Turistas (translates as 'Tourists' in English) is a 2006 horror film, directed by John Stockwell. In some regions of the world, the film has been released under the alternate title Paradise Lost.

Plot

Young American tourists backpack in an off-the-beaten track of the Brazilian mountains. When their bus has an accident, Alex (Duhamel), sister Bea (Wilde), and her friend Amy (Garrett) decide to visit a cabana bar nearby instead of continuing their tour. The makeshift resort turns out too good to be true; the beach and nightclub are excellent, but the Americans are served laced drinks at the bar, and awaken face down on a deserted beach, their valuables stolen. The group decides to walk to the nearest town for help, but their personal tourist hell is just beginning.

Cast

• Josh Duhamel as Alex Trubituan
• Melissa George as Pru Stagler
• Olivia Wilde as Bea Trubituan
• Desmond Askew as Finn Davies
• Beau Garrett as Amy Harrington
• Max Brown as Liam Kuller
• Agles Steib as Kiko
• Miguel Lunardi as Zamora

Reception

In the United States, Turistas came out on DVD March 27, 2007 and was released in a rated theatrical version, with a running time of 89 minutes. An unrated version of Turistas was also released the same day with a running time of 98 minutes, and was advertised as being "Too Gruesome For Theaters." It was received poorly by critics, receiving a combined score of 15% from Rotten Tomatoes. The New York Times reported that the movie was "plain stupid" while The Hollywood Reporter felt that an unsettling atmosphere was built at the start but that "the movie begins to fall apart around the halfway point."

The film did, however, receive a positive review from Larry Ratliff, film critic for the San Antonio Express-News, who said that the film was "shockingly brilliant". Fangoria Magazine, meanwhile, claimed that it was "a better and scarier film than Hostel".

The movie caused some controversy in Brazil and American actor, Josh Duhamel apologized to the Brazilian government and to the Brazilian people during The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, saying that it was not the intention of the movie to stop tourists from visiting Brazil.

References

External links

• Review at rottentomatoes.com
• Trailer at Apple.com
• Detailed Comparison between R-Rated and Unrated Version