Surprisingly enjoyable and watchable

Rating: Null/10 (2 April 2005)

This movie must have been made by people who like old-fashioned adventure PC games (like the King's Quest series or Simon the Sorcerer). Well, without the sense of humour, of course.
The premise is simple. Two men wake up, chained by their feet to pipes in different corners of a disgusting bathroom. Between them is a dead body, and they soon discover that they are the stars in a very twisted game. The game isn't limited to their little arena, and soon a wider picture is drawn, showing that quite a few lives are in the balance here.
This is not really a serial killer film in the traditional sense. We aren't following an investigation trying to find the killer. We're seeing two people in a tightly controlled situation, and more than anything, we're following their quest. The "killer" is just the backdrop for the character interactions, he is the element that brings them together, but otherwise a fairly passive entity. Think of it as a mixture of Cube, Panic Room and a dose of Seven for good measure.
However, the film does have its fair share of plot holes. It's the kind of film which you can watch (maybe) once before realising that, on the whole, it does not make a lot of sense. And especially towards the end, the acting (and some of the dialogue) get a bit silly.
But that first time you watch it, you'll be entertained. A lot.