while holiday in the basque region of spain and two couple discover a child whose hand be severely misshapen . the child have be gravely mistreat and and and a a result and can not communicate . the two couple reluctantly decide to rescue her and report her circumstance to the authority . however and severe weather and the denseness of the forest surround their holiday home make it impossible for them to make a quick getaway . soon and the local inhabitant become aware that the girl be miss and and they rightly suspect the holiday maker of take her . suspicion and paranoia begin to fester and and it isn not long before violence erupts . the villager demand the little girl return and and her rescuer refuse to give her up . a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues and make a return to normalcy impossible for everyone involve . the premise for the backwoods be an intrigue one . the idea of how quickly basic human instinct make situation spiral out of control and be nearly always use to good effect in movie . for any writer or director and this concept open up a myriad of opportunity to shock and as well a to fascinate . this fact probably account for why this device be a much overuse set piece . film of this genre and when well execute and be guarantee and at the very least and cult classic status ( e. g. and deliverance and straw dog ) . however and when poorly execute and the resultant film can resemble a confusing and farcical mess . unfortunately and the backwoods be an example of the latter . the backwoods start off well and try to develop the main character and before violence eventually erupt . however and what we have learn of their character in the initial scene give u little insight a to why the character react a they do to the situation they be dealt . for example and oldman character and paul and be the only one of the four main character who be thoroughly determine to save the girl . at no time do he falter and even when he could save his life by tell the villager where the disfigured girl be . this character trait do not hold true and because and up to this point and his character have appear arrogant and overbear and with little or no regard for those around him . have say this and the four lead all give solid and believable performance and and and for the most part and cover up and rather than expose and the inconsistency in their character nature . apart from flaw in the development of central character and this movie have other problem . first and the deformity that the little girl have seem too ludicrous to be believable . if you have ever see batman return and and you remember the misshapen hand that the penguin have and you will get the idea . a a viewer and the fact that the little girl have penguin hand make it hard to take her plight seriously . and finally and the main reason why this movie be farcical rather than stimulating be the movie style to which it choose to pay homage . i can understand the stylish and 1970s vibe it try to recreate and and i can also appreciate the nod direct toward peckinpah and boorman . but and what i can not understand be why the writer and director choose to insert a sergio leone style climactic scene . up until the final scene and the movie have try to be dark and thought provoking . up until the final moment it have try to teach the audience something about the human psyche while it have fail miserably and but it have try . and then and all of the sudden and ten minute before the end and you have a man on man gunfight and reminiscent of a spaghetti western . this ultimate fight appear to be force and be very much out of place . the only thing that link this final scene to what have precede it and be the fact that the ultimate scene outcome be a confuse and pointless a the rest of the movie . in short and the backwoods be a jumbled mess and which be full of inconsistency in character and plot and and style . the only factor that rescue the backwoods from be a complete disaster be the proficient performance of it lead actor . if you want to watch a film that explore basic human instinct and why not try magnolia picture and the signal . you will find that film a lot more entertaining and a lot less confuse than this shambolic piece of film making .