13 jeux de mort

Chit is a desperate guy : he has debts, his car has been seized, he lost his job and his love life is no better... He then receives a call to participate to a game show, with enough money involved to solve all his problems. 13 tasks, more money every time. How far will he go for 100 million bahts?

The main actors are good, the humor (at the beginning) is nice, with a bit of gore it makes a really nice mix. And asks some question about the evolution of the Thai society, which are also valid everywhere. Probably the best Thai movie I've watched so far, and just a very good movie.

This is probably the best Thai thriller I've seen so far, and I've seen a bunch. Pusit has lost just about everything, his job, his girlfriend, his home, not much left. Then out of the blue he gets a call on his cell phone, telling him he has won the right to compete on a game show, and he can make huge sums of money. The game, is to complete 13 tasks presented by the show via his cell phone, but he has to complete all 13 with money going into his account after each task is completed. Pusit decides to play and off we go on a journey with Pusit that is at times stomach churning for the audience. The first task is pretty easy and Pusit is feeling good about things, but then they start to become very intense and towards the end terrifying. I could feel the tension as this movie goes along, it's along the lines of a good Hitchcockian suspense thriller. More than one of these tasks is very shocking and brutal to say the least, but Pusit is committed and turning back means losing everything again, something he cannot do. So he's hooked, and so are we as one shocking scene after scene builds up to an excellent climax. Put this baby on your want list immediately, you'll love it. I've never seen a movie quite like this one, and it's worth multiple viewings.

Phuchit (Krissada Terrence) receives a phone call on the same day he loses his job at a music center. The man on the line gives him a strange offer: complete 13 different tasks and win 100 million Baht (about $3 million US). Chit agrees to take part in this 'game' and his missions commence. . . ranging from the trivial (swatting a fly) to the unthinkable (you'll see). The biggest catch: He must complete ALL the tasks. . . or lose all the money. Will he beat the game, complete all the tasks, and win the huge cash prize? Or will the game beat him, as the rest of the world has been doing as of late?

Dimension Extreme, the distributor of Diary of the Dead, Black Sheep, Inside, etc., delivers to horror fans yet another violently original new film. . . and this one is just as good as, if not better than, the aforementioned. Sadly, I did overlook it more than a few times. I'd pass it by in stores thinking that, due to its cover & plot line, it was just another of the dozen or so Saw ripoffs that have been released over the past few years. With a storyline like this, I don't blame myself. However, I was more-than-pleasantly surprised to find that the film is blurs the lines between horror, paranoia thriller, and comedy, and it does it very well, making it an unbelievably fresh and stirring film. There were times where I was equally overcome by the tension, comedy, disgust, sadness, and loathing. . . sometimes separately, sometimes together. Technically, the film is extremely well made. The direction and writing work perfectly well together, although the acting does leave a bit to be desired at some points (excluding Krissada Terrence who delivers a great, great performance). But, the thing that makes this film shine is the revelation/conclusion along with the way it was shown. . . it was so emotionally stirring that I'm surprised it's not more talked about. I suppose it's so little spoken of because it's so little seem. . . and that's a shame, because this is a truly, truly great modern horror/thriller that utilizes many different elements of both genres, including quite a bit of comedy to keep the more disturbing elements tolerable. See this one if you can.

Final verdict: 8.5/10.

A film of almost unbearable suspense, who starts lightly and goes darker by the minute.

It works on various levels: as a critique of the society we live in ( the voyeurism and excessive competition), as psychological (the characters have their behavior well explained by the movie).

It is the best movie I have ever seen from Thailand.

Thai cinema is evolving and proof is Sick Nurses, an stylish exercise in horror better than most American movies and 13 Beloved, who is also very well served by its actors and director.

If you like suspense, don't miss that film

A surprisingly excellent production from Thailand. This movie tells the story of a loser/loner who just got fired, had his car repossessed, is in credit card debt, and has an overbearing mother who needs money and suddenly gets a call inviting him to play in a game that could make him rich. The game consists of 13 challenges, the completion of each entails a money transfer into his bank. If he completes the final challenge he would get a very large sum of money. But he has to complete all challenges and not try to find out who is behind the game.

The challenges range from mild to disgusting to violent. While initially the movie doesn't seem to fit into the "Dimensions Extreme" line because for a good while it lacks gore, nudity, violence that are required for a good horror movie, this one is a little more psychological and a lot more story-based. Also at some point you start wondering what the point of all this is and then the movies gives a hint, a glimpse into out character's childhood that will be important for the end of the movie. Speaking of the end, it has a couple of surprise twists and explanations. The man's childhood and family will be key and are related to the final challenge. In addition there is some sort of revealing of who's behind all this that isn't entirely satisfying, but the point here is to get the audience to imagine...what if...and what our price would be, if it is true that we all have a price and also how far we would go for money.

The movie succeeds in creating a very likable character that you root for. There's an obligatory female who falls for him and tries to help him, rescue him. And you will also dislike the cruel villains in the shadows. The movie, however, is not a noir film despite the hopelessness of the situations. In fact, there's a good dose of humor here and there in terms of how other characters react to what is going on and how our friend deals with the crazy things he's asked to do. This movie looks very good. Unlike American movies that rely too much on artificial colored lighting and effects like grainy looks or discolored film or disco-type lights, this one looks bright, crisp, and naturally lit. It also sounds good and has good subtitles. Recommended as a different type of horror/ psychological thriller that is effective and funny and makes you think.