The debut feature of the man who would go on to direct 28 Weeks Later, one of the best horror films of the decade. This one is a thriller, of sorts. It has a very weird and original concept. Set in the underground world of gambling, it's about a group of people who see luck as a tangible item, that can be had, bet, transferred, taken away, what have you. The film follows the sole survivor of a plane crash as he is recruited by another man to enter this world. The king of the subculture is Max von Sydow, a holocaust survivor who is supposedly the luckiest man ever to live. Meanwhile, a female detective who also has amazing powers of luck is searching for the plane crash survivor, who was on the plane fleeing after robbing a bank. The concept is interesting, but Fresnadillo and his co-writer, Andrés M. Koppel, have a difficult time establishing it. It never stops seeming silly. It's also confusingly told and badly edited. I never really understood the role the detective played. That whole character could have been dropped, the whole bank robbery thing, too, and the film would have thankfully lost 20 to 25 minutes and been a lot more streamlined. As it is, the movie's a slog. The only decent parts are the bizarre gambling games they play. One has a gigantic, bioluminescent insect released into a dark room. Whosever head it lands on wins. The best sequence in the movie and even it could have been greatly improved with better editing has gamblers with their hands tied behind their backs and blindfolds. The object is to run through a forest at full speed. The last person standing, having not brained him/herself on a tree, wins. Someone needs to propose this event as a reality game show. I'm sure at least someone in Japan would produce it!