Nine people are systematically kidnapped after being rendered unconscious by a masked man's taser while walking to their various vehicles. These people, of all walks of life, find themselves handcuffed to poles and are told by their mysterious captor that they have a certain allotted time limit(ten minutes each)to uncover why they are in this situation. If they are unable to do so, one individual of the group will be killed, a random selection chosen for execution.
Melissa Joan Hart is Kelley, a self-absorbed, very corrupt district attorney, whose needs(career) come before anything(or anybody)else. Chip Bent is Sully, a boorish strip joint owner with a rotten soul known for using violence on those who fail to pay him for lending money among other practices. Lawrence Turner, as depraved, bi-sexual pedophile ex-con Coogan who delights in watching the others squirm while attempting to come up with the answer behind their plight..Coogan, I imagine, will the most memorable of the cast because he's so deplorable, and unapologetic about his sickening nature. Edrick Browne is black burglar Leon, and yes there are conversations about race..it's inevitable when a lone black character is supplied in such a scenario that race will be brought up, never fails. John Cates is struggling actor/bartender Christian, who may be a root cause for why everyone is in this predicament. Marc Macaulay as a priest(no he is not in this situation because of pedophilia..I bring this up because, truth be told, it immediately came to my mind as well), Father Francis, who heard a confession and will not relate the information to the rest because of his vow to God. Lucille Soong as an Oriental woman who can not speak English..this will undoubtedly cause a tumult among the parties due to the language barrier(if they can not understand her, how can they understand why she relates to them?). James C Victor as a cop, Eddie, who has a history with Kelley later revealed. Daniel Baldwin shows up in what is an unimportant cameo.
A Saw variation, just less brutal than what we normally see in these types of character puzzlers(..the killer uses only a loaded gun, shooting his victims point blank as they plead for their lives, begging to be spared) where an assemblage of stereotypes try to discover a way to recover past mistakes and decisions which might've contributed to their current dilemma. I imagine Melissa Joan Hart's name in the lead will draw curious viewers interested in seeing her in a film such as this..and, boy, is she a whopper to behold, certain to create repulsion in many a viewer. Chris Shadley's "Nine Dead", as many of the Saw movies and their imitators, opens with characters we know little about, and as the plot unfolds, revelations and behavior tell us all we need..this kind of plot services us with a catharsis, as character unveil their hidden flaws while understanding the crisis confronting them.
I think the key to the film's modest success is that it really feels like these characters have ten minutes a piece as we literally hears the seconds tick as time becomes an issue and details emerge with the usual bickering and personality clashes. I won't lie, I thought the end result, after the mystery has been solved, was a bit contrived(..Kelley's actions are certain to bewilder, us having to accept that someone could be so abominable is a bit hard to fathom), but it comments on how, despite facing death every moment, one might still remain so selfish and concerned for(..and consumed with) their own well being, even upon possible absolution. As with the Saw series, "Nine Dead" often shows flashbacks from past events to weave it's tale. Most of the film occurs within the "cell" of the characters, where they are confined.
Melissa Joan Hart is Kelley, a self-absorbed, very corrupt district attorney, whose needs(career) come before anything(or anybody)else. Chip Bent is Sully, a boorish strip joint owner with a rotten soul known for using violence on those who fail to pay him for lending money among other practices. Lawrence Turner, as depraved, bi-sexual pedophile ex-con Coogan who delights in watching the others squirm while attempting to come up with the answer behind their plight..Coogan, I imagine, will the most memorable of the cast because he's so deplorable, and unapologetic about his sickening nature. Edrick Browne is black burglar Leon, and yes there are conversations about race..it's inevitable when a lone black character is supplied in such a scenario that race will be brought up, never fails. John Cates is struggling actor/bartender Christian, who may be a root cause for why everyone is in this predicament. Marc Macaulay as a priest(no he is not in this situation because of pedophilia..I bring this up because, truth be told, it immediately came to my mind as well), Father Francis, who heard a confession and will not relate the information to the rest because of his vow to God. Lucille Soong as an Oriental woman who can not speak English..this will undoubtedly cause a tumult among the parties due to the language barrier(if they can not understand her, how can they understand why she relates to them?). James C Victor as a cop, Eddie, who has a history with Kelley later revealed. Daniel Baldwin shows up in what is an unimportant cameo.
A Saw variation, just less brutal than what we normally see in these types of character puzzlers(..the killer uses only a loaded gun, shooting his victims point blank as they plead for their lives, begging to be spared) where an assemblage of stereotypes try to discover a way to recover past mistakes and decisions which might've contributed to their current dilemma. I imagine Melissa Joan Hart's name in the lead will draw curious viewers interested in seeing her in a film such as this..and, boy, is she a whopper to behold, certain to create repulsion in many a viewer. Chris Shadley's "Nine Dead", as many of the Saw movies and their imitators, opens with characters we know little about, and as the plot unfolds, revelations and behavior tell us all we need..this kind of plot services us with a catharsis, as character unveil their hidden flaws while understanding the crisis confronting them.
I think the key to the film's modest success is that it really feels like these characters have ten minutes a piece as we literally hears the seconds tick as time becomes an issue and details emerge with the usual bickering and personality clashes. I won't lie, I thought the end result, after the mystery has been solved, was a bit contrived(..Kelley's actions are certain to bewilder, us having to accept that someone could be so abominable is a bit hard to fathom), but it comments on how, despite facing death every moment, one might still remain so selfish and concerned for(..and consumed with) their own well being, even upon possible absolution. As with the Saw series, "Nine Dead" often shows flashbacks from past events to weave it's tale. Most of the film occurs within the "cell" of the characters, where they are confined.