 | Watch 13 Sins (2014) online Run time: 93 min Rating: 6.2 Genres: Horror | Thriller Stars: Mark Webber, Devon Graye, Tom Bower |
| Storyline Elliot Brindle is a bright, meek salesman, drowning in debt - and desperate as he's about to marry the love of his life. Upon receiving a phone call informing him that he's on a hidden camera game show where he must execute 13 tasks to receive a sum total cash prize of $6.2M, Elliot dismissively follows through with his first two instructions: swat the fly that is currently bothering him, then eat the fly. With thousands of dollars suddenly appearing in his bank account, Elliot remains skeptical, though comforted by the knowledge that he can stop playing at anytime if only to lose every penny that he's won. Trapped into the horrors manipulated by unseen spectators, Elliot's need to complete the game escalates as the tasks grow more extreme, to a devastating point of no return. Written by Anonymous | |
| Plot Keywords: game, desperate, dead body in bathroom, reference to facebook, f word | |
| Details: | |
| Box Office Budget: $5,000,000 (estimated) Opening Weekend: $9,134 (USA) (18 April 2014) Gross: $9,134 (USA) (18 April 2014) | |
I will say it now: if you watch this film, don't quit until the 90 minutes have expired. Otherwise you will miss the devilishly clever final twists which are well-foreshadowed. In fact it is textbook screen writing. Fiction writers from all genres should take note - this is how you do it.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it's easy to change channels when watching 13 Sins. The low budget and (at times) pedestrian acting make it unremarkable to the eye, and it's tempting to go looking for something better. But stick with it, as what 13 Sins lacks in scale and scope it makes up for with suspense and intelligent twists. If you're very good, you might see it coming. The events of the third act are telegraphed clearly in the first, although you'll have to be smart to put the pieces together. This is where the film succeeds. Mysteries should always give the viewer a chance to solve the puzzle, and while 13 Sins doesn't make it easy, you can certainly do it. In fact I'm laughing out loud at myself for not seeing it coming.
That said, 13 Sins is a flawed film. It's tried to blur the lines between a suspense thriller and horror film. There are some hackneyed horror moments that could have been handled more effectively. A handful of gory scenes were obtuse and unnecessary, and perhaps would have been better if done with more subtlety. This seems to be the fault of the director who is apparently influenced by the style of independent horror-film makers of the 90s and 2000s who don't understand the value of tension. Gore on its own is ineffective. Horror is equal parts what we see and don't see. Case study: the original Alien showed us everywhere the creature could be, and in turn revealed them to be empty, letting our minds wander, letting us experience what the terrified characters were feeling. When the ultimate moment comes, it's done logically, and with nuance and flair. There's no gore on screen that didn't need to be there. All horror writers should study this.
The other problem lies with the film's occasional desire to go beyond it's limitations and try to establish a grander scale. There's an "escape" set piece that falls short of competency because they didn't have the money for good special effects, and it showed. You could have just left it out. An independent film should work around its budget instead of stretching it.
Anyway, out of all the slim pickings of 2014 so far - which is shaping up to be another terrible year for film - this low-budget suspense thriller has actually impressed me. Elliot's (the protagonist's) transformation was mostly plausible, aside from a few nonsense moments. It's sheer intelligence and gripping, relentless pace kept me watching until the bitter end. However, while I have said that the final act is quite good, it is let down by an incompetent epilogue which leaves us with a Downer Ending instead of one which is left open to the audience to interpret.
I recommend it as a rental only, but I DO recommend you see it.
I've always liked psychological thrillers, and though I wasn't particularly blown away, "13 Sins" is a good pick.
ReplyDeleteThe cinematography was rather mediocre and especially monotonous in the beginning, but Mark Webber indeed did a great job - you can see his posture and facial expressions change drastically throughout the movie, which I find pretty haunting. The plot is simple yet intriguing and smart. Somehow, all the twists seem predictable for me, but that doesn't mean they aren't good ones. There is some decent, mild gore along the way as well, as expected from Dimension Films. To be honest, I think it wouldn't hurt to show some more blood; but considering the fact that this is low-budget, it's not that important.
Though I did have fun sitting through 90 minutes of this movie, I wouldn't highly recommend this to everyone. Maybe just some who need a new breeze regarding horror / thriller genre (the exact reason why I watched "13 Sins" in the first place).
was pleasantly surprised by this film, it's not great, and nothing about it is great, but pretty much all of it is pretty good, the story, the acting, the twists.
ReplyDeleteyou'll be talking with whoever you watch this with or know has seen it what stage you would stop playing the game. Which is tricky because if you go so far it's difficult to turn back, which is the whole point.
was a little disappointed with the end, can't help but think 'YOU IDIOT!!!'
Well worth a watch if your into similar films, not much to hate about this in my opinion.
I will start this by saying: YOU need to watch it!
ReplyDelete2013 was quite the year for horror and 2014 looks promising also. 13 sins is one of the most intriguing movies I've seen in quite a while, something of a "Identity" that will keep you there, craving for more even getting your mind twisted a little. It was perfect, from start to finish, and I can't believe I didn't hear more about it. Sadly, a lot of good horrors lately remain completely unknown even after they are release and it is quite the shame, but fanatics will always find a way of digging them up.
The cast was good, Mark Webber did an excellent job, Ron Perlman is always good on screen and Pruitt Taylor Vince always offers a dark touch to his films. The plot was not the most original, but not one of those over used subjects either, the execution is the key here. Pretty much everything was done the way it supposed to and all horror fans will have a big smile at the end of it. 13 sins is indeed a good horror!
I will end this by saying: YOU need to watch it!