An Unexpected Gem.

Rating: 9/10 (24 July 2006)

I've heard for some time how great this movie was, and have meant for some time to watch it. But after I watched Cube Zero the other night, I decided that I HAD to see it, and that the time was now. I expected a decent movie: something atmospheric and intelligent, but largely nothing I hadn't seen before. What I got, instead, was an unexpected cinematic gem, far better than most other movies.
The acting was great, not excellent by any means, but still of a very high caliber. The two most memorable deserve special mentioning.
Nicole de Boer (Jone Leaven: The Math Student) did an outstanding job. She had a solid and believable performance throughout the entire film. She was very steady, and even made actions as mundane as her thinking for extended periods of time enjoyable.
Maurice Dean Wint (Quentin: The Cop) gave a thoroughly enjoyable performance as a man who sinks deeper and deeper into depraved madness. in most cases, actors given this kind of role will make their characters descend into madness far too quickly. While he might have overacted a little from time to time, he gave a extremely well-paced performance and believably portrayed his characters increasing insanity.
Personally, I found these actors/actresses all far above average and more than competent in their roles. I'm actually surprised that they haven't gone on to at least be recognizable mid-name actors. A special mention should be given to whoever did the casting. They did an absolutely perfect job at choosing the roles.
The direction was simple, yet effective. It used a style that reminded me very much of Alfred Hitchcock: minimalist, but maximizing every aspect of the film. Vincenzo Natali created a powerful and thick environment; tense and atmospheric. Even moreso than the crew, I would have expected him to have become a much greater success than he is now.
Natali also wrote the script which, like his direction, is simple and effective. 7 people wake up in a labyrinth of trapped cubes and must find their way out. The cast is small, the premise simple, and the dangers evident. And yet these are all its greatest strengths. With a small cast, every danger, every death, means much more than if there was a larger cast. Also, with a smaller cast there's much more time to develop each character, which the script maximizes upon. The simplicity of the script, the almost bare danger, makes it all the more terrifying. You know the rules, you know what's going to happen, and you know that there's no way to avoid it.
The emptiness of the cube, the isolation from anything and everything else, is felt in every passing minute. The utter pointlessness of it all is as thoroughly maddening to the audience as it is to the characters. This, however, gives every action more meaning, and adds to the film's overall tone. The dark colors of the various rooms add to heavy and dismal atmosphere. The emptiness beyond the cube creates a further sense of isolation. And the powerful message at the end of the film (which I won't spoil for anybody), the bitter-sweet irony of it all, is what makes this such an excellent film.
Overall, this is a classic sci-fi thriller. It's a definite must-see for science fiction and horror fans, as well as fans of powerful human drama. This is easily one of the most original and successful films I can think of in any of those three categories.