iamingozi

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.

I have to say that this movie was intriguing, full of surprises and more violent than I expected. And although I suppose I understand the intentions of the plot, as convoluted as it was, I am kind of disheartened that it won so many academy awards. It's not just that it was full of errors (check the goof section), nor is it that in my own humble unprofessional opinion that although Javier Bardem was great, I saw no acting that was worth the award - I just don't think the role was written well enough to support it. But most of all, I really don't know what to make of anything anymore when a film of such overwhelming violence is put on such a coveted pedestal. Yes, I am aware that there have been other violent movies that have won, and maybe it is just the sad revelation that as I get older, what we see as entertainment - strike that - what we see as THE BEST of entertainment, is still nothing more than useless violence that carries with it no repercussions for the guilty. The film industry rarely gives us what we need, but feeds us over the top with what we shouldn't have; glorifying theft, betrayal, greed, and as we see in our latest best picture, murder. Maybe I'm just getting older, I don't know. Personally I can handle the violence and all the other garbage, but I also believe the more graphic and blatant our so called entertainment becomes, the less value it must have. But as I said, this is just my unprofessional opinion, so I'll end this "review/rant" with this; if you are in the mood for a story full of death, some of it implied, some of it right there for you to enjoy - and if you are itching for a movie with no happy or justifiable ending, leaving you feeling like you went on a ride that was supposed to be the best ever but was really just sitting in your car parked in your garage with the motor running, then by all means...Enjoy!