Nemesis Game

What can I say? Not as bad as many here have made it out to be. The only reason I even watched this film that I had previously never heard of before, was strictly for IAN McSHANE.

I was not disappointed in the least. IAN McSHANE was absolutely brilliant and brings an amazing subtlety to his role. He's always great to watch and for my money... an extremely underused actor.

As for the rest of the film.... Every other actor in the movie delivered strong, solid performances. These people certainly weren't being paid huge amounts of cash for their participation (as this was a fairly low budget film) but this did not mean that any of them "mailed" their appearances in. Everyone was convincing and compelling with the parts given to them.

I was even pleasantly surprised at ADRIAN PAUL's performance though I must admit I have only ever seen him in the HIGHLANDER Television series before this movie.

The plot was well paced and the storyline intriguing and much like real life, not everything ends up tied in a nice neat little package for you at the end of the film. Anybody who expected a clear-cut, by-the-numbers, connect the dots "conclusion" or "answer" at the end of the movie... CLEARLY wasn't watching the film closely enough! This film is not going to tell you what the "meaning of life" is! The idea is that after seeing the film, you might go and discuss the unanswered questions with your friends over a coffee. I certainly did.

No car chases... No explosions... No bar room brawls.... (sounds pretty dull, huh?) But the reality is that I was completely absorbed by the film and it's just a well written little piece with an interesting hook and solid character performances by all parties involved.

****** WARNING...****** If you're the kind of person who dislikes movies that dangle an enormous "question" as the central engine of the story and then end the movie without answering that particular question directly...

YOU MIGHT NOT ENJOY THIS FILM.

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.

At the start of the movie, Det. Jeff Novak is trying to get Emily Gray, who did time for trying to drown a boy, to confess to another crime. All she will do is talk in riddles.

After that, we see Dennis and Vern, two weeks earlier, talking about the meaning of life in Vern's store, which sells merchandise that appeals to heavy metal and alternative rock fans.

Then we see a like-new 1966 Ford pickup being driven through the dark, wet streets of an unidentified large city (Toronto University is mentioned). Sara is then given the first of several clues that she needs to solve a mystery (while being timed) as she explores a section of town she probably shouldn't be in after dark.

Sara, the detective's daughter, is in college, but her father feels she is not reaching her potential. Jeremy and Marie are in her philosophy class. Jeremy would like to date Sara, but she would rather not. Jeremy is persistent, and he says he knows her secret--she drives to school but takes the subway home.

When she gets on the subway, Sara sees riddles written in blue, mostly on the walls. The mystery author of the riddles is behaving in the same way as the mythological character Nemesis (not the Nemesis of Greek mythology, though--she is female, and the pictures and stories in this movie seem to be of a man; to the ancient Greeks, The Sphinx was responsible for riddles).

The game becomes a life-and-death situation after a murder.

This movie is darker than what I generally would watch. Sara was appealing, though, and sort of pretty. My biggest incentive to watch was Jay Baruchel, who was a teenage lawyer in "Just Legal", a fine series not given enough of a chance. I liked him better on the TV series, but that doesn't mean he wasn't good here. I thought most of the acting was well done, and this seemed intelligently written, even if the myth of Nemesis seemed to be invented. at least I didn't find anything on this character.

The mystery was interesting, though the ending was somewhat shocking. There was more tension than real excitement. There wasn't too much violence.

It wasn't my taste, but it should appeal to those who like darker movies.

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.

This is one of the movies that keeps you glued to your seat till the end by weaving too many plot webs but in the end fails miserably to provide some interesting climax. 'Nemesis Game' has a decent basic plot, taut suspense, an interesting central character... but the ending is just meaningless and thus making the whole effort very disappointing. The movie somehow reminded me of the Jude Law starred 'Existenz' but far less efficient in making a story come around. Director Jesse Warn tries hard to give it a cult look, with appropriate shooting locations, good background music,decent script etc and is aided by nice performance by Carly Pope. Yes, the riddles themselves sometimes looked easy, sometimes bizarre which leaves a mixed impression, but they were not enough to answer all the incidents happening in the film. The ending is just too 'cheap' to provide the answers. If somehow that means to keep the viewer occupied with it after watching the film, that's the big mistake. Because without good climax, any such film is instantly forgettable.