13 Hours in a Warehouse

...you'll find out this this flick stinks bad. I knew I would be guaranteed of a flop, just by watching the previews. Apparently, these filmmakers (lol) were responsible for past epics of infantile freshman film-making 101. Whoever gave this movie decent reviews (and there were a few who praised it) must be someone involved in the making of this golden turkey, or someone who is a paid shill for the film company responsible for this completely amateurish attempt at ripping off Resevouir Dogs. I laughed out loud at some of the positive reviews--who are they fooling?

Endlessly spinning camera shots open up this "direct to DVD" mega bomb that accomplishes nothing except to cause nausea. Choppy, poorly miked sound, made it difficult to hear anything (not that there was much to listen to.) Would Dav (without an "e") Kaufman please refrain from ever, I mean ever, making another movie? Instead of me paying RedBox (those morons) a 1.07, I could have a lot more fun either burning my money, or just flushing down the toilet.

Am I a little late to the game reviewing a 15-year-old movie from a one-and-done writer, director, and producer named by Dav Kaufman? That's what you get when you fall down a Tubi rabbit hole. A few reviewers mentioned DVDs and video rentals, but in my hard digital travels, I've never seen 13 Hours in a Warehouse on the shelves -- not even in the dollar store or Big Lots cutout bins. Those are the bins where ALL direct-to-video indies go to go die -- especially ones on the Florida-based niche genre distributor Maverick Entertainment shingle -- as most of their catalog ends up in an "electronics aisle" discount outlet (I've picked up a couple of their 10-film packs).

So, if you dug a little on the film's backstory: this is a Minneapolis, Minnesota-made film. Dav backed this himself and was able to secure distribution with Maverick. Based on my past experiences of viewing Maverick product (there's a LOT of it on Tubi), 13 Hours is certainly an odd duck in that Maverick mostly deals in Latin and Urban product (action, drama and romance on top of it) -- so a horror film will pique your interest.

Anyway, to the movie.

While the Tarantinoeque comparison can't be avoid and are valid, I don't think this was the case of Kaufman setting out to ripoff Tarantino or write a "heist" picture. I'll take a guess he had free access to a warehouse and, using the old indie angle of writing around what locations are available to you, the wheels started turning. So, with a warehouse at his disposal, Reservoir Dogs, clicked. I also think (he's excellent) screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker's 8mm (1999) -- with it's snuff film angle (which takes place in dilapidated warehouses) -- clicked. I think Kevin Smith's Clerks leaked in, as well, as our dopey bandits -- using wood crates n' pieces -- cook up a hockey game, which gave me a good laugh (in a good way, as I got "the joke" of it). Same goes for the Ringu-in-toilet scene!

So, two brothers lead a six-man crew in an art gallery theft of a "McGuffin": turns out, they didn't steal a painting, but possibly a sculpture or cash, because all we ever see is a black duffel bag -- and never inside the bag (which takes us to the briefcase in Pulp Fiction). The crew holds up in a warehouse owned by the brothers' late father (dead by suicide?) who used it to produce adult films for the porn market. The twist: Dad was a serial killer who produced snuff films for the black market. Then, the J-Horroresque ghosts show up -- with an added TV-to-low-grade video flicker about them, which makes sense (and is a very cool effect) considering how the women met their deaths.

Back in the video '90s, I avoided the chains and hit the mom 'n pops where you could get all of the Shock-O-Rama SOVs, as well the SOV-mail order-only Cinematrix imprint works. That's sort of the "style" of movie we have here: it's dirty n' sleazy, but not as over-the-top as S-O-R's, and with a larger budget that's shot on film and not on video.

Seriously, 13 Hours isn't bad movie at all. It's above the fray in terms of cinematography and editing. The acting isn't ugh-enducing -- and Chars Bonin is a stand out. It's too bad he and Dav Kaufman, it seems, became discouraged, as neither has done anything of note, since. Its seems Bonin is sticking to screenwriting these days, Kaufman writes novels, while our lead damsel, played by Meisha Johnson, became a major-market TV newscaster.

I watched this film last night, and I was quite impressed. It encompassed everything I would hope from a low-budget independent film, but always find myself disappointed time and again. This film gallantly strayed from the usual excessive blood and guts and T & A that some filmmakers use to make up for a nothing story line, and I applaud director Dav Kaufman for having the guts to break free from the routine and tired formula and present something not only suspenseful, but fresh and entertaining as well…especially on his debut film. That's a risk the majority of filmmakers are afraid to take, even seasoned ones, and it paid off rather well. I know from experience that this director has a career in front of him.

The relationships between the thieves I found both intriguing and believable. I can't help but to wonder how things would have turned out for them if the ghosts didn't intervene. The acting talents of the cast (who I assume on a low-budget film such as this were paid nothing) while certainly not Oscar worthy, but served their characters well. What was obvious was that they understood their characters enough to make us believe their motivations, their struggles, and their internal conflicts, or lack thereof as is the case with the older brother.

This film reminded me of the subtle Hitchcockian suspense films of the old days. It's not what you're shown that scares you, it's what you're led to believe might happen that does. But I also think that with today's more sophisticated and cynical audiences, this film may be placed in the "underappreciated" category.

I see some others have inaccurately compared this movie to the likes of Reservoir Dogs. Comparing the two is like comparing a Mercedes to a School Bus because they both have four tires and a windshield. By that rationale, every zombie movie is a rip-off of every other zombie movie, every vampire film, every football or baseball film, and so on.

If all you watch movies in this genre for is to be shocked by graphic and gory scenes which pose as a sacrifice for a good, solid story, and does nothing but insult your intelligence, then this is not the film for you. If you prefer a more sophisticated, keep-you-hooked suspense film with an intriguing story then I highly recommend this one! I look forward to more from this director.

I thought that 13 Hours In A Warehouse was not a very good horror film. It was about five guys who are having an all night stay at an abandoned warehouse and former film studio, several bizarre occurrences quickly lead them to believe they are not alone. It was supposed to be a simple plan of keeping a hostage, there with them for the night. But a series of numbers begin to appear on the walls, things turn nasty as terror takes hold, the thieves are about to discover that they are being stalked from the shadows and that their chance of living to see daybreak are passing very fast. I thought that the camera movement in this film was very shaky, where i found hard to keep focused on the film. 3/10

If I could rate this movie negative I would. The plot was horrible, and filled with random dialog scenes referencing nothing to the theme of the movie. The acting was below mediocre... I've seen better acting in a kindergarten Christmas play. And the special effects? They were probably made on a calculator. Each scene featured a maximum of two angles, and the quality seemed like it was filmed on a camera phone. Overall, the movie was pointless. They were so cheap that they couldn't even afford a college ruled notebook. If this was filmed in Minnesota, I don't think I ever want to visit. Everything was repetitive and dumber than poop.