Hostel II - A feminist masterpiece?

We first see elements of a subversion of gender roles when we learn that Beth's mother left all her money to Beth and not her husband. It’s Beth who provides her father with an allowance and not the other way around. The idea of the male gaze too is subverted and becomes the female gaze as Beth is seduced by Axelle.

This film is full of men who set conditions for women to meet before they're treated with any modicum of respect. By modicum of respect I mean they might not kill them, send them to the slaughter, or sexually assault them. Starting with the men on the train who call Whit a tease for requesting "party favours" then wanting to leave when things get weird, to the buck-toothed guy at the harvest party who will only save Beth if she dances with him.

Personal aside, when I was 18, I inter-railed around eastern and central Europe for a month. Upon boarding one train that went from Budapest in Hungary to Thessaloniki in Greece, a route that no longer seems to exist and took the guts of 24 hours, we realised there wasn’t any dining car. We had cigarettes and orange juice and little else. We stuck it out for as long as we could before wandering up and down the carriages, looking for other friendly travellers who might be willing to share their food. We happened across two American men who offered us each a slice of dry bread, and we accepted it like they were bestowing upon us the holy grail. We went back to our cabin and moments later they came knocking. “Y’know, we’re like a couple of rednecks, never seen much outside the US, really looking to experience a wild night, like, y’know, with European girls like y’all. We just wanted to say if ya’ll are up for it you can come swing by our cabin for some fun… We did give you that bread, after all.” End aside.

Then, of course, there's Stewart who insists he's not that guy until it becomes an enticing refrain. Instead of the words convincing Beth that he won't hurt her, they become a way to describe his lack-of. His lack of a spine in standing up to his wife. He's not that guy, yet, but he could be, and wants to be. Even the aggressive friend who pays Stewart's way can't quite finish the job. But Stewart "not that guy" does it for him.

The Hostel films are gratuitous in their objectification of women and graphically violent scenes but it’s hard to miss the tongue in cheek fun being poked at Nice Guys, a concept Eli Roth pegged before anyone else was talking about them.