A Game to Die For

Review date: 29-Aug-2009

13 Tzameti, the French black and white film written and directed by Géla Babluani tells the tale of a young man named Sebastien (George Babluani) who works on home repair jobs in order to support himself and his family. On his latest job, he overhears a private conversation about a “job” promising a big payoff. Intrigued, Sebastien continues his work until the untimely passing of his client. Discovering a secret package containing details about the job owned by the recently diseased, Sebasiten makes the decision to take the place of the departed.

From there on Sebastien is on a scavenger hunt, receiving phone calls, packages, and other instructions to get to his destination. He is also unknowingly pursued during this time by the local law enforcement led by Gerard Dorez. Sebastien later learns of what he really got himself into, discovering a dark underworld of crime and corruption. He soon finds him self playing an inescapable game of Russian (or French?) Roulette not only for the promise of fortune but also for his life.

The film is shot in black and white which greatly adds to the mood of the film. Overall 13 Tzameti was a well-written, brilliantly shot, and nicely acted work of art. The story was fairly predictable at times, but that didn’t keep this film from being enjoyable and one that really makes you think. The film presents to us a story of corrupt rich individuals and their pastimes, much reminiscent of Hostel (minus the torture porn). 13 Tzameti is sure to captivate an audience and remind us that greed can destroy us all.

There is currently a English language remake of this film in the works by the same director and starring some big Hollywood names. While I’m a firm believer that people should suck it up and watch the subtitled version to really get the intended affect, I hope that the remake is different enough to not simply be a translated version and possibly will open people up to other great foreign films.

Rating: 6 out of 7

Official 13 Tzameti Website
IMDb

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