired. All in all, I recommend this film highly.

gavin6942 Four heavily armed hit men and two unusual teenagers go to war over $500,000 of stolen cash.The film is advertised as "Home Alone" with more death. And, yes, I can certainly see that. Granted, it is not funny (unless you spend your 85 minutes making fun of the lead character's stupidity and terrible outfits). And it is not Christmas. But, the basic concept is there.The real selling point for me was the reunion of Dana Ashbrook and Ray Wise ("Twin Peaks"). If you have not seen Ashbrook in a while, you may not recognize him (twenty years later and he is no Bobby Briggs). I can only imagine what it must have been like being on set for the scenes they share.The plot in general is a bit convoluted. Just a bit. You might wonder how the first half is in any way connected to the second. They run together, the film just has a few false starts before it gets going. But, it is relatively short, which I think is a strength -- rather than drag on, the creators knew how to keep the pace going.