Great looking set. Nice (if not original) set up. Everything else was poor or very poor. Hopper and a wasted Peter Capaldi seemed to be playing who can do the worst accent. The film was horribly padded with no less than three montages (we had a power ballad one, an R&B one and even an opera one). I mean, how can you have an extended montage in something trying to be a suspense thriller? At one point it started to look like a Bon Jovi video. The story would have made a passable 30 minute episode of Tales of the Unexpected. Clichés a-plenty and a bunch of two-dimensional folk you really couldn't give two sh*ts about.If I had to pick my favourite awful moment, I think I'd have to go for our 'I-am-a-stereotype-but-dont-you-dare-call-me-a-stereotype' black bloke when he actually started rapping at the stereotypical cop bloke! It was beyond embarrassing.

big brother meets survivor as nine people are locked in a house and told only one will live to collect the five million dollar prize.This is a been there and done that in the extreme, with riffs from other better movies stolen. Whats worse then the fact that the film is so derivative is the fact that it changes the rules a couple of times. I hate when films do that since its a clear sign that the filmmakers were not clever enough to work out a clear plot. Clkealry they didn't trust themselves to come up with a fair way to the end. Flaws aside this is still watchable in an undemanding mood-though it is quite forgettable which is good since its not something you'll recommend 4 out of 10

I know I marked spoilers, but they're just minor, so don't fear reading on.I didn't particularly enjoy this film. The first 45 minutes or so are exceedingly slow-paced and actually quite boring. I know a film needs exposition, but especially in the horror genre you certainly don't need that much. And it doesn't HAVE to be that slow and plodding. And right after that point is when everyone starts getting killed; it's as if a switch goes off.One thing that had me greatly confused was the question of setting - where exactly does this film take place? Some place that uses dollars, clearly, but everyone speaks with at least a slight European accent (English, Scottish, Irish, French). If this was meant to mean something, it escapes me.I've seen some praise for the ending (which I won't spoil). It's a fair one, I suppose, but hardly "mindblowing" or anything.There's one scene in particular that I really, really quite liked from the film. It occurs right in between the 45 minutes of agonizingly slow exposition and the 45 minutes of, well, death. One of the characters is a criminal on parole and wears an ankle bracelet that the others think will help people on the outside find them. Eventually, people do come, and the people in the house try to raise an unholy racket to get their attention. It doesn't work, and they all eventually give up. The scene turns when the police officer, who had been keeping the key to a liquor cabinet secure so others wouldn't break into it, drops it onto the ground so someone could pick it up and open it. They all get into the liquor cabinet and drink themselves silly, but the idea is pretty clear - they're resigned to the fact that one way or another, they're almost certainly going to die, and are taking one last indulgence in earthly pleasures. The scene, mute of any dialogue, is accompanied by a terrifically sad power ballad that suits the mood incredibly well. It's a hauntingly tragic and beautiful scene.Unfortunately, the scene is broken up abruptly by the film literally becoming a hip hop music video for the following two minutes or so, followed for the rest of the film by some pretty PG-13 "horror violence" (the R has got to be for language).Ultimately, not a film I would recommend, but I was very, very impressed by the short scene almost exactly in the middle of it.

To any readers, you probably have heard mixed reviews about the acting and direction, and the plot of this movie. I am pretty forgiving in these respects. I think Mr. Hopper played his role well, and the remainder of the cast did their parts as well.However, the script, and therefore the flow of the actions of these characters is so completely retarded in nature that it defies basic human intelligence.Locked in as they are, stereotyped even, all human logic says that escape would come before bickering. Now, if the captives were restrained in some matter this would be a different story, unable to attempt any resistance they can only consign themselves to their fate. But they do have alternatives. The beds on which they sleep are made of metal, they could be used as a battering ram against the door, or picks against the windows. There is a firearm, but not once is it fired against the door to weaken it. Even if all that effort was fruitless, the captives still have a trump card, Fire. As I watched the captives guzzle the liquor and then the parolee light a cig, I was practically screaming, "Light the place on fire, you idiots!" Options like these that the characters have need to be acknowledged to the point that they understand that attempt of escape is possible, futile, or too dangerous, and not just buttered over and dismissed.Now I realize, yes, it is a psychological "thriller" and the finer points of what the actors 'could' do is not so much the point as what they 'would' do, but you must consider your audience. Persons interested in thrillers like this pick up on illogical inconsistencies like a science fiction fan picks up on false science. Then you have an audience basically cringing not only at barely moderate acting, but also grasping at straws to believe the utter stupidity of the characters.I am glad I did not have to pay money to see this movie, and I would not recommend it (though since I have posted a spoiler warning I doubt anyone reading this has not already suffered through the film). I must say the only reason I found myself watching through to the end is to make sure the utterly predictable ending happened exactly as I thought it would. The interesting film would be to see what happens to the new set of captives, having been betrayed by their captor.