Review of 13 Tzameti (2006) by Todd J — 30 Jan 2008

It's a wonder considering the ubiquity of the Russian roulette scene from The Deer Hunter than the innate tension from that activity hasn't been utilized in films, developed, etc. Luckily, French writer/director Géla Babluani not only employs and executes this motif but manages to cast it in a new light due to his unconventional use.

The idea is the same: a game that has bullet(s) in a revolver in which the order is randomized in order to create chance, but the small alteration that Babluani puts upon it allows it different dynamics, upping the tension due to our unfamiliarity with the game.

But I'm really, really getting ahead of myself because this development comes later. What Babluani also does is have a plot in which we follow a regular roofer as he gets a opportunity to make a ton of fast cash.

Babluani's brother, George Babluani, plays the primary protagonist with just the right mixture of naive ambition and blind recklessness, and the arc his character follows from the start of the film to the finish is very impressive in its expressiveness.

Once he finds himself in the criminal atmosphere, the range of emotions he goes through in just one scene help the audience get into his mindset. For the scenes following to work, that expressiveness (that's handled with just the right balance of subtlety and surface conflict) is absolutely vital as it not only endears the viewer to Sebastian more but also helps the viewer make those same transitions.

The direction's very solid, not exhibiting flashy crap that sometimes can plague a film like this but also managing to exhibit a great deal of style with the game scenes coming off as the obvious, memorable choices.

The film's lean, subtle, surprising, tense, and has one hell of an ending. Babluani's work here marks him as a director to keep an eye on, and for once, the inevitable American remake doesn't sadden me.

I'm just happy that a director of this talent will get to showcase his skills for a wider audience and hopefully make a few bucks for himself. **** out've *****.