Reviewed by Phil Wheat
Stars Krissada Terrence, Sarunyu Wongkrachang, Nattapong Arunnate,
Achita Wuthinounsurasit, Alexander Rendel, Achita Sikamana | Written by Eakasit Thairaat
UK certification 18 | UK RRP £12.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 109 minutes | Directed by Chookiat Sakveerakul
Adapted by writer Eakasit Thairaat from his original comic book 13th Quiz Show, 13: Game of Death is the story of mild-mannered salesman Chit, who after losing his car, his job and his self-respect, is offered the chance of winning 100 million baht after he receives a mysterious phone call from an internet game show. The game? Complete 13 challenges without revealing his participation in the game, after each challenge he will receive a cash payment direct into his bank account. Skeptical at first, Chit completes the first two challenges - kill a fly then eat the fly. Finding the money has been deposited into his account he proceeds onto the next challenges unaware of where the game will take him, both physically and morally...
The film starts out slow in a typical Asian drama style, then veers into the action movie genre, before finally revealing its true disturbing nature - this is the Thai version of Saw, complete with its dubious moral choices and life questioning challenges. The changes in genre of 13: Game of Death is a near perfect display of cinematic pacing from director Chookiat Sakveerakul, helped by superb acting from leading man Krissada Terrence who's performance echoes that of Michael Douglas in Falling Down. His portrayal of Chit walks a fine line between a man on the brink of utter despair and a man who is desperately trying to keep his sanity/humanity in the face of an overwhelming situation.
13: Game of Death is not a traditional horror film but more a film on the horrors of man, posing serious questions about morality and social responsibility. Like Series 7 the film questions the trend of reality television, asking the viewer "how much is too much?" Taking the voyeuristic aspects of the genre and amplifying them until you have to ask how much more of this depravity you can be a part of, how much are you, as a viewer, willing to accept?
EXTRAS ** Behind the Scenes featurette and a trailer.