Den

The movie franchise SAW literally stole almost 90% of DEN to make there movie .. This movie was good and managedto be entertaining on a shoestring budget.

**Since I wrote the following review in 2004, a storm of controversy, and potential lawsuit has emerged by the makers of DEN against the production company that made the film Saw, with accusations of plagiarism. If you have seen Saw, and liked it, it would be worth your while to try to seek this film out.**

I had a chance to see this strong film and am a bit surprised it was never picked up for any distribution, and hasn't really been seen or heard of since.

The story is rather simple: A strange, intimidating man kidnaps 4 people, and chains them in separate corners in a large church basement. From here, he proceeds to psychologically torment them with various secrets he knows about them, all from his twisted, demented mind.

The characters are very strong, the writing strong, and the acting strong. If there are two things that work against this film, and likely why it didn't get distribution (as of yet): It's shot on DV, and at times has somewhat of a video look, and at times somewhat hollow sound. This shouldn't bother you, as the film is about characters and acting.

The other (more likely) reason is that there are strong religion overtones, or anti-religion overtones. When Den screened at one festival for example, a few people actually got into an argument about it, then a fist fight broke out! This is a tough, well written and acted, original film, as independent as it gets. If it sounds like something you'll like, you shouldn't be disappointed and it's worth tracking down. I'm giving it a hard earned "7" out of 10.

With Saw receiving so much attention, it is only fair to note this film came first and adds an additional layer of realism, depth, and artistry that may only be produced on the independent scene. I cannot believe that this film has not made it onto video store shelves, especially in light of the fact that Saw was such a hit. Where this film shines is in its cast. The performances rank up their with traditional Hollywood fair and help to elevate the film above its humble independent origins. The film builds steadily and creepily towards its satisfying climax. While it does surround itself in a bit of controversy, the ending will surely get you talking and thinking. Not bad from a horror film. Check it out, you'll be thinking about this one for days.