"People today hide behind morality. It's just a mask."Saw and Hostel have had a global influence on the horror genre worldwide in the noughties, and this Thai film takes its inspiration from them but fashions a compelling and well-structured narrative that maintains viewer interest and actually has something valid to say about today's society. The director takes time at the start to paint an evocative portrait of the empty life of our protagonist Chit, a salesman drone for a big company (here, Yamaha) whose dull, frustrated existence falls apart and is offered salvation by participating in a mysterious gameshow, controlled via his mobile phone, with the offer of escalating sums of money for completing 13 tasks. The consequences of seemingly simple actions pull together in the manner of Stephen King's Needful Things, and the later tasks revel in some nicely-executed set pieces (watch out for Number 10!). Some of the acting performances may seem stylised to Western audiences, but Krissada Terrence throws himself into the lead role and his performance becomes much stronger as the film progresses. Production values are quite simple but the film shows ambition and uses a range of locations well. The 'twist' ending is pulled off quite effectively, leading the film to an inescapably dark and bleak conclusion. If Hollywood is looking for another film to re-make for lazy Western audiences who cannot be bothered to read subtitles, 13: Game Of Death could actually work...but, as is so often the case, an 'American version' is completely unnecessary as the original film is fine as it stands.
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