A group of eight FBI profiling students are given a final test when they're sent to a deserted military island where they must solve the clues left by a fake serial killer called the "The Puppetmaster." What starts out as an exercise quickly turns deadly as they are killed off one-by-one in elaborate death traps, forcing them to start questioning whether one of them might be a real killer.
The plot isn't original or anything as this concept has been done already. However, this seems like the type of film one would rent to have a good time. It wasn't as good as I had hoped but it was a fair rental. The story did have a couple of plot holes and some unrealistic moments. The movie is also kind of predictable. If you're playing really close attention, then you will figure it out. The characters were pretty much all one-dimensional so it wasn't hard to see what role this person was playing and such.
The acting was decent, nothing spectacular though. Kathryn Morris is no stranger to this type of roles. However, she isn't a very good actress. She's tolerable but they should have gone with someone else. Val Kilmer is in the film for about 15 minutes, which is bad since his character was probably the most interesting one. Christian Slater gives an awful performance and it's good thing that he doesn't really appear much in the film. LL Cool J gives a decent performance. He's not really a favorite of mine but I don't hate him or anything.
People should know not to take a film seriously if Renny Harlin is directing it. His films are usually made for fun and he isn't a very good director when he makes a serious one. Exorcist: The Beginning was bad and so was Driven. He does a decent job with this film but I still haven't forgiven him for making Cutthroat Island. The film isn't very long as it's just 100 minutes long. The death scenes are also pretty good even if they are unrealistic. The ending is longer than it needs to be but it doesn't effect the film too much. I also don't really understand why it was delayed as it was a mildly entertaining film. In the end, this film is worth watching if you're looking for a mindless thriller. If you're looking for something that will challenge you, look elsewhere. Rating 6/10.
The plot isn't original or anything as this concept has been done already. However, this seems like the type of film one would rent to have a good time. It wasn't as good as I had hoped but it was a fair rental. The story did have a couple of plot holes and some unrealistic moments. The movie is also kind of predictable. If you're playing really close attention, then you will figure it out. The characters were pretty much all one-dimensional so it wasn't hard to see what role this person was playing and such.
The acting was decent, nothing spectacular though. Kathryn Morris is no stranger to this type of roles. However, she isn't a very good actress. She's tolerable but they should have gone with someone else. Val Kilmer is in the film for about 15 minutes, which is bad since his character was probably the most interesting one. Christian Slater gives an awful performance and it's good thing that he doesn't really appear much in the film. LL Cool J gives a decent performance. He's not really a favorite of mine but I don't hate him or anything.
People should know not to take a film seriously if Renny Harlin is directing it. His films are usually made for fun and he isn't a very good director when he makes a serious one. Exorcist: The Beginning was bad and so was Driven. He does a decent job with this film but I still haven't forgiven him for making Cutthroat Island. The film isn't very long as it's just 100 minutes long. The death scenes are also pretty good even if they are unrealistic. The ending is longer than it needs to be but it doesn't effect the film too much. I also don't really understand why it was delayed as it was a mildly entertaining film. In the end, this film is worth watching if you're looking for a mindless thriller. If you're looking for something that will challenge you, look elsewhere. Rating 6/10.