Die

I'm sensing a theme among negative reviews: that this is a SAW rip-off without the gore. As much of a sweeping statement that is, and how little credit it gives to this movie, I can see where they're coming from. I was always fascinated by the small amount of psychological horror in the SAW franchise, but felt like it was too much of a gorefest to truly be able to appreciate it.

On the other hand, "Die" takes all of the elements I had wished to see in SAW and uses them full-force: there's the murky morality, the inescapable desperation, choices that don't feel like choices. "Die" is violent, but it is subtly so, and focuses a lot more on the characters and what they're going through. I found it incredibly intriguing and entertaining. The acting was good, the cinematography well-done--overall, I was impressed.

First off, before I even get into the movie, I just want to say that everyone writing such scathing reviews against this movie need to stop. They're rating this movie based on what they wanted to see in it, and not what the director intended, which is as foolish as one can be. If your only gripe is that "it's like Saw without the gore", then you need to open your eyes.

Anyway, onto the movie. In a word: great. The reason stated above for why people think it's so bad is actually what makes the movie so good. It provides suspense, drama, and tough moral decisions without the senseless and excessive blood and guts. It's a little confusing at first, and if you don't pay attention you may find yourself lost later in the movie, so for that I take one star off of the rating. It also has one or two minor plot flaws, so for that I take off one more star; but on that detail, I dare you to show me just ONE movie that does not have even a single hole in the plot. You can't do it.

All in all, this was an outstanding movie, given that it doesn't have any big names in the acting, producing, or directing and it definitely deserves a lot of attention. The plot is absorbing, the characters are interesting, and the moral of the story really makes you think. I give it 8 out of 10, and would daresay that this is a "must-watch" movie, especially if you're bored on a weekend night and feel like watching something you haven't seen before.

Well, the premises did sound like something we've all heard of before, but the way the plot unravels actually really makes it worth your while. If you pay attention you'll notice how clues are carefully placed throughout the film and how everything falls back in to place. As I watched it I became more and more interested in the characters and their stories, and the atmosphere created by the sound design and the cinematography enveloped me and made me "believe"... I am not sure this is film for all audiences, I mean that - differently from most thrillers, this is a film for mainly adult audiences who are willing to think as they watch a film. The look of the film is great and the acting is, for the most part, amazing. I enjoyed it and would watch a second time.

After reading the synopsis, I'm sure your mind will immediately think "OK this is obviously a Saw rip off" - and you'd be absolutely correct. There are a large number of elements that appear to be direct rip offs from the Saw series (namely the first). I am totally OK with rip-offs of good movies, if the rip off is well done...this one isn't. I really love Saw, so I might come off as slightly biased, but what made that movie great (other than the novelty) was the suspense, the constant twists that kept you guessing, the fantastically dark, gritty atmospheres, and the brilliant way the characters and story events were interwoven + how it was all brought together in the end; "Die" is completely ineffective in all of these. Watching "Die" will make you appreciate the way the story is told in Saw. In this movie the story telling is completely disjointed - I loved how in Saw the two characters woke up in a room with no knowledge of what was going on and the story built from there, slowly recounting the character's pasts, etc. In Die you have the same concept, except that the story jumps around randomly between back story, the characters being trapped, and the cops (whose storyline seems like a weak afterthought). None of the characters seem to be truly fleshed out, and many of them die before you learn anything of interest about them. You keep waiting for the twists and the interconnected story lines, yet none come. Furthermore, the method of the bad guy is completely stupid and makes no sense. They try to give him a jigsaw-like quality of this near omnipotent figure who is always 2 steps ahead combined with higher morality (half of his lines sound like direct quotes from Jigsaw - appreciate your life blah blah) being the reason for putting this together, however you quickly see that his methodology centers around randomness -- "fate" as he puts it (dice rolling) -- and every "trap" functions in exactly the same, simplistic manner. You fail suicide (isn't that already fate?), so he is going to put you in a situation where you have absolutely no control over whether you live/die to prove that you should appreciate your life? Uh, WHAT? One other thing that was really ridiculous to me is that all this guy had was a handgun (sometimes he didn't even draw it) with little to no further measures to protect himself, yet the characters put up no fight whatsoever, even though they could have likely taken this guy out pretty easily(sometimes they even have things they could use as weapons). I typically make a point to finish all movies just to see if there is some redeeming bit at the end, but I had somewhere to go with about 20 minutes remaining on this and I didn't have the desire to bother finishing it. Maybe some kind of amazing twist lies at the end, but from the complete lack of build and tension, I highly doubt it. The production values are fine, the acting is OK, but the story is just poor and the entire thing simply feels so pointless.

Six strangers awake in a cell in an underground facility. In flashbacks, their lives are exposed and in common, they are destroyed by their acts. Mark Murdock (Elias Koteas) is a nihilist detective that does not have any hope in his career. Lisa Meridian (Emily Hampshire) is an addicted gambler that has destroyed her marriage. Robert Moretti (Fabio Fulco) is a self-destructive millionaire that tried to commit suicide. Melody Chambers (Katie Boland) is a young prostitute addicted in drugs. Zach Emmett (Karl Pruner) is a psychiatrist that has been suffering for two years for a fatal wrong prescription to a patient. Diane Robinson (Patricia McKenzie) is a nurse that lost her two year-old child and tried to commit suicide.

Soon they learn that they have been abducted by the disturbed Jacob Odessa (John Pyper-Ferguson), who saw his father committing suicide when he was a boy. Jacob forces each prisoner to toss a dice in a deadly game of Russian roulette against another participant in a sort of trial. The survivors would have a chance to reborn in a new existence.

"Die" is a movie with a promising beginning, beautiful cinematography, intriguing atmosphere and awful storyline with a rip-off of "Cube" and "Saw" and overrated reviews. Despite the good performances, the explanation for the sick game of the deranged Jacob Odessa is brainless and ridiculous. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "Jogos Suicidas" ("Suicide Games")