Roulette

I was lucky enough to be the first Australian to see this movie and I can easily say that it BLEW ME AWAY! (no pun intended ). Roulette is an extremely well written and very clever picture! Each individual story in the movie had twists and turns that I had not predicted. Then comes the end !!!!! There are few movies that I have seen that I am able to honestly say had me physically sitting on the edge of my seat, leaning forward, unblinking, completely engaged in the movie and Roulette achieved this. The cast and crew of this movie all put their best foot forward and created a movie that leaves you in an agonizing suspense. Brilliant.I have wasted so much time watching terrible Hollywood movies before that I wish to thank 'Roulette' for adding quality to 113 minutes of my life. It is THAT good!

I have long enjoyed reading the reviews on IMDb, but never wrote one before. But after watching this movie and reading the reviews associated with it, I could not help myself. To start, anyone who says the acting in this film is anything more than decent is also probably wondering why Tara Reid hasn't yet won a Golden Globe. Either that or they drink more than the alcoholic in this film. There is a semi-interesting story line and I will hand it to the ending being good, but certainly not worth watching this boring movie. I can think of at least three occasions where I considered turning it off altogether. I love low-budget films and usually choose those over anything mainstream, but this movie is a disaster.

What's wrong with this flick? Acting; writing; direction; everything you see and hear. What's right with this flick? After what feels like an eternity of pain for the viewer, it finally ends. What's wrong with the reviews? As I noted in my own previous reviews, there is a clustering of rave reviews which always means a pity party held by those involved in the travesty; in this case, the month of around November. Gang, if you're going to lie (or give into your delusions) then at least spread the wealth out over several months (and to some extent the guilty parties did this) to dampen suspicion. The bottom like: Listen to the negative reviews; you surely have something (ANYTHING) better to do with your precocious time. Maybe watch a dumpster fire if you can find one....

Roulette will surprise you if you give it the chance. Heavy plot, deep character development, and believable acting make for a movie that, although an indie, certainly is a marker of great things to come for all involved. The movie is actually all about character development as it deals specifically with 3 individuals coming to grips with themselves, realizing that every decision they make, and have made, leads them directly to where they are. Something many people do only when it is too late. There are a few moments that are drawn out that could have been just as effective had they been trimmed just a hair. But that is something easily forgiven. The story throughout seems to be pulled forward by flashbacks. This might seem confusing at times, but is suddenly pulled and bound together in a familiar yet dramatically memorable way. Not a date movie, but one to share on many different levels.

Roulette is truly a great and very underrated film. It will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end and leave you in awe and have you thinking about it for days/weeks to come. I have not had a film captivate me and pull me in so much like this one did in a long, long time! The character's are all very well developed and it is interesting to see how all 3 character's lives intersected at a certain point and the results of what their interactions had on the overall story. This isn't really a fast paced film, it's more of a slow burning, deep thinking type of film, but anyone who admires a true piece of art will definitely find something to appreciate here. Erik Kristopher Myers is a great up and coming filmmaker and I can't wait to see what he does next.