Charada

I just finished watching this and I was quite pleasantly surprised at how well done it was. Sure, both Val Kilmer and William Sadler were completely wasted and did MAYBE a DAY'S worth of work between them. But, honestly, everything about the film was solid and done with a nice slow sense of building suspense.

The one thing that I REALLY appreciated, which I feel is quite rare in these low-budget films, is that the acting was actually decent and restrained instead of amateurishly going over the top or just plain ruining it as many do. It took a little while to get going, but still overall I feel that it was well constructed. YES, the story is extremely straight forward and simple, but still done well. And, I also liked how the stronger Horror elements were done in the last act; pretty effective for what it was...

NO, they didn't give you a whole lot to go on and did not really explain very much; but, I think they gave you enough to figure out what was going on, especially in the ending credits : ) That really wasn't so much the point as just enjoying the actual outworking of the story, I would say.

So, if you are in the mood for a nice little suspenseful Thriller, you should enjoy this movie just fine. Just ignore all the petty know-it- all haters out there who expect GOD knows WHAT in their films...

I do wonder though...

... just how much DOES Val Kilmer make in these hit-and-run films that he does? Seriously, I'm DYING to know! : )

This movie is a utter piece of crap. I sometimes give these not well known movies a try and it sometimes turn out good. This film I have watched many times, mainly because of the mood it creates, a time and place you want to go back and visit The only link i could get between the name of the movie, was that it happened in a village called " Riddle " This is the first time I have ever written about a movie good or bad, I felt like writing something because of the first reviewer in solvethis.net said some good things about it. I kept waiting. I guess he doesn't get out much to say anything good about this movie. Again the Acting is so poor you can tell at the beginning of the movie alone I intend on writing about movies in the future because I watch my share of them.

"Riddle" is a fun thriller that catches your attention early and keeps it throughout. Elisabeth Harnois plays Holly, a high-school girl with a younger brother who suffers from Thompson's Disease. One day, he disappears and she is, of course, devastated.

Cut to three years later. She is back from college helping out with the Farmer's Market when she becomes convinced she has seen her missing brother. She follows the trail to the town of Riddle, which just happens to be the home town of the last two boys who saw her brother. Riddle looks to be a town on the door of Hell -- completely run down and sparsely populated. The major drawing point of the town seems to be the wonder of Nature that is Diora Baird, who is the daughter the less than helpful Sheriff (Val Kilmer). But Riddle also has secrets, and they are brought out into the open as Holly continues to dig where, as she is told, she doesn't belong.

Lots of good stuff here. The story moves quickly and briskly. Even though you'll probably guess the culprit early on (I did), there's enough ancillary mystery to make that OK. The early scenes prior to young Nate's disappearance are genuinely unsettling and make a couple of characters way more complex than they have a right to in a film like this. And finally, it's not surprising that Harnois and Baird are friends in real life -- they have an easy going, natural chemistry together that really helps drive the film forward.

Nothing classic here, guys, but better than a lot and definitely worth checking out.

This film seems to have been given a pretty bad wrap. Even still I decided to give it a go. The story line is easy to follow and answers all the questions the movie gives you (as long as you are not expecting an insane twist.) Val, I believe, was really never given much to develop (character wise) in the film, which is disappointing. Actually, none of the characters really made you care. They really played up the American small town 'cultish' feel. Without going into any detail regarding the plot or giving any spoilers, the story progressed naturally and actually made me feel like I was watching a 'point and click adventure computer game' (which is fine for me as I enjoy them.) All in all, it was flat but I good brainless film to watch. It was enjoyable but nothing special and I am sure there is no reason to watch the movie a second time to see if anything was missed through the first viewing.

Firstly, I truly find it hard to accept someone reviewing this movie and giving it a 10...wrong movie I think. I gave this movie 2 stars only because I thought the idea was good but the outcome was not so good. I believe in giving young actors a chance and I felt they tried their best in a lack lustered affair.Val Kilmer, what do I say...had about 20 lines in the whole move and was so poor maybe he should have hung his boots up after the 80's comedy, Top Secret. He just didn't want to be there, his body language was about as solid as a wet paper bag. The script had so many holes in it and the basis of the storyline was "riddled" with flaws. The filming was also very D grade. No smooth transitions, no fluency. At times the camera work was trying too hard, too hard to be shot as a blockbuster instead of just being the movie it was suppose to be. It could have been a good B grader, however in my opinion it didn't even reach the perils of an F.