DarkGame

source: DarkGame

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A dark web show called "Russian Roulette" kills prisoners or contestants while audience members make wages and pay to decide the instrument of death. Victims are taken at random from the streets of Portland. Ben Jacobs ( Ed Westwick) is a detective who is responsible for finding taken people AS a teen and a promising baseball pitcher, Ben's mother and sister were taken and murdered. He swapped careers to become a detective. His IT guy Rory )Alexander) can not locate where the killings are happening. He suggests using a prisoner (Rick Yale) not named Hannibal Lechter. Soon the FBI joins the hunt. The film had potential. It was more of a crime drama than a slasher/horror as the special effects are no overly gruesome and the film cuts away to prevent using more expensive effects. Kadta (Natalya Tsvetkova) a Russian immigrant gets abducted and becomes a secondary protagonist of little interest. Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

This movie seemed like a watered down version mash up of SAW and Hostel. Lead played by one dimensional unbelievable Ed Westwick, but I guess the dialog left him no choice. The Presenter was a mix of Joker & Saw without any embellishments. Never really answered how the Presenter was one step ahead of the cops/FBI as well as other plot dropped questions. Should have been so much through and not left any dead ends. I was not too thrilled and left very disappointed. I think I watched a different movie than those who thought it was an "intense, gruesome thriller" or "A Gripping Thriller" or even "intelligent".

"Darkgame" is a suspenseful ride that throws you into the murky world of online predators and hidden identities. While the film falters at times with a predictable plot that borrows from other films, it's the strong performances and intriguing characters that keep you engaged. The story follows Detective Jacobs as he delves into a twisted online game where viewers pay to watch victims tortured. The investigation takes him down a rabbit hole of cryptic clues and shadowy figures, including the enigmatic Presenter (played with chilling relish by Andrew P. Stephen) who orchestrates the disturbing game. Where Darkgame truly excels is in its atmosphere. The film masterfully captures the unsettling anonymity of the dark web, making you question who you can trust online. The interrogation scenes are particularly tense, with Detective Jacobs facing off against cunning suspects like Larch (brilliantly portrayed by Rick Yale), a character whose backstory hints at a deeper darkness. However, the film's biggest weakness lies in its familiarity. The plot unfolds in a fairly predictable manner, relying on well-worn tropes of the genre. With a bigger budget, Darkgame could have delved deeper into the psychological motivations of its characters. Here's where the film's true potential lies. Characters like Larch and The Presenter are far too fascinating to be relegated to the sidelines. While the film might not break new ground narratively, it lays the foundation for a captivating universe with untapped potential. If you're looking for a quick and suspenseful watch, Darkgame won't disappoint.

For the love of all that is holy... LEARN TO LIGHT A FREAKING SCENE! Every. Single. Scene. Is backlit with daylight coming through the windows and ZERO fill lighting. In a police station, apparently they cannot afford to pay the power bill. Not a single light is on. At night, there is the equivalent of 4 watt night light bulbs "lighting" the scene, again from behind, so that the main figures are silhouetted. There is one scene in the killer's basement where there is literally a dual fixture flood light - FLOOD light, mind you - that apparently puts out as much area light as MAYBE a single 40 watt bulb. And that is being generous. I don't know who started this ignorant, film-school-dropout trend of poor lighting, but they should be forced to participate in one of these "Russian Roulette" games. OK... enough about the lack of lighting. The movie itself... meh. It's been done before, and in much better fashion. There is no reason for the killer or his games. There is no rhyme nor reason to the "contestants" choosing. There is no reason for the convict that is called in to help, and then once he does, he's completely forgotten. As a matter of fact, once the feds come in and take over (like they always do), towards the end, the just aren't there. No reason. No mention. Oh, but just for checklist's sake, there is one of each... just because. No matter who you are, you WILL see yourself in this movie. As a matter of fact, I have never seen so many foreign language speakers in America in my life. I will give it that the usual suspects are not all knowing and all powerful. The casting is the only thing "current." But It is still noteworthy just for the sake of transparency. Nah... don't even bother with this one.

Disappointed! The idea of the film was good - executed in a miserable way. Set design - meh Costume design - Bad Acting - more than enough room for improvement Script/ dialogue - a lot of cliché tech and law terminology Music/score - okay Overall felt like a high school project, so I can imagine it would be convincing for 12yr olds. It was like watching one of those fake prank videos on Facebook - just irritatingly pretentious. The events are said to take place on the dark web - I'm confident that zero research was conducted regarding the etiquette and culture surrounding the dark web and 'red rooms'. Same goes for law enforcement - their meetings are cheesy, the swat team are cringe and felt like I was watching a YouTube skit or a SNL sketch. I'm impressed at how little effort can be made into a movie that potentially had a great film writer. Everything felt really vague! ... Not to be confused with ambiguity (in which case would be somewhat suspenseful) It is a watered down version of something that could've been tasty. Everything felt a little too clean and 'on the nose' with no depth or character development. It's like when Crime programs like CSI used to do that thing where they click one button to "enhance image" ... Like bruh 😆 that's the feeling I got when watching this - like we're just supposed to accept it haha. Gave 2 stars because it MIGHT be funny if you're high.

Where to begin geez. Plot seemed interesting, the actors couldn't act their way out of a wet paper bag. Let's take the hero, the cop...guess he was told his character was a brooding mess with anger issues. Guess he felt clenching his jaw and looking high and bored was his rendition of that. His wife was just as useless and didn't even need to be in the film. He was even more nonchalant in her and disinterested in their soon to be newborn than he is with his acting career. She leaves a picture of an ultrasound indicating the fetus was a girl on the table. His reaction was about as blunted and subdued as him watching grass grow. Ok let's take the evil guy running the "DarkGame" and his henchmen. I guess he was trying to act like The Joker, but he just doesn't pull it off. Licking your lips and making corny dismemberment jokes does not make you sinister pal. Only guy that was somewhat believable was the Hannibal Lector wannabe, and I'm pretty sure that's who he modeled his character on. Put it this way, anyone who scored this turd of a film above 4 is involved with it somehow. Either that or their other form of entertainment is watching paint peel. I seriously think they should show this film non stop in prisons. If anything is going to make a convict go straight, it will be knowing that they have to watch this film over and over again.

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