After overhearing a conversation about a new get rich quick scheme Sebastien (Babluani) blindly follows the instructions in the hope of landing on a big payday for his impoverished family.
But before he knows what is happening he finds himself stuck in the middle of the French countryside, face to face with a ring of clandestine gamblers who bet on human lives for fun.
Unable to back out, Sebastian then embarks on the ultimate game of chance, as he is forced into a 13 man Russian Roulette playoff where only one will survive.
They say:
Guardian: "A stunning debut that might yet become a classic. This compelling film could well be remade by Hollywood. Make sure you see the original right now.”
Total Film: "A taut, black and white thriller debut. Aided by the ominous score and grainy cinematography, Babluani conjures a nightmarish, masculine underworld.”
Empire: "Astonishingly accomplished debut feature that combines Hitchcockian suspense with a showdown whose unflinching attitude to violence will pin you to the seat.”
We say:
They say 13 is unlucky for some and if you miss out on this unbearably edgy thriller we would have to agree.
Shot in black and white on a tiny budget, and using his brother in the main role, writer/ director Géla Babluani has created one of the best debut features in recent memory.
After lulling the audience into a false sense of security with a pedestrian opening half hour Babluani hits you with a killer sucker punch, dropping the viewer into an amoral world where bloody violence is king.
Reminiscent of the prisoner of war camp scenes in “The Deer Hunter” this is the sort of edge of your seat terror largely found wanting in horror thrillers these days.
In fact, the only problem with the film is the ending, which feels tacked on after the main action to fill the running time.
CAST
Georges Babluani, Aurelien Recoing, Pascal Bongard,
Fred Ulysse, Nicolas Pignon
DIRECTOR
Géla Babluani
TIME
86 mins
POSTED...
Wed 5 Apr 2006 at 11:29pm
