Nemesis Game - Jogo Assassino

I originally rented this direct-to-video film because it stars one of my favorite actors (Adrian Paul). I expected this cheesy boring film that would be average. Instead what I found was a movie that kept me guessing until the very end. The film has a superb ending and good acting all the way around. Sarah Novak is a fan of riddles. When she stumbles across a game where riddle after riddle are solved for fun, she gets herself in over her head when the game turns deadly. The 'Nemesis Game' as it comes to be called is supposed to end with one final riddle. If the player gets the riddle correct and writes the answer on the wall, then they are shown 'the design' of the game; a design that is supposed to make them insane. I know, I know the story sounds weird and stupid. But I assure you this is a fabulous film. It opens kind of slow but you must give it a chance to get going. Once it does, it doesn't let go. This very unique plot and inventive ending leave you wanting to know more of story at the end. At the end it leaves you saying 'wow.' This film is highly recommended.

Police detective Jeff Novak (Ian McShane) is interrogating Emily Gray. Two weeks earlier, his daughter college student Sara Novak (Carly Pope) likes to solve riddles from comic book store owner Vern (Adrian Paul). Dennis Reveni (Brendan Fehr) is a spacey delivery guy. Jeremy Curran (Jay Baruchel) is a fellow college student. Sara takes part in a riddle game in the real world when it turns dangerous.

The start is a little slow and a little muddled. There is a little tension in the mystery. In the end, the finale is disappointing. The Toronto locations keep it a B-movie. Adrian Paul only adds to that sense. It doesn't really elevate above that.

Ok.. here's a short synopsis of the movie : Sara Novak (Carly Pope) is a college girl who's into riddles. She 'plays' riddle games with Vern (Adrian Paul), a shopkeeper, in a scavenger hunt type thing, where solving one riddle will lead to another one. But both of them (separately) get an 'invitation' to play a series of riddles, (usually spray painted on subways for Sara, and on his shop windows/websites for Adrian) which, once solved will reveal the 'design' supposedly explaining why things in life are the way they are i.e. the meaning of life. There are a couple of murders along the way and the whole thing meanders to a climax which is more predictable than my mother-in-law's christmas dinner. Of course by this time, you are so numb thanks to the insipid acting and the stupid plot, that you have lost the will to live and dont care anymore. I have seen a lot of silly movies in my life (unfortunately) and this one deserves to be right on top of the list with the others. The riddles are so ridiculous that even my 5 year-old nephew could have solved them after taking a look. What I would indeed like to know who finances these things. I have a couple of movie ideas about talking chipmunks involved in industrial espionage that I'd like to run past them. In short : Do not watch this movie at all costs!!

"The Nemesis Game" tells of a college student, Sara (Pope), who plays a game of riddles but who can't seem to solve the riddle of her life. The film develops a pair of wispy, marginally intriguing, and converging plot lines; Sara and her riddle game and her father, a cop, and his interrogation of a murder suspect. However, as the story wears on it become more convoluted in its attempt to keep the intrigue going and more muddled in its ability to resolve the issues raised. The result is a frustrating mess with paper thin characters which wallows in it own sense of self importance while failing to deliver anything of substance finally ending with an epilogue much like the punch line of a shaggy dog story. Passable stuff only for the most hard up couch potato. (C)

Nemesis Game is a mind-bending film filled with riddles, death, mystery, and philosophy. In it's simplest sense the film is about seeking answers and what happens when you've finally found them all. The search for answers leads Sarah Novak down a path that gets darker as it gets more compelling. The final answer seems more dangerous than it is worth, yet Sarah is so close to understanding it all. What would you do if you were offered the ability to finally make sense of the chaos of life?

The movie was written and directed by Jesse Warn. While this was Warn's first feature length film, the movie doesn't reflect that at all, but instead shows polish and an artistic approach to telling the story. Carly Pope was powerful in the lead role and showed a depth of complexity that was fascinating to watch. I would definitely love to see more of her work.

Being based on riddles, this is a very cerebral movie. It's that's your thing, as it is mine, then I totally recommend seeing Nemesis Game. Rating: 4.5/5