Tony the Stamper is about to uncover a nasty secret when his mentor Stanley goes missing
Synopsis
amid a hazardous narcotic gas that has flooded the city streets.
‘Gouge Away’ is a film directed by Jeff Frumess, that is made in the style of throwback from the ‘90s that are reminiscent of films shot on Video like ‘Tim Ritter’s Truth Or Dare’, ‘Things’, and ‘Sledgehammer’. Just a few to give you the idea of the do it yourself this independent thriller film has with plenty of charm, the pacing for ‘Gouge Away’ is quick and swift as well making it worthwhile multiple times. Jeff definitely has a knack for filmmaking here and it’s shown in spades.
Matthew Ritacco gives a star-making performance as Tony the Stamper in a role that demands to take control of 98 percent of the runtime. He absolutely owns every scene that he’s in. The supporting cast is fine as well, but what Matthew does here is truly special the range he shows with his physicality and emotion throughout the film standout to you like he is a movie star. You can see that he and Jeff have a great working relationship with each other.
You could also see some gross out influences that left an impression on Jeff Frumess while filming a particular sequence with vomiting and maniacal laughter. ‘Gouge Away’ is one of the better independent underground thriller movies out there. It will be interesting to see where Jeff goes from here, with a bigger budget he could make a more exhilarating movie.
Overall Grade: 3/5 Stars
