Jogos de Guerra

Seven friends travel to the countryside to play airsoft simulating a war in the woods. They stumble with three paranoid and sadistic ex-soldiers and they are killed one by one.

"War Games: At the End of the Day" is another stupid collection of clichés, with a imbecile group of hysterical and idiotic teenagers that does exactly the opposite that should have been done: cry when should be quiet; shoot when should wait; return when should flee. Further, the bullets in the pistol end unexpectedly in a moment of advantage for the dumb group or the shooter misses the target. There are several other movies with the same storyline ("group of friends travel to the woods to play paintball, or to fish, or to camp or whatever, and stumbles with a group of sadistic men.

The music score is something dreadful and the long conclusion is absolutely predictable. Last but not the least, I should have watched the soccer game live on television instead of wasting my time seeing this crap. My vote is one (awful).

Title (Brazil): "Jogos de Guerra" ("War Games")

The plot centers around two estranged sisters, Lara and Monica, who along with some friends go out to the countryside to play airsoft. They stumble across the hideout of three ex soldiers who have been using the area as their own hunting ground. The soldiers then decide to pick them off, one at a time. So I got this flick on mail order mainly because it's about some guys playing airsoft, which is a real hobby of mine and because Im a big fan of the stalker slasher genre. I was hoping to see some cool battle scenes and these kids pitting their skills against some hardened soldiers and some good old fashioned slashing. The airsoft scene at the start is pretty cool, and the director did a great job catching the frenetic pace of the game. It was good to see that the actors that were meant to have been really good at the game were well versed in the proper techniques and gave their characters a sense of authenticity. The film is more than just a slasher though. In fact I was surprised to find that it was a bit smarter than that, and two of the deaths apart, it isn't actually very gory at all. What it is very good at though is creating a level of tension and unease early on and wracking it up as the film continues. The mood of the film is very haunting, which is achieved through the stunning visuals and the beautiful soundtrack. It's very clever how as the film uses the soft, delicate music is in such stark contrast to the violence on screen. The hand-held style in which the film is shot pulls you into the story and makes it feel very believable. This is obviously also helped by some very strong performances from the largely unknown cast. Stephanie Chapman Baker and Neil Linpow are especially good as the two main characters and it's their slow burning romance set against the horrors around them that gives the film some real heart. The soldiers all look the part, and do a fantastic job with their limited dialogue. It is in fact Michael Lutz who gives the stand out performance as Uncle, the leader of the three. His face is so worn and tells us everything in a look. I am a little disappointed that the back stories of the soldiers were not explored, as I think that it would have added an extra dimension to the film had we known more about who these guys were and how they had become so bitter and twisted. That is one of the main problems with the film. The script is at times a bit clunky, and the story doesn't really take us in any new directions, in fact it's pretty generic. It would have been nice to see some twists and turns. There is one shock early on when the first character is killed, but after that it just seems to follow a well beaten path up to it's conclusion. That said, it does this well, and keeps you entertained and pretty taut throughout. I think that Cosimo Alema on the back of this will go on to make better films, but this is a really solid debut.

We had a bit of a movie marathon at home this weekend, catching up on various horrors that slipped under our radar in the past year or so. I must be honest, I went into War games with no real expectations as this is hardly ground breaking in it's ideas, but I was really very surprised to find the film to be as good as it is. After a kind of a naff set up and introduction, the film really gets going and never lets up until the final image. The chase/hunt is relentless and it's quite a tense watch. It's got some quite clever visuals where the camera kind of drifts in and out of focus, and because it's shot hand held it really puts you into the movie. This is also helped because none of the cast are particularly well known, at least not to me, so everyone was expendable and it was clever how the film sets up certain characters as the lead only to bump them off unexpectedly. You never really know beyond the main girl who's gonna stick around til the end. To their credit the actors are all very good and should go on to be better known. I think that the film could have benefited from spending more time on the soldiers background because their motives are never really clear, but then again, that also makes it kind of scary too. Not the best film we saw over the weekend, but pretty bloody good all the same.

I thought this was actually a pretty good movie. It's got good action sequences and some cool death scenes. Most of the characters kind of deserve it too, so some of the kills are really satisfying. Like the one that runs off to the mine field. I thought the actors were all pretty decent, but the script didn't really give them the most to work with I don't think. It's all quite simple stuff. Kids go where they shouldn't. Bad stuff happens. Thing is, if you like these types of horror/survival films like I do, then this is a pretty good one. If you don't, then I guess it's not so good. There's a few good jumpy bits and a really nice little move at the end to make it a bit open ended too. Worth your time if you're looking for something dumb and fun.

Cosimo Alema has crafted a really gritty and dark thriller which pits it's excellent young cast against some pretty nasty euro villains and watches in delight as they fight to survive. The idea of city kids being hunted in the wilderness by crazed locals is nothing new and has been done better in Deliverance and Southern Comfort but the old saying rings true, if it ain't broke.... The film really benefits from it's stylish burnt out visuals, no doubt thanks to Alema's background as a music video director. It gives the film a strong identity and makes the most of the awesome back drop in which the film is set. The hunting ground itself is a awash with lakes, waterfalls and forests which all lend to some great set pieces. The cast all do a good job to flesh out their limited characters, and give us a reason to root for them, whilst the bad guys all look typically gruff and nasty. Low on scares the film does throw in one or two good shocks and whilst never lingering too long on the kills as the cast are inevitably whittled down, it does create a very tense and believable atmosphere. A scene involving the two sisters Lara (Stephanie Chapman Baker) and Monica (Valene Kane) is heartbreaking and truly memorable. Sam Cohan does well as the groups de facto leader Alex who may or may not know more than he is letting on, and Neil Linpow is definitely one to watch as the reluctant hero Riko. A really good example of what I'd call Friday night fluff. An enjoyable watch that wont set the world on fire, but will keep you entertained throughout.