User Reviews

I can't say this is a good movie, despite the fine cast, but you sure as heck are never bored and can't take your eyes off till the end. My favorite part: A game where the contestants execute each other has an official doctor !!!! Must have gone to a bad medical school.

The plot: Bewildered young man stumbles into a tense game of chance when he impetuously steals a dead man's invitation.

I really liked the original French movie, though I found it to be a little pretentious. The American remake excises all of the art house elements in favor of big name actors, a curiously extended back story for Mickey Rourke's character, and some really bizarre (but awesome) acting from Michael Shannon. The original French version was also a bit more bleak and nihilist, which I think was watered down for American version. Despite this, I've seen several people complain that this movie was too bleak and nihilist! Wow. I guess some people were expecting a traditional, by-the-numbers thriller with car chases and shoot-outs rather than a pensive, darker drama. Unfortunately, a lot of the tension was also streamlined out this version, though I might be misjudging because I already knew the plot. Still, the brutality and nihilism of the original, made all the starker by the black and white stock, really stuck with me, and I didn't feel as though I had quite the same experience when watching the remake.

I'm not one of those snobs who thinks that the original movie is always better than the remake, but, in this case, I think it's true. If I hadn't seen the original and liked it so much, I'd probably rate this a bit higher. Judged on its own merits, I think this is an enjoyable movie, but it doesn't live up to the original. For a movie billed as a thriller, it's lacking the tension that audiences expect, and, as a Jason Statham movie, it's lacking in Jason Statham scenes, which audiences will also expect. Despite my criticism and lukewarm rating, I still liked 13, and I'd probably recommend it to people who haven't seen the original. However, I'd highly recommend you see the original, instead. It's a better movie.

I really don't understand how movies like this get made. Step one, half ass a cast together of "big names" and provide a silly premise.

Step two, give someone top billing even though their role is the lesser part of 5 minutes.

Step three, find a rapper that has no talent so that your culturally bereft urban youth have a reason to see the movie.

Step four,rely upon arty cinematography as the culturalification of the movie, legitimizing that its no better than a bottom shelf rental.

Alright, get the idea? movies these days suck, no wonder I won't pay to see one.

Georgian writer Géla Babluani found such success in his film 13 Tzameti n 2005 that he decided to recreated the story, this time placing it in the United States. Co-writing this version with Gregory Pruss is the only aspect of this adaptation he shared. The story is a tough one to watch, not unlike 'Fight Club', but with higher stakes. It share how far gambling men will go to get their thrills, making cock fights seem very tame. The game at hand is based on gathering quasi-desperate men (prisoners, men deeply in debt, criminals who have little to lose, etc), placing them in a room with tee shirts bearing numbers, giving them guns, placing them in a circle, and on the command of the master of ceremonies they are to fire their gun into the head of the person in front of them. A smarmy form of Russian roulette, at first each man's gun has one bullet in the chamber, but as the game goes on more bullets are placed and the game continues until there is one man left alive. The gamblers place bets on the various numbered men and the stakes are high. This process is performed in a isolated meeting space and is closely scrutinized by detectives who seek to uncover the scheme and stop it.

Vince (Sam M. Riley of 'Control' and 'Brighton Rock') is a young electrician whose father has been in an accident resulting in sever injuries that require multiple surgeries. Vince's family must put their house up for sale to pay the expenses unless Vince can find a quicker way to make big money to pay the hospital and surgeons. Quite by accident while doing an electrical job he over hears the house owner discuss a 'job' that promises to pay a lot of money. The man plans on doing the job, receives an envelope with instructions, but then shoots up heroin and dies of an overdose. Vince helps the police who investigate, but before leaving the house Vince takes the envelope that contains instructions and a cell phone and a piece of bark with the number 13 printed on it. Vince follows the instructions and ends up in a complex scheme - the ultimate result of which is the fact that he becomes #13 in the gambling game. Others sequestered for the killer game include Mickey Rourke, Ray Winstone, and among those involved in the offensive debacle are Alexander Skarsgard, Ben Gazzara, and emcee Michael Shannon. The ending of the film is a complete surprise and revealing even part of it would ruin the impact of the film.

This is definitely not a film for the fainthearted. That such a gruesome gambling scheme could exist is terrifying. But the production and the acting and the grisly atmosphere is well worth the moviegoer's attention.

Grady Harp

...in the sense that it is usually so that more famous actors spend more time on screen, i.e. it is predictable who will remain "intact" to the end. And as all the characters apart from the main one (well, but not excellently played by Sam Riley) are unvaried, it is a waste of good actors like Ray Winstone, Jason Statham or Mickey Rourke to be exploited in such a movie.

The plot is somewhat thrilling until the challenge is over, the rest is only dull prolongation where the police/criminals storyline remains open, although the total film is less than 1,5 hours. The ending is unanticipated, but if I were the director, I would have amended it towards bigger elaboration.

I have not seen the original French film, but I have read it is much better. Usually the remakes are worse, although with more known actors.

A great thriller with good acting and suspense. A good display of someone who has no idea what they are getting themselvs into until it is too late.

Very dark, very tense. I don't know about the original or anything, just came across this movie randomly and it is better than most thrillers nowadays. Not a lot of movies can make me feel tense or keep me at the edge of my seat. What I like about the plot is how plausible it is. I mean, could there be such an underground gambling ring? I mean if you have nothing to lose and you're desperate enough or don't have much to live for, then why not make money for your family while you're at it. I guess it's not that much of a stretch given how much insanity exists in the world. The acting was good and depicted the proper human emotions in these types of situations. Enjoyed it thoroughly, no complaints here.

I saw this remake a day after watching the original and was a bit uncertain whether it could be as good, but the colours and photography in the film were great, the minor differentiations in the story by Babluani greatly appreciated and a very good set of actors, also. At times, some of them seemed to try a bit too hard in my opinion, compared to the french version, but still, if I'd never seen the original film, I think I would have given it more than 7. Highly recommended, but I also recommend that you watch 13 Tzameti, too, because of the whole film noir atmosphere which brings a somewhat more poetic outcome (it's also in black & white). Really looking forward to seeing more from this director! ...Great work!

One of my biggest hates is when a film starts with a scene near the end of the movie and then flashes back to begin telling us how we got there. Sometimes it works, but more often than not it adds nothing to the movie and works only as a spoiler. '13' was one of the worst examples of this I have ever seen. The scene at the very beginning, before we flash back 4 days, is one of the most ridiculously obvious spoilers you will ever see that a character is going to be okay until that point. A stupid way to start a very frustrating movie.

The characters in this movie are abysmal. On paper the cast isn't all that bad, but it doesn't matter how good of an actor you are, if you're given nothing to work with then your performance is going to be terrible. Michael Shannon for example is a talented actor, and yet all his character does for the duration of his part is shout his lines as loudly and aggressively as he can. We are asked to care about a lot of people in this movie. The only problem is we know almost nothing about any of them because no time is spent setting them up, and what we do know of them makes everyone involved seem like a scumbag.

Then there's the stupidity of the script. There is constant talk about how important experience is and how a character has won their last 3 duals (if so, why is he even back?) so they are paying absolutely nothing to win and the other character is paying 5/1. But there is absolutely no skill involved whatsoever? It's a complete game of chance. I couldn't get over how bad the writing was in respect to that.

This was a really tedious and difficult film to sit through. I would recommend staying well away from it.

"All players, eyes on the bulb, when it lights up you shoot." After a impulse decision to steal a man's identity, Vince (Riley) becomes a contestant in a game of Russian roulette. The winner gets a little more then a million, the loser...dies. Never having seen the original I wasn't sure what to expect, and honestly I watched this because of Statham. The beginning was a little slow, but when the game started it really picked up and was interesting and very disturbing at the same time. Comparing this to "Death Race" I think is acceptable as it involves people doing their best to survive in a grotesque game. While "Death Race" was about cars and you had more of a separation from the killing, this one is in your face. Spin the chamber, cock the hammer, point at someone's head, while someone does the same to you, then shoot. Either you live for next round or you don't. This is a pretty good movie with a good cast (not counting 50 Cent) and is a neat idea. I just think it was missing something. I think it was making you feel for the characters. You just don't seem to care who lives or dies, and that hurts the movie. Overall, an entertaining movie that is worth watching, if for no other reason then morbid curiosity. I give it a B-.

Would I watch again? - I don't think so.

*Also try - Death Race 1 & 2

Hi,

I was really excited when I first saw the cast and the director. And so perhaps I set a high standard for my expectations. Because the cast is like an all star team to me. So I think they really wasted some true talents in this movie. The scenario is really interesting but the movie is a bit boring. The idea is a killer so maybe they thought it could carry out the whole movie. But unfortunately it didn't. Still worth to see though. An electrician, desperate for money, replaces a client which kills himself. Follows the directions he is given and finds himself in an underworld hell.

To sum up its more brilliant than most of the movies you see every day. But still a waste of these talents.

This film is Deer Hunter on crack. At least the part of Deer Hunter that featured the Russian Roulette sequences. It is obviously not as good as Deer Hunter, but Mr. Riely does a credible job in the lead role. One of the shortcomings of the film is that the final twenty or so minutes of the film is a big emotional letdown from the first hour, which is gripping and extremely intense. This just goes to show that regular life is just not as exciting as playing Russian Roultette. The film is semi-tragic, but I will not reveal why. The production values are excellent and the direction is very tight and professional. Modern noir.

What a crazy movie! I started watching it on a premium channel, and could not stop watching it. Not an award winner film, but a very dark and intense film that kept me watching from beginning to end.

13 is the story of a naive young man assumes a dead man's identity and finds himself trapped in a underground world driven by greedy for power and violence. There, gangsters betting on other people's lives.

It is the American version of the French film "13 Tzameti" that I liked it very much but this rather gave me some smiles along. Beginning of the film where Vince is an electrician is too fast, we see him in glimpses when he connects two wires to a switch, Emmanuelle Chriqui appears for a few seconds but the good part is that True Blood fans have the chance to see Eric in another role than the vampire.

Sequences follow each other too smoothly and leaves the viewer thinking about the scenes and have to put them together to understand what is happening. Another remake which I think is pointless.

Well, I liked this movie. I found it interesting - very tense - with an actual (over-the top) plot that has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Sam Riley, as the main protagonist, really held it together. I personally got invested in his character, and I was not "deflated" in the end, as some reviewers seem to have been.

I enjoyed the vignettes of some of the various characters' backgrounds. Seems to me those are important aspects to the story. This is a diverse group of individuals, which made it interesting to me. All of the cast members effectively contributed to the mix. (Maybe Rourke was a bit over-the-top). I enjoyed seeing Statham in a less in-your-face role than usual, although I had some problems interpreting whatever across-the-pond accent he employed this time around.

I did find one significant plot element (only one??) suspicious, but by that time I had suspended my disbelief, was invested in Sam Riley's character, and was enjoying the ride.

This film had so much potential, how did the director mess this up so badly?

You have a decent number of very good, famous actors and a starting point of an amazing story of underground gambling and the chance to make something artistic and maybe even original, but no, you go ahead and produce this film.

Hardly any character or proper story development, some bad acting and awful camera direction with weird and unnecessary camera angles. There was no proper feeling to this film and it seemed quite rushed. I was somewhat bored throughout the film. The actual gun scenes were decent, but with a little effort, they could have been amazing.

The first review on this film by Dr Yvon is incorrect. Fans of the original 13 will enjoy this remake. As the OP would like to suggest this is yet again another film in the Hollywood machine, I would argue that the original 13 director/writer Géla Babluani is behind the helm yet again.

Géla Babluani was given a chance to do what many filmmakers dream of doing.... remaking their films with a Hollywood budget and the chance to put top tier actors into their work. The eclectic mix of actors is amazing..... Jason Stratham, Ray Winstone, Mickey Rourke, and David Zayas who American audiences know from his many roles as detectives.

If you could handle Tzameti 13 you'll love 13.

Desperate to find a way to pay for his father's ever-increasing medical bills, the young and naive protagonist stumbles across a way that just might achieve that.

The involved set-up makes for a slow start. The next sequence gives an intriguing mystery. The sequence following this provides the guts of the film. Its fish-out-of-water nature exacerbates the tension; a piece of undiluted tension.

After this you get the feeling the film-makers run out of ideas and enthusiasm. The story-line is flat and goes downhill. The ending looks like the makers just wanted to wrap the production up and move onto other things.

This is a pity, because you feel that given more effort the makers could have produced, given the originality of its premise, quite a polished film.