So, Eden Lake is about a young couple who goes off to some lake to relax. They come across a gang of hoodlums, young kids who couldn’tve graduated high school yet. Teens. I’m not gonna summarize themovie, but I will comment on some scenes that I reacted to.

Mistake #1 – The hoodlums first come onto the beach, bringing with them a large aggressive dog and blasting their music. The boyfriend tries to ask them to turn it down. The alpha thug is clearly being a dick, making a hard time for him.

When asking someone for courtesy, avoid using any insults and remain neutral in tone and language. Don’t use words like “dick”. Be diplomatic, and do not escalate the situation. If asking nicely does not work, there is no reason to believe that anything else will convince them to comply with your request. Someone who is clearly aggressive and uncooperative cannot be reasoned with.

Mistake #2 – The couple’s bag was stolen. In it were their car keys, wallet, and cellphone. The car was stolen as well. The two of them go looking for the bag and car. The boyfriend confronts the gang, somewhat aggressively. The alpha thug shows his edged weapon, and a short fight ensues. The result: the gang’s dog is stabbed to death by accident.When you’re going to enter hostile territory, don’t bring your girlfriend. She is a liability. She can easily be overpowered, and can be used against you as leverage. Instead, if you can, have her hidden away, out of sight but observing your situation. Have a plan if something goes wrong. Don’t expose her to danger.Don’t engage in combat unless you have both the intention and capability of disabling or killing everylast one of the assailants. With the possibility of an edged weapon, and five assailants (or six?), you had better not engage without an equalizer. Even a long branch will even up the game considerably. Their edged weapons require close range. Even without proper training a branch can be rather effective.

Mistake #3 – The couple run off to the car apparently with car keys in hand. They try to escape with by car but lose control of their vehicle and crash. The hoodlums capture the boyfriend, binding him with barbed wire and proceed to inflict wounds with their edged weapons, causing massive damage. Main thing here: don’t get caught.

This could’ve all been avoided if they kept a cool head and tried to escape and notify local law enforcement. The preservation of life and the safety of yourself and loved ones is of utmost priority. The boyfriend had a big ego and decided to try to get involved. And well, he ended up all gashed up and ultimately dead. Not to mention the later demise of his girlfriend.

These situations are a test of one’s mettle. It takes a bigger man to understand that sometimes there is no room for pride and ego. The threat to a loved one’s safety should be taken very seriously, and it’s rather foolish to place oneself in harm’s way. It certainly is natural to feel a little emasculated by being bullied by a bunch of “12-year olds”, but I’d much rather be happy and alive with the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. As for some discussions of revenge on the IMDB message boards, I quote Master Po of TV show Kung Fu: “Vengeance is a water vessel with a hole. It carries nothing but the promise of emptiness.”