Swallowed Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

Swallowed Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 16, 2024

16 years ago, Carter Smith directed “The Ruins.” It was a particularly nasty chiller, and in all the right ways, promising big things from the helmer and his love of genre entertainment. Smith’s career path didn’t take him to expected places, but he returns to horror events in “Swallowed,” a small-scale terror experience involving drug mules, mysterious bowel activity, and a strange imprisonment. Also handling screenplay duties, Smith keeps things manageable with the effort, as it’s basically contained to a few rooms and features only a handful of characters, looking to inspire suspense in more intimate ways. He gets halfway there in the picture, which starts out strong, promising ghoulish developments to come. Such extremity doesn’t arrive in “Swallowed,” but the build-up to agony is compelling enough to pass, with Smith skilled at launching a bizarre endeavor, but less confident when it comes to ending it.

Benjamin (Cooper Koch) is a young man ready for the bright lights of Los Angeles, preparing to take his shot at becoming a successful gay porn star. His longtime pal, Dom (Jose Colon) is ready to send him off, with the pair spending their last night together, hitting clubs and discussing choices, trying to make the best of a bittersweet situation. Worried about how is friend is going to pay for such a life change, Dom elects to make a “quick stop” before the night is through, driving to visit Alice (Jena Malone), his cousin’s girlfriend, who has a special mission for the duo. Alice has a small collection of balloons filled with unknown items, giving them to Dom and Benjamin to swallow, turning them into drug mules as they prepare to cross the border. The men are hesitant, but there’s no backing out, ingesting the balloons and driving away. However, trouble soon arrives inside a rest stop bathroom, and a single punch from a gay bashing monster kickstarts a digestive process that reveals something horrible passing through the men.

We meet Benjamin and Dom inside a club, learning something about their relationship, which is being tested by a future separation. Benjamin is going to Los Angeles to make it as a gay porn star, hoping to support himself with such a drastic career choice. Dom supports the dream, believing his friend will rise to the top of the industry, but there’s concern in his voice, unsure how Benjamin is going to pay for such a journey, fearing he’ll become prey for all the predators in the business. “Swallowed” sets a tender mood in the opening act, as Smith examines devotion between Benjamin and Dom, who try to keep it casual, but true feelings are leaking out. Dom makes arrangements for a moneymaking scheme to help the cause, giving “Swallowed” an enticing turn into dark suspense territory, and the pair soon meet Alice, a short-tempered, bitter, profane woman who isn’t in the mood to screw around with her employment opportunity.

Smith escalates the meeting by identifying Dom’s reluctance to complete the job, unaware of the details, which involves swallowing large balloons containing something Alice isn’t revealing. “Swallowed” does well during this confrontation and the ensuing drive to their destination, with Benjamin and Dom pulling over to visit a rest stop bathroom. Smith continues to define this relationship along the way, as Dom feels things he’s never confessed, finding his love more powerful than he’s prepared for, which stuns Benjamin. Unfortunately, a nightmare begins for the men when they encounter a beefy bigot who turns to violence to register his disgust with the stranger, throwing a punch that connects to Dom’s stomach, changing everything for the characters and “Swallowed.”

Swallowed Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.33:1 aspect ratio) presentation does have some encoding issues, finding a brief moment at 58-second mark exploding into pixelation. Compression also struggles at times, with mild banding detected. Detail does well, providing a decently textured understanding of ample skin particulars, especially on elements of age. Rural locations retain dimension, and interiors are open for study. Color is defined, keeping greenery distinct and natural skin tones. Cooler hues are appreciable with urban experiences, and cabin activity retains deeper browns. Delineation is satisfactory.

Swallowed Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix handles dialogue exchanges crisply, defining performance choices and levels of emotional intensity. Scoring supports with a sharp synth sound, and low-end is most active when delivering dramatic bass stings. Surrounds also explore musical moods, joined by a few soundtrack selections which maintain sharp vocals and instrumentation. Sound effects are appreciable, especially with goopier moments, and outdoor atmospherics are inviting.

Swallowed Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet (30 pages) includes an essay by Elizabeth Purchell.

• Intro (1:14, HD) provides a welcome from writer/director Carter Smith.

• Commentary #1 features writer/director Carter Smith.

• Commentary #2 features cinematographer Alexander W. Lewis, editor Eric Nagy, and writer/director Carter Smith.

• Commentary #3 features actor Jose Colon, writer/director Carter Smith, and Mary Beth McAndrews.

• Commentary #4 features Terry Mesnard and Joe Lipsett.

• Interview (38:14, HD) offers time with director Carter Smith, who set out to make a "micro-budgeted" feature to satisfy his genre cravings, planning to use small goals to help create "Swallowed." Expanding on his breakthrough work on the short film "Bugcrush," Smith developed the horror of "Swallowed," highlighting technical achievements and casting choices. There are extended clips from the movie throughout the conversation, throttling the pace of the discussion.

• Interview (8:42, HD) is a discussion of "Swallowed" with actor Jose Colon, who recalls his initial introduction to writer/director Carter Smith, knowing his work from "The Ruins." The interviewee details his co-star chemistry, feeling comfortable with cast and crew, responding the small scale of the production.

• Interview (10:13, HD) is a conversation with actor Cooper Koch, who examines his character preparation, receiving approval from writer/director Carter Smith to feel out the role in his own way. Talk of the location is also included, describing the experience as "camp."

• "Bugcrush" (35:38, HD) is a 2006 short film directed by Carter Smith. It also features commentary by Smith and Darren Lew.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included on this release.

Swallowed Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The mystery of "Swallowed" involves the contents of the balloons, as Dom fears the drugs are leaking into his system, trying to work the foreign objects out. Of course, Smith has something a little more twisted in mind, and the story peaks midway through the movie, detailing exactly what's going on during this intestinal emergency, and it isn't pretty. "Swallowed" doesn't build on this level of panic, ending up with a final act involving Rich (Mark Patton, the once and future Jesse from "A Nightmare on Elm Street 2") that goes from grim survival situations (which require Vaseline to help with lubrication needs) to tedious lecherous advances. There's potential in the premise, watching Dom and Benjamin process all that's happening to them, but Smith lets the air out of the picture too soon, giving it over to needlessly showy performances and a resolution that's not nearly as wicked as it needs to be.