Roulette

On the surface, "Roulette" sounds very intriguing: three people at the end of their ropes sit alone in a dark room playing Russian roulette, some half-heartedly, some with no fear of dying whatsoever. During the session, we flashback to what events got them to this room at this time in their lives. The flashbacks are even round-robined, which helps the film's pace.

Unfortunately this film has, what I believe to be, the worst cast assembled for an indie film in quite some time. I understand how limited the budget is for films such as this, but there are talented people available in even the smallest cities. The casting directors for this film had little to no experience and it shows. Of course, I ultimately blame the director, who should have either waited to find better actors, given better or more direction, or just pulled the plug.

Few of the actors cast in lead roles here had anything but background experience and that's painfully obvious as well, the worst case being Michelle Murad's Zoe whose line readings are either irritatingly dippy sing-song or shrill shrieking. NONE of the three protagonists are well cast and therefore range from unlikable to laughable. Ali Lukowski works her facial muscles so stridently in order to (I guess) relay her character's sexual repression that she makes Sunny an ideal caricature for SNL (Right to life Girl?).

All of it makes Roulette an extremely hard film to sit through and tolerate. In the end, if you're not careful, you might be the one who ends up pulling the trigger.

"Hey! My friends and me made a movie, wanna see it?" If you are in the mood for a film school submission made with lunch money with acting/directing/editing that never lets you forget you are watching an attempt at making a movie then, this is for you.

Lots of lessons on what not to do. On the other hand, as far as film school shorts I have seen, it is pretty good. The writing was good and there were scenes that were done very well.

I was rooting for it to bring me under its spell but gave up after 16 torturous minutes, concluding that it was simply unwatchable.

Why all the stellar reviews? Could they be self serving or did I completely miss the point?

What's wrong with this flick? Acting; writing; direction; everything you see and hear. What's right with this flick? After what feels like an eternity of pain for the viewer, it finally ends. What's wrong with the reviews? As I noted in my own previous reviews, there is a clustering of rave reviews which always means a pity party held by those involved in the travesty; in this case, the month of around November. Gang, if you're going to lie (or give into your delusions) then at least spread the wealth out over several months (and to some extent the guilty parties did this) to dampen suspicion. The bottom like: Listen to the negative reviews; you surely have something (ANYTHING) better to do with your precocious time. Maybe watch a dumpster fire if you can find one....

I had never heard of this film. Not until I walked into a rental store did I see the cover and it's many awards and accolades. So, I took the chance and rented it. Not disappointed at all! The acting was a little off and the stars weren't- I knew none of the actors in this movie. That said, it was great. I really liked the idea of no bombs blowing up the planet, no sex-scenes too realistic but, some nudity was needed for the story to work. "Sunny" forced her struggling Christian role but, did o.k. overall. The others were well, like I said, not top-tier actors but, worked well together. The story line was unique and presented very well. Three suicidal people meet at one's house and play Russian Roulette with the intention to kill themselves...until it got too real. Flashbacks were used as part of the story so pay attention. Each person got to tell their story as to why they wanted to die. In the end, all was for naught. This was some kind of recurring incident. And to go any further would ruin the movie for those still wanting to see it. Great movie, good acting, great story and I liked it very much.

Roulette is truly a great and very underrated film. It will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end and leave you in awe and have you thinking about it for days/weeks to come. I have not had a film captivate me and pull me in so much like this one did in a long, long time! The character's are all very well developed and it is interesting to see how all 3 character's lives intersected at a certain point and the results of what their interactions had on the overall story. This isn't really a fast paced film, it's more of a slow burning, deep thinking type of film, but anyone who admires a true piece of art will definitely find something to appreciate here. Erik Kristopher Myers is a great up and coming filmmaker and I can't wait to see what he does next.