Diamonds. Minimalistic film making that pushes fear through stratified narrative. The stage is set in 15min and the rest is the real time chase. One hour. The acts of brutality are made vivid by the lack of sound effects. You have the expectation and all you are left with is the visual or the threat of it in voice and a cut off shot. Extremely effective. Low light and unbalanced composition with the stark contrast of the world outside the bottle, nail film noir at its core.
The cast on this did a phenomenal job-- MacDonald was menacing as the savage veneered in civility and intellect. Robbins plays a likable con seemingly trapped by his own circumstance where ethics are as mutable as survival. Palmer was the glue that held the entire thing together. What I really enjoyed was her ability to demonstrate the panic of unanticipated stakes and shoulder the character through till she meets herself in the mirror again. The entire thing makes you want to watch it one more time for the detail you missed. Great, great job.
The cast on this did a phenomenal job-- MacDonald was menacing as the savage veneered in civility and intellect. Robbins plays a likable con seemingly trapped by his own circumstance where ethics are as mutable as survival. Palmer was the glue that held the entire thing together. What I really enjoyed was her ability to demonstrate the panic of unanticipated stakes and shoulder the character through till she meets herself in the mirror again. The entire thing makes you want to watch it one more time for the detail you missed. Great, great job.