Hayden Kane
There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
maherbo
First, this is not a horror movie, but a thriller. Yes there is violence, but you can see worst in CSI series.I read the reviews on IMDb before seeing the movie and was warned about the «bad person» getting away with it in the end, which seem to be a big moral mishap for some. So I had to watch it to make my own opinion. I'm glad I did as it is a script well written in my opinion, a lot better than what you can expect for a low-budget movie.I don't want to say anything about the plot, as it reveals itself pretty quickly and it is the whole point of the movie. The pace is really good for a «dialog» movie.That being said, there are two clues as to why the «bad person» doesn't get away with it: 1- It is said at one point that the whole thing was filmed and everybody saw it, and 2- Note that there is a weapon that is dropped at a crime scene at one point with the fingerprints of the «bad person» on it. The police will necessarily be able to link the «bad person» to the crime. So it is impossible that this person will get away with it.The following is a MAJOR SPOILER and is meant as a discussion after one saw the movie to explain why the moral of the story is good, so stop reading if you haven't seen it yet. You've been warned.* * * SPOILER * * * SPOILER * * * SPOILER * * * SPOILER * * *A lot of people think that the lawyer got away with it, which spreads bad moral. It is quite the opposite.Out of the nine persons, you can identify 3 kinds of people:1- People who do bad things, but not specifically to the victim, and never got caught:a) The guy who sells drug and rob stores;b) The guy in the mafia;c) The pedophile and rapist;d) The guy who robs houses and sells stolen guns on the streets;e) The store owner who perjure herself (She only speaks mandarin, but one can imagine she knowingly lied on the stand, which is probably what the shooter tells her in her ear before killing her).All of these people died, shot by the father's victim. In this regard, the father's victim can be regarded as carrying justice where the justice system failed.2- People who don't do bad things per say, but did not help when they could:a) The priest;b) The police officer;c) The insurance broker.The shooter did NOT kill any of those people. Justice (punishment?) was served some other way. The priest's death can be regarded as a suicide, as he jump in front of the line of fire. One can say that the bullet was meant for the insurance broker, but remember that the shooter said that everything was carefully planned and he knew how everybody would react. One can imagine that he knew the priest would react this way, out of guilt, and never meant to shoot the insurance broker.All of the people of both categories above felt some sort of remorse about what they did - or didn't - do, before dying. You could even add the shooter himself to this list.3- The last person left is the lawyer, who not only is the only one who knew precisely her action was going to hurt the victim, but also is the only one who didn't felt any remorse at all. She even sank deeper in crime for her own selfish gain.Everything was filmed and seen by, presumably, the police. The gun with fingerprints of the lawyer is left on the scene of the crime. Even though she is seen fleeing, the police is close behind and we can imagine she will be caught soon and be punished by the justice system, maybe even the death penalty. Worst case scenario, she will not get her old life back and will flee from the police for the rest of her life.So, from this point of view, the movie seems to spread some very high moral values. And it does it quite smartly.
Michael O'Keefe
Christopher Shadley directs a pressure cooker full of suspense. Nine strangers wake up in a spacious room, handcuffed to a pole only a few feet apart. These people are arranged in a semi-circle and obviously don't know why. Their capture enters the room and advises them that they all have a connection to each other and until someone figures out how...one of them dies every 10 minutes. One prisoner is an older Asian woman(Lucille Soong)who speaks no English at all. Other captives include a DA's office lawyer(Melissa Joan Hart), a pedophile(Lawrence Turner), an insurance claims adjuster(James Victor), a strip club owner(Chip Bent), a priest(Marc Macaulay), a common their(Edrick Brown), a bartender(John Cates) and a police officer played by William Lee Scott.There are few characters you feel for and plenty you couldn't care less about. The prisoners strain to figure how they should know each other. Chaotic profanity and wild accusations just take up precious time. There is very little redeemable; story is pretty predictable and acting is either horrible or hilariously over-the-top. My message to Hart: did they pay you enough?
