Review of 13 Tzameti (2006) by Bill V — 25 Jul 2008

Normal Guy 50-Words-or-Less Plot: A 22 year-old home repairman unwisely takes a train ticket and paid hotel reservation from his latest client. He quickly finds himself in a life-or-death struggle in a twisted game from which there is no escape.

"13 Tzameti" is what is called film noir. Do not expect to find anything cheery or necessarily uplifting in this movie. Noir just isn't cheery.

22 year-old Sébastien (GEORGE BABLUANI) is making repairs to a house belonging to a morphine addict named Jean-François (PHILIPPE PASSON). While working on the house, Sébastien overhears a conversation between Jean-François and another man. He learns there is an opportunity to make a lot of money. Jean is waiting for the delivery of an envelope with some instructions in it. Jean expresses a great deal of nervousness about this and he believes he may not return from where he needs to go and what he has to do. Other mysterious men are watching the house and also waiting for the same envelope. The envelope arrives and in it is a train ticket and paid hotel reservation. Jean-François puts it away, takes a long hot bath and ODs on morphine. Sébastien finds and takes the envelope and goes on the trip in Jean-François' place.

This is unwise. Sébastien is young, poor, naive and somewhat innocent about the world. All he wants to do is make sure his family has money. He boards the train and begins a journey from which there is no escape. For Sébastien, the only way he is going to get out is to finish the journey even if it means compromising his own morals just to survive. He will not come out unscathed. His innocence will be gone.

George Babluani does a great job as Sébastien. There isn't a ton of dialogue and the most intense scenes are the ones in which a word isnâ??t spoken. Facial expression and body language are used to communicate terror, hopelessness and will to survive.

The film's sharp, black and white cinematography is good as is the score. Director Géla Bubliani explores the darkness of human nature effectively.

This film is about greed, blood-lust and making a quick buck. There is no gore on-screen which made me think of Alfred Hitchcock and his style. I also kept thinking of "The Deer Hunter" (if you see this film, you'll know why). There are few redeeming characters in the film. The only possible ones may be the police. In this movie, money equals freedom and happiness and it's the purpose of the game.

I liked this film, first, because I like film noir for the most part. Secondly, the acting was great and the story was well told.

If you like French film and/or film noir and it's exploration of the dark side of human nature, you'll like this film. If not, go see "Wall-E".

Themes: greed, gambling, murder, life, death, drug addiction, survival, escape, revenge.