Philosophy-friendly suspense yarn

Rating: 6/10 (14 July 1999)

The movie has the taste not to overplay the potentially facile philosophical implications of its premise - a diverse group, in a stripped-down environment the origin of which they have no knowledge, finding that they each have a particular skill relevant to effecting their escape...if they can conquer their differences. Through generally unforced writing, canny acting, and surprisingly striking production design given the very low budget, the movie makes it as a suspense yarn. The limited possibilities of its premise start to become more obvious as it goes on, and it lacks the wild idiosyncrasy and fluency of something like Pi. But it's no surprise that it's reportedly been a big hit in France - it lends itself very effectively to a high-school essay-level of philosophizing; and it's no doubt canny (if dramatically a bit of a letdown) that the movie refrains from showing us what's outside the cube (except, as per one memorable exchange, human stupidity).