The Tattooist Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Evil in ink.
American tattoo artist Jake Sawyer (Jason Behr) wanders the world, exploring and exploiting ethnic themes in his tattoo designs. At a tattoo expo in Singapore, he gets his first glimpse at the exotic world of traditional Samoan tattoo (tatau),and,in a thoughtless act,unwittingly unleashes a powerful angry spirit.In his devastating journey into Pacific mysticism,Jake must find a way to save his new love,Sina (Mia Blake) and recover his own soul.
| Jason Behr | Jake Sawyer |
| John Bach | Lazlo McFadden |
| Timothy Balme | Jake's Father |
| Jarred Blakiston | Young Jake Sawyer |
| Stuart Devenie | Senior Doctor |
| David Fane | Mr. Va'a |
| Michael Hurst | Crash |
| Nathaniel Lees | Mr. Perenese |
| Robbie Magasiva | Alipati |
| Matthew Ridge | Graham |
| Trevor Sai Louie | Uncle Ken |
| Aleni Tufuga | Peni |
| Andy Wong | Expo Customer |
| Mia Blake | Sina |
| Alison Bruce | Charge Nurse |
| Peter Burger |
6.30 out of 10 (7 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Weird Horror Movie
posted on 28 Jun 2009The American tattooist Jake Sawyer (Jason Behr) travels around the world researching tattoos and tattooing clients. While in Singapore, he steals a tool that belongs to the Samoan family of his acquaintance Sina (Mia Blake); however he has a problem with a client that expected that his tattoo could heal his sick son and Jake accidentally cuts his palm with the tool. Jake returns to New Zealand where he meets Sina again and has a cold reception from her family that knows that he has stolen their tool. They visit a Samoan family that has been living in shame since their missing son did not finish a traditional ritual with the tattoos. Sooner Jake finds that his recent clients are chased by a fiend that is somehow connected to the Samoan tool, and he discloses a dark secret in the Samoan community."The Tattooist" is a weird horror movie for those like me that are not used to the Samoan rituals and traditions, more specifically to the Traditional Samoan tattooing of the pe'a, body tattoo. I have found many articles about this subject in Google (for example, http://www.samoa.co.uk/tattoos.html) that helped me to understand the plot. Therefore, in my opinion, this movie fails for not providing a better clarification of the Samoan tattoo history. If the viewer clearly understands this matter, the horror makes sense and "The Tattooist" is an original movie of this genre. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "O Tatuador" ("The Tattoist")
A rather unusual ghost story
posted on 22 Jun 2009What can I say about this one: you got a melancholic guy as the main character, who charts a course from South East Asia to return a stolen tattoo object to a traveling group New Zealand natives and also using this adventure as an opportunity to see more of this mysterious woman that he had first met while traveling with the tribes men only after he's pricked by the art instrument from a surprise encounter from a very disgruntled client. The prick from the instrument releases a murderous ghost who you could call "Oil boy" who's on a hellbent quest to restore his honor; Ghosts (shrugs shoulders). Well there's more and there's a twist that could be presumed as obvious that wasn't so obvious and that's why I had given it a 7 out of 10. My complaint about this movie is 1: in the beginning, the main character is a boy who has his inner left fore arm skinned from his Puritan-Priest like father because he spots a rather cool looking Pentagram tattoo nested on some tribal vines or something or other. The problem with this is that considering the main character is at an age where he got me by three or four years and assuming he was let's say 15 at the time of this tragic incident with his father would mean that the kid had to of had this tattoo professionally done somewhere which of course would be illegal and the tribal design itself with crowning pentacle wouldn't be in style until 1995 and it seems like this incident happened in 87'-but this is pure speculation. But stuff like this is important because when I watch a movie, I like to be lost in a movie and forget that I'm watching a movie. Anyway, point two with problem one is, despite the off time frame of this situation, is the fact that even if it's illegal for a pre-addy getting inked like that, it wouldn't of been uncalled for somebody to call Child Protection on the dad. I mean a kid with a skinned inner arm would catch attention since it would most likely be infected. Problem two with this movie and I don't know why this is the current trend is that they used Rap music for the main theme of the movie-Rap as in bubbly pop, cool for club casual play music. You know the happy up beat music crooned over by ignorant lyrics of non-sense. This had no place in the movie. IF you can overlook those points, then you have an alright ghost flick.
A Nutshell Review: The Tattooist
posted on 19 May 2009"He needs a doctor." "No, he needs a tattoo!"And with that comes the chuckles when the latter line is uttered by Singaporean actor Gerald Chew. The Tattooist is the second New Zealand horror movie to hit our screens here this year (the other being The Ferryman), and this one marks the first Singapore-New Zealand joint venture, with others like Kelvin Tong's Maid sequel being rumoured to be some collaborative effort of this nature as well.Starring Jason Behr, who resembled Lorenzo Lamas in his previous big screen movie outing with the SkinWalkers, he ditches the long hair and beard for a closer crop, and takes on the titular role as a tattooist who is in Singapore for a Tattoo Exposition, held at the Capitol area. Locals will know that no such area exists (Capitol is just waiting to be refurbished/demolished), and the first 20 minutes of this movie actually had a very sexy vibe to how night time Singapore is portrayed, with its beautiful skyline, and many shots that would have made the Singapore Tourism Board give it its stamp of approval.Some believe that tattoos give its wearer some mystical properties, as explained in movies like Spider Lilies, and perhaps that's why more than often the creatures drawn on people include fierce ones like tigers and mythical ones like phoenixes and dragons. Rarely, or never at all, do you see a pussy cat, or a rat (if you do, let me know!). Behr's Jake Sawyer earns a living giving tattoos that he hawks as tattoos that can "heal", although being a disbeliever of such prowess, and at the Expo, gets his interest piqued by the Samoan tradition of the art.OK, so actually he's more interested in Sina (Mia Blake), whom he saw at the Expo, and prior to his journey to New Zealand to learn more of Tatau, he had "borrowed" an old tattoo tool, which to the audience, spells trouble - such stuff can only contain curses, spirits and what- have-yous. And when blessed accidentally with fresh blood from Sawyer's palm, it seems that Sawyer's customers thereafter become victims of strange deaths, spewing tattoo ink and experiencing death by tattoo art. Nonetheless it's up to Sawyer to find out the root cause in a race against time, especially when his lady love is also put at risk.To add some depth and contribute to the reasons necessary for things that go bump, the theme of shame is examined in the rituals of the Samoan people, which is similar to the value of "face" to the Chinese. Things that bring dishonor to the family is widely frowned upon, and this discrimination brings about unhealthy relationships, especially amongst blood relations. Ultimately, it boils down to interpretation, and the selfishness of man to preserve what is deemed socially acceptable, and the measures taken to preserve mindsets and individual honor.Director Peter Burger doesn't deliver an outright horror movie, but it seemed more along the lines of a mystery thriller. You don't get the usual tricks like shadowy figures, creaky doors, sudden slamming of furniture, bellowing winds or musical crescendos. In fact, you don't get much of that at all, only the occasional figure seen in a reflective surface, and even then done so low key, it surprisingly doesn't even raise a goose-bump. The way the narrative played out was in the vein of horror movies like Shutter, but without the unexpectedly frightening bits. It was as if the movie was in self-censorship mode, reeling back from full gory details, choosing to let the mind imagine what horrible fates have befallen the unfortunate victims.And speaking of censorship, I booed at the badly butchered removal of a sex scene. Instead of bowing to box office pressure of an NC16 release, I thought the distributors could have submitted it for a higher rating, thus keeping the movie intact for its inaugural Sin-NZ production, but sorry. The movie boasted excellent production values, so it was a pity to have the experience marred by a bad cut. There were some off-moments in the movie, like the kid-medium and his homies, but taken as a whole, The Tattooist is a surprisingly entertaining mystery thriller that will probably pave the way for more quality (hopefully) collaborations to come.
Thoughtful horror that moves at a measured pace
posted on 14 Mar 2009I am guessing that a lot of the low ratings have more to do with the fact that this movie does not immediately start splattering the audience with buckets of blood and splitting your ears with crescendoing screams.This movie is NOT following the normal Hollywood script. There's no "Oh yeah-there's the Monster" There's no parade of "Oh Yeah, the A-hole is gonna get it"This is Horror from the Suspense side of the formula. It's a story of a Guy who does something wrong in the pursuit of his art. And something is unleashed in return. Consequences and collisions occur in the context of a different continent and its own cultures and messy histories.No, it's not a DEEP movie, but it's an interesting departure from the usual fare. Nor is it a non-stop splatterfest. Watch this when you're in the right mood-- somewhere in the middle where you just want a good movie to fill the time and give you a story from a different place besides Hollywood.
You have found the next movie to rent
posted on 26 Nov 2008If you are like me, you use this site to Gage what to rent. I am shocked this movie got such a low rating (5.1 stars when I checked), in fact I almost didn't rent it because of that, I only picked this up because fangoria gave it a great review. My best advice is to watch the preview, and if you think it looks good then watch it. The preview is not misleading at all, and the movie has much more to offer. I was happily impressed with this movie. The Acting was great, the scenes were visually enticing, and even brought you into a different culture. The idea was truly refreshing and also pulled off very well. I have seen plenty of movies with great ideas, but it was too hard to pull off, which ruiend the movie. This however, was not one of them.Now with this review you are probably wondering why I didn't give more than 10 stars. That is because the first 45 minutes were slow, and at the time almost seemed irrelevant. Turns out (of course) they are not all irrelevant. There were just some funny things I noticed, like a guy comes into his shop and he just starts tattooing the guy without asking what he wanted. Overall this movie was great and I strongly recommend it to any true horror fan (that means if you like movies such as "The Titanic" and dislike horror films, don't rent this to give it a bad rating.) This movie will not have you at the edge of your seat, or give you nightmares, or make you jump, but it will make you realize that they still make great creative horror movies that are truly a treat to watch
Fun little horror item.
posted on 11 Jun 2008A tattooist gets more than he bargained for when he takes a tattooing object not belonging to him, using the object for his work, his customers soon find themselves dying horrifying deaths at the hands of a ghostly predator, as he seeks to unravel the mystery, he discovers that his new lover may be the next target for the ghosts grisly rampage. THE TATTOIST despite having a silly plot line at least tries to be original & provide horror fans with something new which is more than one can say about the current Hollywood system of endless awful horror movie remakes (in other words it's official, Hollywood is completely bankrupt of coming out with fresh new story lines or even interesting horror villains) & while the Tattoist is nothing special, nor a film that will knock your socks off, it at least provides some entertainment for an hour & a half. The film has a weird boost of energy & provides enough plot twists & turns to keep horror fans happy, also a big help is the talented cast & direction another thing that is rare in genre films like this. Recommended, just don't expect the CITIZEN KANE of horror movies & you should have fun.*** stars
Mildly interesting tattoo horror.
posted on 03 Jun 2008"The Tattooist" tells the story of an American tattoo artist Jake Sawyer,who is a global wanderer who explores ethnic themes in his designs.While he is in New Zealand he unknowingly plays a role in releasing a deadly spirit with a penchant for delivering death by indelible ink as he attempts to learn tatau,the Samoan tradition of tattooing.Tatau is a traditional tattoo worn by males,on the middle of their torsos,starting just below the lat area and continues down to the knees."The Tattooist" has some impressive moments of horror among many boring spots,where literally nothing happens.The film's subject is unusual as is the cultural context and the death scenes are suitably graphic.Unfortunately the character of Jake is barely developed and the first half of the film is pretty dull.6 out of 10.
Outstanding, particularly for fans of Polynesia
posted on 28 Dec 2007This was an interesting movie. An American tattoo artist finds himself a bit too intrigued by the Somoan art of tattooing, and along the way finds himself, and his tattooed customers, the grim focus of a spiteful spirit, all stemming from his ill-advised "borrowing" of a tainted Samoan tattoo tool. I highly enjoyed this movie, but must caveat that I'm completely enthralled by all things Polynesia, so I am probably very forgiving of any negative elements of the movie. Polynesia notwithstanding, the story was creative, and certainly a break from normal American horror fare. Good (enough) acting, strong production values and interesting scenery make this a highly recommended film.
My Review
posted on 12 Dec 2007Professional tattooist Jake Sawyer (Jason Behr) travels all over the world and performs tattoos on people, believing it has healing powers. In Singapore he takes an ancient Samoan tattooing device and falls for Sina (Mia Blake). After he takes the ink and the tool, bad things begin to happen, and he's being haunted by an evil presence that kills people he tattoos with the ink. Can he figure out how to stop it before his new love dies? Sure, it's not a typical blood-and-guts horror film, but it wasn't that bad. They took the time to give a real character with real emotions and feelings, and overall it wasn't that bad of a film. I would recommend a viewing.
an OK thrill movie
posted on 09 Aug 2009nothing much to say about this movie really.. was really an OK movie..everything was expected ...i thought the acting was kinda bad,or let me say kinda dull..Jason Behr looked to me like he was reading off paper or something..there was no element of excitement or suspense or anything..it was just one of these ordinary movies that u would only watch if you have nothing els to watch . i personally wanted to watch it because i like tattoos and im into horror movies and supposedly The Tattooist was classified as horror movies,so 2 things i like grabbed my attention about this movie so i was certain its going to be very good BUT the only thing was good about this movie is to learn never have high hopes about any movie by just reading the title :)