The Film (3.5/5)

Set during the late 50's and early 60's Hungary, the town of Martfu is haunted by a strange series of killings. Most of the victims are young women who are attacked near a shoe factory. One man is seemed to be caught red handed and locked away for his "crimes". But after ten years in jail, the killings start up again. Is it a copycat killer or is there some deep seeded corruption going on in the government?

STRANGLED (2016, original title being A MARTFUL REM) is a well-polished surprise from Hungary. A country that sadly gets over looked in writing on world cinema. Being described by the marketing people as being in the same vein as Fritz Lang's M (1931) and David Fincher's ZODIAC (2007), STRANGLED is thriller of some note. Even if it suffers from True Story problems and sloppy pacing.

While watching the movie I was more impressed by the connections it shares to Michael Mann's MANHUNTER (1986).  With its troubled cops, insider's look into the killer's home life, and desperate measures used to find the killer. There is even some time spend with the killer's wife, who in some masterful scene is menaced by him while she is wearing a new wig. It all comes quick and fast. But since this was based on a true-life story, the movie has a few awkward jumps in logic.

Many of these being with some of the real-life suspects and their troubles. The politic red tape of the 1960's is looked at in a deeper fashion, thanks to a subplot dealing with some of the back-stabbing tactics of the lawyers who wrongly accused one of the men involved. These sections go on for way too long and don't really offer any closure to some of the plot holes in the film. The final 30 minutes are also slow and dull thanks to a rushed chase scene and an extended "why I enjoy murdering" speech from the killer.

That being said, STRANGLED offers some spooky thrills and feels like a superb episode of a crime show. Something like Dexter meets CSI.

Audio/Video (4/5)

The disc comes with two audio options. First up is the Hungarian 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. The audio is clean and doesn't have any pops or hiss. The background effects are also crisp and help with the rising tension. The second track is the softer 2.0 Hungarian LPCM Stereo mix. Of the two I would strongly suggest the 5.1 if you have the right speakers set up. English subtitles are included.

The 1080p HD transfer has a few minor hiccups. Like some dullness in some of the day time scenes and a couple spots of motion blur. Overall the transfer has a strong focus. Some scenes are razor sharp with the amount of detail on screen. There is also some fine black levels and vivid colors near the end of the film.

Extras (1/5)

It comes with the original trailer.

Overall (3.5/5)

STRANGLED was a welcomed surprise that was bogged down with bad pacing and 20 minutes too long on the runtime. Eureka! And Montage pictures have given the film a handsome release. So, if you're in the mood for an interesting thriller, give it spin.