Review of Chain Letter (2010) by Russ F — 29 Mar 2011

Chain Letter is frustrating. If done right, it would have been a great little number, but instead, the director simply puts all his ideas in a hat and draws them out 1 by 1 with little to no thought of actually detailing the ideas....

Very simply, Chain Letter follows a slasher plot. Irritating youth receives chain letter, doesn't pass on, youth dies violently.

There is zero killer depth in the film, no explanation, no background, very little of anything. His reasons for killing are briefly, and I really mean briefly explained in the form of a sort of montage of scenes that don't really sum anything up bar a couple of characters that "could" be involved.

The problem with the explanation is that while it only really requires half a brain to work out what is essentially happening and why, there is zero reason reason why the killer himself is how he is, why he is or anything.

Depth is the key why this film fails in so many ways. Even the, lets call her heroine, of the film has zero depth, and the only reason you end up realising she is the "heroine" of the film is because of 1 scene when it dawns on her what is happening.

While there is a technicalogical link to how this is all working, its once again skimmed over so briefly that a cough or sneeze could mean you miss something entirely.

Actors steam from being fantastic for the film, to "I wish he would be killed off now".

Deathscenes are, good, in some cases quite violent, the finale of the gym kill in particular is fantastic, but done so very wrong in terms of order. The most violent deaths are at the start, the more lame ones are towards the end. So you are built up for an visceral assault, but it never ends up delivering more or atleast keeping up the pace.

This film could have easily have stretched atleast 2 quality films if there was a depth to everything, Hell 3 films could be quite easily made from this with depth and structure. Instead you are treated to a mindless mess which will entertain you in parts, annoy you in others, and disappoint you in the rest.

Worth a watch if anything for the gym kill, and to see a film that could have been so very much more.