No Exit - Verloren zwischen Albtraum und Wirklichkeit

This film is for the most part just like the "Saw" series. More like Saw 1 actually then the other two though. You basically have a group of kidnapped people trapped in a room where they're picked off one by one till there is one person left who then gets to go free. The only real difference is this film is horrible. The sound effects were so fake sounding, the characters were annoying at best and the story went basically no where. The twists in this film were so lame and didn't really change the plot at all. It just wasn't scary enough either. You never see anything graphic which also brings this movie down. The Saw series completely blows this film out of the water. I'd pass on this one.

The film begins with a naked woman entering a room of strangers with in a warehouse type of setting. The strangers approach her and begin asking questions about who she is and what does she know about why she is here and what it's all about. The rest of the film involves learning about each other and little more about the "puzzle" of why they are here.

The premise is that there is game being played with the characters' lives. There are rules. If you break the rules, you die.

The plot is simple, but the interactions of the "players" is what keeps it interesting. Each "player" is unique and may or may not have something to hide.

I found the story interesting, but contrived. Some of the characters were a bit over-the-top for my taste, but most of them conveyed the fear, anger, and despair quite convincingly. The end of the film was a disappointment to me for reasons I won't divulge here.

I credit the producers for developing a good character study with very little investment. Good cinema doesn't always have to cost millions.

If you like a bare bones type production about human behavior in stressful conditions, then I recommend this to you.

While this movie wasn't truly as abysmal as many reviewers have previously stated, it wasn't really a great movie. The overall plot had serious potential, but could have used a bit more development. It was just seriously lacking in some places. I won't even comment about "Saw" or "Cube" rips offs like so many have done. Movies take ideas from other movies every day. How many times has the doomsday scenario been done? Some did it well, some did not.

If you go into this movie with the mindset that it's going to be somewhere along the same lines as "Saw", "Cube", and all the other movies that use this premise, you'll be one step ahead. You must also realize that it isn't going to deliver as well as those movies. The premise is fairly vague and the ending doesn't offer much in the way of closure or even comprehension of what just transpired.

The acting was actually quite good, with minimal exceptions. After seeing it, you'll be able to draw your own conclusions as to whom those exceptions might be.

I wouldn't say run out and rent this movie ASAP, but if you have a chance to watch it (and don't have much else better to do), it should offer a little bit of entertainment.It is your choice.

I generally like movies where a group of strangers are isolated and pitted against each other because they offer a portrayal of Darwinism at work. I like the mystery of it. Who has what it takes to survive and to what lengths are they willing to go to make it happen. This could have been interesting even though it's not an original concept. What ruined it for me was the end of the film, because the audience is deprived of any explanation about the point of it all. Why did all this just happen? Was there a purpose? What the heck was the purpose? I have no idea. I would advise skipping this one unless you literally have nothing better to do with your time.

Tonya (Ailsa Marshall) is dumped naked into a room with thirteen strangers. She is player fourteen in a sadistic game where only the survivors win. With each player given clues and tools to survive, who will be left? And who is behind this? Not everyone tells the truth, so can the players trust each other to keep themselves civil? You're going to see review after review comparing this film to "Saw", and some comparing it to "Battle Royale"... still others referencing lesser known films. And, it's true, there's a "Saw" vibe here and a "Battle Royale" vibe... but don't let that dissuade you. There is nothing new about survival horror and it won't go away any time soon. And, if done correctly, that's not a bad thing.

I've also seen certain comments concerning the low budget and overabundance of white light. I don't deny these aspects, but in complete honesty they didn't bother me one bit. As long as your film has an interesting story -- and this one does -- and isn't a complete shambles, you have me hook, line and sinker. My only issue with this film was that I had a very strong suspicion of the ending from the very beginning. I was even more convinced after a big clue was dropped in the interview scene.

Fans of "Saw" will like this, as will people who like puzzles, so long as they keep an open mind and don't judge it strictly on its low budget and similarities to other films. I was thoroughly engaged by the interesting characters, destruction of film stereotypes, and ultimately the very clever writing inherent in the picture. Allegedly this film was thrown together roughly overnight, but it doesn't show.