Petite and shy, she’s trained to kill

and do the deed with lethal skill.

So can she last in a rough fight

with sadist guys alone at night?

Veronica learns all she needs

from mentor Will, the man she heeds.

She’ll have to stop those evil guys

but by herself and telling lies.

The stage is set one fateful night

deep in the woods, a place of fright.     

Veronica they should beware.

She just might be their worst nightmare.  

No more blonde girls will they murder.

Unless they get the best of her.   

The film, for sure, is not a bore.

It fills the screen with blood and gore.

Unhappily, there’s not much plot.

Character depth? Not a whole lot.

Too many scenes become blurry.

As if they’re shot in a hurry.

Still, actors bring their roles to life

through all the blood and messy strife.

Suspense almost makes this worthwhile.

And yet, the scenes seem way too vile.

Thriller fans might enjoy this one.

But I rejoiced when it was done.

Abigail Breslin charmed me as the amusing pre-teen in Little Miss Sunshine, and Wes Bentley delighted me as a sensitive guy in Welcome to Me. But in Final Girl, they are both terrifying! Breslin plays a human weapon, and Bentley portrays the man who turns this young woman into a killing machine. No hint of gentleness or humor remains in these riveting performances. I only wish we knew more about their  characters.

What we do learn, however, is that Veronica (Breslin) suffered a terrible trauma as a young child, and that Will (Bentley) also suffered a great loss. Will then takes advantage of this situation to mold Veronica’s behavior. We cringe at the training sessions she endures. But Will has a goal in mind, which involves taking out a group of sadists who have killed many blonde girls in the woods after hunting them down like wild animals. We’re not surprised when Veronica becomes the hunter instead of the hunted. Who will survive?

Most of the suspense comes when Veronica interacts with the gang of arrogant villains. She entices them, plays games with them and pretends to be hunted. Although fascinating at first, several scenes go over the top when mixing hallucinations with real life, which tends to take our minds out of the movie. And, of course, that’s a no-no for a thriller.

First-time feature director Tyler Shields and his crew show talent at setting the right mood for a disturbing film like this, and Alexander Ludwig (Bjorn Lothbrok in TV’s Vikings) stands out as the conceited gang leader, who looks more like a GQ model posing in a tuxedo than a killer. But he convinced me so completely that I wanted to yell “Boo!” whenever he appeared on camera. I look forward to seeing Ludwig in more movies.

Although too bloody and violent for me, Final Girl proves Abigail Breslin is all grown up now and still ready for her close-ups.                  

(Released by Cinedigm and rated “R” for disturbing violent content and some language.)

For more information about Final Girl, go to the IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes website.