200 Degrees

I didn't know what to expect when I started this film. The premise of being in an 'Escape Room'-like oven and being forced to transfer money to your captors seems like a fair plot. It opens fairly simply in a large, steel room with massive heat lamps suspended above an unconscious man tied to a chair and what happens thereafter is strangely reminiscent of 'Saw', where a creepy, distorted voice is engaging in psychological torture and giving instructions.

The ending, which was a little surprising, was well executed and reached the logical conclusion. There isn't much left to interpretation.

If you have an hour and a half, I'd recommend giving this one a shot.

"200 Degrees" delivers a premise with potential: a man trapped in a kiln-like room, facing rising temperatures and moral dilemmas. Unfortunately, while the concept is intriguing, the execution leaves much to be desired.

The tension never quite reaches a satisfying peak. The acting, while adequate, struggles against a script filled with predictable twists and lackluster dialogue. Eric Balfour does his best to carry the film, but his performance feels constrained by the limited scope of the story.

Visually, the movie makes good use of its confined setting, but the pacing falters, often making the 91-minute runtime feel longer than it should. The psychological aspects are underdeveloped, leaving the viewer disconnected from the protagonist's plight.

While "200 Degrees" has moments of suspense, it never fully capitalizes on its premise, resulting in a thriller that feels more tepid than scalding. It's watchable, but not particularly memorable.

Anyone else bothered that he didn't try to call 911 right away? it's just ridiculous that he has a phone but doesn't use it at all.

Ryan, (Eric Balfour) plays a man trapped in a steel room with large heat lamps and an intercom to communicate with him. He does not know how he got there or why he is trapped inside.

A voice starts to communicate with him demanding $1,000,000 be transferred into an account and he has two hours to do so. If not, the consequences are dire. This is the general premise of the film. I will not give away any more information to spoil it for potential viewers.

The General concept has been used many times over, and this film, albeit somewhat different, could have been much better. Throughout 90% of the film, the viewer has no idea who is doing this (or why) it is happening to Ryan. However, as much as there is an somewhat interesting twist at the end, if one pays close attention to detail, you can get a pretty good grasp of what is happening.

Another run-of-the-mill kidnap/torture film that attempts to keep you guessing the why's and how's. Balfour is pretty convincing as the victim but by no means is this one of his better performances.

The ending, as mentioned had a somewhat interesting twist but was not very good at all. If fact, it was bad! All to neat and tidy in its wrap-up and quite contrived.

I gave this film a generous "6" rating just because it kept my attention to the films end but don't expect a heart pounding thriller here. If you have 91 minutes to spare, you could do worse things with your time.

Be prepared to spend 90 minutes on the edge of your seat. With excellent production, great casting, and a clever but nerve-wrecking plot, 200 Degrees will have you biting your nails on pins and needles. This thriller is chock full of suspense with twists and turns you will NEVER see coming. Balfour and Cochell give excellent deliveries that will have you anxiously sweating bullets and really feeling the heat.