The genre of the film “13 Sins” is a psychological horror thriller. The canons of such films, tied to the difficulties of moral choice, changed significantly after the release of Saw, a franchise in each film of which the characters were forced to choose between bad and even worse. “Saw” was inspired by many filmmakers, including the authors of the Thai thriller “13” (2006), although the result was an independent film project, awarded several awards of prestigious genre festivals.
Hollywood remake
In 2013, director Daniel Stamm makes a Hollywood remake of the Thai motion picture scriptwriter Chukait Sakveerakul. The film “13 Sins” (2013) turned out to be a solid horror thriller. Among its advantages can be called Mark Webber in the title role and an intriguing plot. The picture can be safely recommended for viewing to fans of the genre. Be sure to pay tribute to the talent of the director. In the explored territory, chosen by the Saw franchise, he created a unique project, a strong psychological thriller with famously twisted intrigue and a mass of unpredictable twists.
However, for all its merits, the film “13 Sins” received mixed reviews from film critics. On the Rotten Tomatoes website its rating is 63%, on Metacritic - 44%, and according to IMDb - 6.3 points. The picture cost the creators $ 4,000,000, but its rental, to put it mildly, did not work out. In the US, the tape earned only 13.8 thousand.
Short storyline
The plot of the film "13 Sins" is twisted around the personality of the protagonist Elliot Brindle. A smart guy with a gentle disposition works as a social security officer. He is overcome by financial problems. To all his misfortunes, he loses his job. The situation is complicated by the fact that Elliot needs to take care of his mentally retarded brother Michael and prepare for the wedding with the pregnant bride Shelby.
Elliot’s father is in a nursing home, but there’s nothing to pay for him. Therefore, the main character will have to pick him up in his cramped apartment. The solution to all problems appears unexpectedly. A phone rings. An unfamiliar voice in the receiver suggests a man to kill and eat a fly for a round sum. This turns out to be only the first of thirteen trials awaiting Elliot. The extremity and complexity of tasks increases with each next call. If he decides to leave the strange game, he will lose everything that he “earned” earlier. The consequences of the tests are unpredictable.
Free improvisation
Most reviewers in the reviews of the film “13 Sins” call the work of Daniel Stamm a free remake of the Thai “13”, because the projects are strikingly different in terms of the general theme and similarity of the narrative. For example, the finals of the tapes are radically different. Note that the creators of the American version prudently shot two endings - optimistic and sad, where everything ends very badly. An alternative ending can be appreciated on Blu-ray media.
But in general, the Strain, as critics say in reviews of the film “13 Sins,” adheres to the concept of the original. In the modern world, the problems of typical representatives of the working class are identical even in different countries: work, family, moral standards, social responsibility. It is difficult to correctly prioritize so that not a single component is left overboard. Of course, it is advisable not to forget about yourself beloved, otherwise there will be nothing to remember on his deathbed.
The quintessence of the image of the loser
Daniel Stamm’s masterpiece is attractive to the viewer not only by the skill of the director and a good script, but also by a very successful casting. The starring performer in many reviews of the film “13 Sins” is called the main advantage of the project, although Mark Webber is a movie actor who is not the most familiar and popular. Among his most famous works are roles in Snowy Day, Arms, and Scott Pilgrim Against Everyone. But he is well acquainted with attentive film fans. The performer rarely comes to the fore, that’s why his performance in the movie “13 Sins” is more valuable.
In horror, an actor is 100% using his cute and naive appearance to reveal the image of a typical zatyukanny loser. It is especially interesting to observe the transformation of a character who, gradually liberating himself, releases the demon dormant in him. As tasks become more violent, the fire of insanity is more and more clearly visible in the eyes of the hero Webber. Despite the fact that the actor arouses sympathy for those who look at his character, for the majority this feeling during viewing is replaced by a double sensation of acceptance and repulsion of his actions.
Acting Ensemble
Other actors in the film “13 Sins” embodied on-screen auxiliary images characteristic of horror.
The brother of the protagonist was played by Devon Gray, the most famous in the image of the young Dexter Morgan in the series “Dexter”.
The image of detective Chilcot was perfectly revealed by Ron Perlman, the incomparable Hellboy from the dilogy of Guillermo del Toro and Clay Morrow's “Sons of Anarchy”. The American actor, having received the role, fundamentally did not revise the original Thai film so as not to unconsciously form an opinion on how he should play his hero.
Actor Tom Bauer, reincarnated as the father of Elliot and Michael, is known for the films "Die Hard 2" and "Crazy Heart", as well as the series "Office" and "The X-Files".
The main character's bride was embodied on the screen by Rutin Wesley, the dark-skinned beauty is best known by the name Tara Thornton in the show “True Blood”.
And in the guise of a paranoid Vogler obsessed with conspiracy theory, you can recognize actor Pwitt Taylor Vince, the sadistic wife Carol from The Walking Dead.
Recommended for viewing
Horror recalls many movie masterpieces, for example, “The Parcel” by Richard Kelly, “The Game” by David Fincher, the same “Saw”, the series “The Chosen One”, even “Million for Dummies”. But the creation of Strain is not their mindless copy. A verified script, excellent acting, exemplary dynamics and episodes of bloody cruelty make it possible to speak of a high-quality genre product, although it cannot be called a masterpiece. Note that our domestic distributors released the tape for rent, and did not “merge” it quickly into the video. You can’t say the same about most modern thrillers.