Action ou Vérité

A surprisingly decent low budget horror/thriller combo. Although the general set-up of the film is based on a SAW-style premise, the film works thanks to an inventive script, some well-drawn characters and top acting.

Standing head and shoulders above the other cast members is David Oakes (THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH), playing an ex-soldier determined to find out the truth behind his brother's suicide. To this end, he invites a group of schoolmates to a rural shack to begin a deadly game of truth or dare.

This is essentially a 'one room' thriller which keeps you guessing as to the fates of the central characters and indeed has you on the edge of your seat throughout. The story feels fresh and the characters drawn from real life; better still, I was so engaged in what I was watching that I wanted to find out what happened next. In other words, I was hooked.

A handful of decent turns by the other actors (Jennie Jacques, Jack Gordon, Florence Hall), some gruesome set-pieces that don't go over the top with depictions of torture, and a twist ending that works are all features that help make this a film that rises above genre standards to offer suspenseful, thrilling entertainment.

When the movie began, I wondered if I was watching a British version of the 1987 classic "Slaughter High." A teenage prank goes wrong and a year or two later the tormentors are all invited to a "reunion." They arrive only to discover they're the only ones present. To make things stranger, our antagonists are forced to walk through a muddy path that leads to an old cabin despite the fact that the manor was clearly deserted.

However as soon as they meet the brother of the one they victimized and begin playing the same game used to humiliate him (a mix of Truth or Dare and Spin the Bottle) This is when the feeling of dread begins to mount and it doesn't let up until the end.

Overall, it was suspenseful, yet a few illogical inconsistencies require a fair amount of willing suspension of disbelief.

My Rating

C +

Truth or Dare – CATCH IT (B) Truth or Dare, a party game becomes deadly. As an independent British movie, I think it does a great job in creating a brutal psychological suspense thriller. It's not boring, cliché or above all mediocre. The cast is simple perfect which makes it more fun to actually enjoy it. David Oakes has become the ultimate bad boy, I have seen David Oakes ruining lives in period dramas "Pillars of the Earth" and "The Borgias". Watching him in modern avatar was a surprise and I have to say he did a good job. The supporting cast Liam Boyle, Jack Gordon, Florence Hall, Janie Jaques, Tom Kane and Alexander Vlahos has done a nice job keeping the tension going on till the end. On the whole, it's a fun entertaining torturous thriller with A Twist in the end. Watch it!

Lets get the bad out the way first. The plot is as old as the hills and for everything to fall into place the characters have to make some shockingly bad life choices. The budget is not massive and sometimes its shows.

But saying that i really enjoyed this film. The acting is very solid, the antagonist is very believable. The rest of the cast deliver sterling performances and despite zero nudity the female cast are as sexy as hell.

The real star of the show though is the camera work. The majority of the shooting is stylish, well lit and well composed. Even the obligatory spinning of the bottle has a certain beauty about it.

The violence is brutal without being sickening (no one goes all 'Hostel') and there are numerous tense moments. The soundtrack is pretty good as are sets and locations.

The plot starts to unravel near the end (like 90% of horrors) but keeps it together enough not to spoil it.

A very slick and professional film considering the budget.

I was happy to watch this when I saw the high rating but I had my expectations a little to high although it surely kept me entertained for the duration. It's kind of like a good book, having you waiting for answers. It all starts with a party held at the end of the school term with a young man named Felix. Not quite popular & on the geeky side he wanted very badly to be with a girl that was basically out of his league. After some coke from a buddy he gets up the nerve to talk to her, well as it turns out in most circumstances she didn't feel for him in the least and being the nasty young thing that she was she played a gag on him that ended up in ridicule.

The film then takes a turn with two car loads of people heading to Felix's house for a big birthday bash, these people, the same as those from the party are coming only for the free drink, none of them his friends at all. They knew his family was loaded so they were ambitious to get there. Upon pulling up to this enormous castle of a place they are told Felix wasn't there that they had two walk a ways to get to the keeper's cabin as called. Awaiting them was Felix's brother Justin who cordially invites them in, as to the rest it shall rest on the viewer. There are a few surprises but nothing mind blowing although original & entertaining. It's really more of a thriller than a horror piece, but I know some peoples horror is a comedy to another. The creativity level was high enough to engage you but not enough to suck you in, as the story unfolds in a more casual way. The characters weren't very likable except for Justen, Felix's brother played by David Oakes. There was nothing to get too excited here, but it's more than good enough for a solid 6/10