the tattooist start in singapore where american tattooist jake sawyer ( jason behr ) be attend a tattoo festival and while there he see an attractive woman name sina ( mia blake ) and he follow to a traditional samaon tattoo session . jake be intrigue and steal a samoan tattoo tool on which he cut his hand later that night and jake decides to fly to aukland in new zealand to find sina and return the tool he steal but start to experience strange dream and vision . one of jake old friend give him a job a a tattooist in his place and jake manages to find sina and they start have a relationship together . however the dream and vision would not go away and jake discovers that those he have tattoo be die be mysteriously circumstance and strangely their tattoo have grow and jake finally come to the conclusion that an evil samoan spirit be use him to kill those jake have tattoo and since jake tattooed the love of his life sina she will be next unless the evil spirit can be stop . this new zealand singapore co production be direct by peter burger and i think the tattooist be a terrible attempt at a supernatural horror thriller and i think the tattooist be just plain bad from start to finish on so many level . for a start it very slow go and almost half the film have go before anything even remotely horror orientate happens and the story just doesn not work for me at all . there a asian ghost story kind of feel about it a some vengeful ghost kill a few people and want the world to know about the wrong do to them while they be alive and the whole tattooing angle be just awful . the scene between that fat samoan tattoo master and jake the cocky american be just embarrass a it come across a two duel tattooist try to out stare each other and it seem some like this film but i just find the seriousness of it all have the opposite effect on me and i think it be quite funny at time . then there that little fat kid who can contact ghost while drive along listen to a bad rap song and there be some bad moment here . there also the moment when jake tattoo people and they just sit down in his chair and the go to work and they never say what they want or where they want it and then these people just get up and walk out without pay and i be not be funny but if i be have a tattoo ( which would be for life ) then i would at least want to pick the design and where it be go . also during the opening sequence jake father cut a tattoo from his arm and at that point surely jake wasn not eighteen and he wouldn not have be legally allow to get a tattoo so how do he have one . the romance between jake and sina feel as phony a a three pound note and the whole samoan tradition and belief angle be dull and the twist end be pretty bad a a collection of coincidence come together to solve a murder mystery of the lame order . now what i be about to write be only a personal opinion but i find excessive tattoo on a body absolutely repulsive and i do not care who i offend say that but i do and i can not understand why anyone would want horrible ugly picture or pattern permanently etch onto their skin . i have nothing against anyone with lot of tattoo but i just think it look repulsive and the way the tattooist try to place tattoo a a sexual thing ( jake tattoo sina just before they have sex ) and try to sexualise them be something i could not relate to at all in any way . there no real blood or gore here and a strip of flesh be cut from someone arm and there a bit of blood splatter but nothing else . the tattooist doesn not feel like a horror film either and the lighting be bright and there no mood or atmosphere to any of this a it plod along . the imdb say the tattooist have a budget of about $ 3 and 000 and 000 which i find hard to believe a next to nothing happens and where do all that money go . what be it spend on . mostly film in auckland in new zealand . the acting be average at best and no one stand out a be particularly good . the tattooist be a terrible horror thriller with a hint of asian ghost story throw in that revolve around the world of tattoo and it a bad combination all round really a this be just terrible apart from a few unintentional laugh .