Review: Jon Hewitt’s X (2011), starring Viva Bianca.

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

PLOT: Holly (Viva Bianca) is a seasoned call-girl working her last night on the job before taking a jet plane to Paris and starting a new life for herself. Shay (Shannon Magnan Lawrence) just ran away from home and is working her first night as a hooker on the streets of the shadiest part of Sydney imaginable. Holly and Shay are hired by a John for some threesome action that goes well until the John is murdered in a drug-deal gone bad. Now they’re on the run from the killer, the cops, and just about every other lowlife the city has to offer.

REVIEW: When I sat down with X I had no idea what I was getting myself into. However, after a fully-nude naked dude and Viva Bianca strip down and start f*cking each other in front of a room full of middle-aged housewives, I started getting the picture that this is a movie about prostitutes and sex, though not shown in a glowing or glamorous light, but rather through the reality-based gritty lens of despair that has to be about as close to the real thing as possible. And just when you think it can’t get any worse, the murder and mayhem kicks in and that feeling of utter hopelessness never lets go.

X is a shocking film that teeters on the edge of exploitative in its handling of sex and violence towards women, and yet there’s never an instance where the sex or the violence is glamorized—it’s always harsh and uncomfortable to watch and that’s exactly what a movie like this needs to be. And let’s face it, the premise of two hookers forming an alliance and going on the run from bad men is somewhat unique and unconventional and yet, at the same time, it’s your typical “innocents witness a murder and now they’re on the run from the murderer as well” premise that can be seen in a hundred other movies. But it’s how this movie is handled, how unrelentingly savage it ends up being that sets X apart from the rest.

Obviously the film is not for everyone and since it’s made in Australia, the film could afford to go against many of the typical Hollywood rules. Like, for example, this is not a fun movie to watch. In fact, I can’t say I had a good time with this movie at all. It’s depressing, it’s full of dread and the knowing that nothing good will come out of this night, and it explores a very sick and twisted lifestyle that most people will never know or ever experience (if they’re lucky). And in a way, that’s why the movie works as well as it does. It may make you feel uneasy and you might need to take a shower afterwards, but doesn’t that make a good movie? A movie that makes you feel and to think? It may not make you feel good, but it’s better than not feeling anything at all, right? Sure.

Now because it deals with prostitution in a very real and gritty way, there’s plenty of nudity in this flick to go around. Viva Bianca is absolutely stunning in this flick and brings about as much class and sophistication as you would expect from such a high-brow call-girl. Shannon Magnan Lawrence, on the other hand, brings it in a totally different way. She’s super young and inexperienced, and she’s downright terrified to be on the street—and it shows (she looks like she’s about to break down in pretty much every scene). At the same time, she exuberates this tough side that is stronger and shows more perseverance than anyone else in the film. Wait—why did I bring up the nudity thing earlier? Oh yeah… while there’s a ton of nudity given by these two beautiful actresses… none of it is ‘good’ nudity. They’re super hot, but due to the nature of the film and the situation they’re in, none of the sex is fun to watch–and for any film to show Viva Bianca naked but not in good way is quite an accomplishment (if you could call it that).

The only real downside to the film is that you’ve seen this type of situation before. It’s a clichéd storyline set in a dark and dreary place. The veteran call-girl who takes in the naïve hooker is a nice angle, but the basic story is nothing new. That said, it’s not entirely predictable, so that’s good. Other issues X has going against it is many of the other characters just fade in and out without a need, a want, or any type of closure. That is to say, there’s a number of loose-ends that are never wrapped up by the end of the film. Do I need to know what happened to other street girl who was helping the hooker? No. Do I need to know what happened to the dirty cops? Not really. But because nothing’s definite about their fates by the end of the movie, I feel like I should.

At the end of the day, X ends up being an effectively engrossing erotic thriller that’s about as dark, grisly, and balls-out uncomfortable to watch as they come—but you know, in a good way. With solid performances by the two main leads, if you can stomach the tension, the violence, the sex, and everything else that comes with the dirty underground world of prostitution as the backdrop for the by-the-numbers “on the run” storyline, then X will not disappoint but rather dig it’s high-priced nails into your thigh and not let go until the very end.