This movie is really something else. I can honestly say I’ve never seen or even heard of anything quite like it. It’s very original and a very unique take on the slasher genre. It’s not gory and it’s not bloody, but it’s a killer movie nonetheless. If I could make up a genre for it, I would call it a psychological slasher. This issue at hand in this movie is very complex and it really makes you think.
Plot Overview
- Christian – a petty criminal
- Jackson – a police officer
- Leon – an illegal gun seller
- Sully – a strip club owner and loan shark
- Kelley – an Assistant District Attorney for LA County
- Coogan – a pedophile and rapist
- Father Francis – a priest
- Eddie – a health insurance executive
- Nhung Chan – a Chinese store owner who does not know English
These nine people are all connected – and they must figure out how so if they want to live. They are all kidnapped by the same person and locked in a room together and told they must figure out how they know each other. There is only one rule: until they figure it out, someone will die every ten minutes, along with any and all information that person could have brought to the table; every piece of the puzzle locked inside their mind: gone.
The set up is simple – what follows is not. The group figures out a few small and meaningless connections, but what they don’t know is that the story goes much, much deeper.
My Thoughts
Melissa Joan Hart puts on an excellent performance as the main character of this fun little story. Her character is a pretty, pleasant young lawyer on the surface, but her true nature is slowly revealed throughout and Melissa Joan Hart really lives up to the complex character Kelley ends up being.
The idea for this story is really very original, which is what I think makes this movie so refreshing. It’s different. It’s interesting.
The group is locked in what appears to be a cellar or a basement. Whatever it is, it’s dirty, it’s gritty, and it’s shady – ultimately just like the movie. The scenery really sets the perfect tone here, and it’s a dark one.
This movie manages to be super intense, with very, very little action and hardly any movement. The present takes place all at one location – different locations seen and experienced only through flashbacks and memories.
Because of this, the movie is very reliant on dialogue, and it really delivers. The way the story unfolds is extremely captivating, and the reveals are made with perfect timing. I found myself being sucked right in, trying to guess at all the answers before officially finding out. I think I was kinda-sorta right about one thing – that’s it. Nothing was what I expected, and I loved it.
Conclusion
I feel like there’s not a huge amount I can say about this movie – the basic premise is really simple and it’s just about seeing how it all plays out and who manages to survive. It’s well directed, the acting is strong, and the grimy, dirty basement cellar sets the perfect tone for this shady, secretive movie.
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, all the way through, and the ending actually blew my mind. It’s probably one of the biggest plot twists I’ve ever seen, and I swear I’m not just saying that.
I remember a few years ago, I was at an extended-family Christmas dinner, and some of us were settling in to watch a movie. We were flicking through Netflix and I saw that this movie was now on there. Wanting to watch it again, I (somewhat) nervously suggested it, and my cousins and uncle were intrigued enough by the synopsis to agree. In the end, everyone loved it, EVEN my huge film buff/critic of an uncle. This really confirmed my view on this movie and solidified what I thought was so great about it.
Want to Watch?
It is available to purchase on Amazon:
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