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This is one erratic movie. It went from grit to glam, funk-nasty to fabulous and through it all was straight up VIOLENCE!

Movie Details

Rated: R

Run Time: 1 hr 35 min

Release Date: 9/4/2009

Genre: Thriller

Writer: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor

Website: Visit Website

Director: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor

Watch the Trailer

Synopsis

This film is set in the future where mind-control technology is the way to go for entertainment. Especially a multiplayer on-line game called Slayers which allows humans to control other humans in merciless jail killings. Kable (Gerard Butler, Rocknrolla) is the on-line champion of Slayers and his ultimate goal is to win enough times to gain his freedom and his identity.

Review

What in the freaky deak was this movie? My goodness this film was weird as heck and certainly went beyond customary or proper bounds. First of all, the violence was excessive, unrelenting and unnecessary at times just to move the story forward. I’m still just sitting here thinking “What the…?”

Let me keeps this moving. Here's the dish. It's the near future and money-hungry and twisted Ken Castle (Michael C. Hall, HBO’s Dexter) created the Society and Slayers games in which gamers pay to control a real person in a simulated community. The characters who work for the Society game do get paid to be controlled by someone behind their computer. Shoot, times must be real hard in the future, but of course not for Castle because he is PAID from these games.

Now, the characters in the Slayer’s game do not get paid. They are death row prisoners and if they win a total of 30 games they get a pardon. The only way to win their games is not to get killed. So, you better hope your gamer controlling you, is the best out there. If not, you are screwed. The inmate is only as good as his controller.

Kabel (Gerard Butler, Rocknrolla) is the most familiar character in the game because he’s survived 27 matches. No one has ever done that. His main goal is to win 3 more matches, get up on out of that jail, and get his wife and daughter. You can't blame a brotha for that.

There were some really strange gamers. Ewww, I just thought of this one Jabba the Hut looking guy that seemed like he was teleported from the movie Seven as one of the seven deadly sins – gluttony. You’ll know when you see him.

Anyhoo, Gerard Butler was quite believable as a good action warrior. Any one of us that has seen 300 knows homedude can rumble and is committed to his character. Michael C. Hall's character was wickedly erratic. He was singing and dancing one moment and threatening someone the next, while controlling people with his mind. I was thinking “What is going on?” He plays crazy quite well.

This movie was all over the place and it didn’t let up. I had to stay focused. It went from grit to glam, from funk-nasty to fabulous and through it all was bloodshed. I can really see young folks, gamers and guys loving this flick that's filled with massive action, shooting and killing. Bang-Bang!!!

This is one I could have waited for DVD. Oddly, I actually want to see it again on DVD. I'm still trying to figure this one out. I think it's such a bizarre and licentious movie, I'm feeling drawn to watch it again. I know I ain't right and it's a dag on shame because this was NOT what I would call a great film. It will probably do better on DVD than at the theater.


My Rating ~ 2 Reels

2 - Rent this movie on DVD when it comes out

Audience Rating (What's Yours?)