Fortune Defies Death

I'm surprised that this is a debut movie. The deliberately captivated storyline, the truly unforgettable characters, the spirally twisted suspense, the consistently enticing pace, and the well-crafted narration are all exceptionally fantastic!

The family lawyer plays a smooth and moderate host to great effect, and the rest of the group is also believable - they have so much fun when interact with each other in the room - I really enjoy some of the wise and humorous dialogues. I think the locations are all natural and beautiful. The story has a strong backbone with different timeframes told through flashbacks, all of which can get you very emotional. Regardless of number of death, I prefer it defined as a mystery drama over a thriller. If you're a type of essential horror flicks lovers, then perhaps this is not for you.

There are many good things about this movie. But the most brilliant part is where some scenes are "cut" half-and-half: one half from an objective perspective and the other half from a subjective perspective. A good example is when two guys talk "physically" in their private room first, then in the later half is only from the lawyer's vision. Since these two parts follow the same logic under same condition, you wouldn't even notice the difference when it goes on as one continuous plot - which makes the subjective point of view convincingly believable. Overall, 7/10 from my opinion, but adding this mastery up, I would give it one more clap.

Brew slow but jaw-dropping with an unexpected climax as you really get the moment of "Oh my!" While the movie with the characters is ultimately driven by greed, dangerously played between life and death, there is an intense atmosphere of dread and stress throughout, sown wonders of how the tragedy can really last so long, of all resulted in a terrifying conclusion. The final twist in the last act is "like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get" (Forrest Gump). But the story does not intentionally offer the ferocity alone, but more to a package designed to stir the senses through a powerful storyline along with beautiful sentimental musical score that would make you feel nothing but a heartwarming experience. Technical works including performance are well integrated. Time will tell - this movie is going to be one of the best!

The movie contains many witty snubs - there is one scene wherein Stacey, the rich man's sister who always quarrels with her sly nephew Charlie, claims, "He's my brother", then Charlie replies, "I'm blood, too". There are many witty remarks like that, but I'm not going to spoil it here. Nonetheless, I enjoyed very much with their humorous talks, but they can be serious too, when the murder takes place. Intriguing story with classy writing style. Highly recommend this to those who especially enjoy smart jokes and a clever mystery.