Film / Splinter 2006

Following

Splinter is a 2006 crime thriller directed by Michael D. Olmos.

It tells the story of Joey 'Dreamer' González, a gang member suffering from amnesia after the drive-by that claimed his brother's life also left him stuck with the same fatal bullet lodged in his head. Events in his neighborhood of Paradise Gardens start taking a dark and grizzly turn as his fellow gang members keep winding up dead in increasingly brutal fashion, a killing spree that brings the attention of two LAPD detectives. Believing the culprits to be their rivals the Greenville gang, tensions between the two sets reach a boiling point, threatening all out warfare between the two.

As Joey begins slowly regaining bits and pieces of his lost memory, the film takes a dramatic turn as nothing is what it seemed to be, as Joey comes to understand that the wicked killer that has been slaying his friends is a lot closer than he could ever have imagined.

Not to be confused with the 2008 film of the same title.

This film provides examples of:

• Agonizing Stomach Wound: One of Dreamer's victims is gruesomely disemboweled.
• The Alcoholic: Detective Cunningham is a high functioning alcoholic.
• Alternate Identity Amnesia: Played with. Dreamer has no memory whatsoever of the atrocities he committed while under the influence of his split personality.
• Ambition Is Evil: Dusty wants to lead the Paradise Gardens gang to greater heights, even if it means massacring his own homies.
• Big Brother Bully: Dusty is somehow able to influence and control Dreamer when he's having a split personality episode. He uses him to slaughter the other members of their crew as well as members of Greenville.
• Bittersweet Ending: Borders on flat out Downer Ending. All the main characters save Detective Gramm are killed, and while she managed to solve the case, she had to break the law and chose to sell out her own partner to the Paradise Gardens gang, perhaps deeming justice by the law to not be enough for his actions.
• Cold-Blooded Torture: Dreamer gruesomely tortures his victims before killing them.
• Cruel and Unusual Death: Some of the Paradise Gardens crew are viciously tortured to death, including being slowly mutilated beyond recognition.
• Despair Event Horizon: Dreamer reaches one when he learns the truth that he was the serial killer all along. His mother potentially reaches one herself, watching the news report that all her children are now dead.
• Disguised Horror Story: The movie starts and for the most part plays out like a crime thriller, trying to solve the mystery of the ongoing murders. Once the truth is revealed, it holds nothing back on the sheer scale of its darkness and brutality.
• Downer Beginning: The film starts with Dreamer and his older brother Shaggy being gunned down in a drive-by. Dreamer survives but gets severe amnesia regarding the events, due to the same bullet that killed his brother being stuck in his head.
• The Dreaded: Various members of Paradise Gardens make it very clear that Trigger is the most dangerous member, and it should be noted even hardened individuals like Dusty would rather not get on his bad side. "Trigger is a fu*king psycho!"
• Enemy Mine: Detective Gramm informs Jesse, the leader of Paradise Gardens, of Cunningham's actions and leaves him to meet his end by their hands.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Despite his notorious reputation, ruthlessness, and being framed as the main antagonist, Trigger is not only not the serial killer but he finds the thought of killing his own homies as going too far. Even he is also disturbed by the sheer brutality displayed in the deaths of his fellow PG members.
• Foreshadowing: During the fight that breaks out at the PG meeting, Dreamer loses control and begins viciously brutalizing his homie, hinting the one responsible for all the grizzly murders is someone unexpected.
• Gangbangers: The overwhelming majority of the cast, as the main premise of the film is two rival gangs are on the verge of open warfare.
• Gangland Drive-By: Happens several times throughout the film.
• Gut Punch: Mrs. González can only sit and weep as in the span of just a few days, her entire family has been killed.
• Honor Among Thieves: Jesse does not tolerate infighting. He is also very grateful and respectful for the peace truce between Paradise Gardens and Greenville, and would prefer to avoid falling back into open war if at all possible.
• Impaled Palm: One of Dreamer's victims gets his hand impaled by a cruel round of Knife Game.
• In Love with the Gangster's Girl: Dreamer is in love with Vanessa, girlfriend of the infamous Trigger.
• It's Personal: Veterano, aka Jesse has seemingly retired at some point despite still being recognized as the PG leader. The danger of warfare breaking out with Greenville gets him back into the mix, and when he finds out Cunningham is responsible he personally arrives to kill him in the most violent manner possible.
• Jekyll & Hyde: Even though Dreamer is a hardened gangbanger, he is still a very courteous and affable man. This kindness is stripped away completely when he enters his alternate state of mind, brutally torturing and murdering his own friends.
• Karmic Death: After orchestrating the events to try and get a gang war to wipe out both Paradise Gardens and Greenville, Cunningham is ambushed in his own home by the surviving PG members after being tipped off by Gramm.
• The Mob Boss Is Scarier: When infighting violently breaks out at a PG meeting, everyone instantly stops and falls in line the moment their leader, Jesse, arrives.
• More Dakka: How Cunningham meets his end. He's shot to death by almost a dozen PG members who all unload their guns into him point-blank simultaneously.
• One Last Smoke: Jesse grants Cunningham one final smoke before killing him.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: Detective Cunningham displays both xenophobic and misogynistic traits.
• Really Gets Around: Trigger's girlfriend Vanessa is simultaneously having an affair with both Dreamer and his older brother Shaggy.
• Russian Roulette: One of the ways Dreamer psychologically tortures one of his victims.
• There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Cunningham is shot to death at point blank range by at least 9 firearms including 3 shotguns and an assault rifle.
• Torture Porn: The snippets of Dreamer attacking his victims, while brief, hold nothing back.
• Wham Shot: Dreamer upon realizing the serial killer was himself. A second one immediately follows suit with the revelation that Dusty was the one guiding his evil split personality.