How this movie is currently getting a 6.0 rating I do not know. What a ridiculous premise, stupid script, ham acting... nothing redeems this shambles. As low as humans have sunk to win TV ratings, I cannot imagine this ever being possible. Besides the dreadful script and story-line, the movie is limited to about five actual speaking parts and the rest silent extras. Even the FBI men do not speak. The show's studio audience are made up of the worst over-acting non-speaking extras you will ever see in one place. Some of the direction is shocking - someone kills themselves and some guy in a white suit comes on with a mop and bucket - I mean come on?! Not one person is capable of shedding a tear. So the plot? I use that term loosely. Game show in which contestants kill themselves on live TV - that's it folks.... there is no more depth to it. The actual plot ending can be seen coming a mile off. The director seems only to concentrate on what is happening with the main actors and not the ludicrous extras and props. The only reason this is not a one star is that the main actors aren't that bad.... but the script sucks. I would rather kill myself than watch this pile of doo-doo again.

OK, so I read the IMDb 6.2 reviews and saw the trailer and decided to watch this film....wish I had sat and watched paint dry for 2 hours. This movie is terrible. Poor script, low budget and cheesy. It does not deserve a 6.2 rating, very disappointing and a wast of time and money. AVOID!

This one was OK, I struggled between a 6 and 7 but decided on the latter as it does deliver (oddly) as a good entertainment piece. It struggles a little after the first 20 or 30 minutes when things begin to follow the recognise formula for development, but it picks up in places where the emotional content becomes more prevalent.It's far fetched, even a little silly, but it has a great cast and there are some solid performances that bring a good deal of presence and charisma to the proceedings, which is just as well because realistically even though this one may pull a few unpleasant hairs, there isn't much substance to it outside these performances.The plot is a bit thin in and is essentially a nightmare of morality that I imagine many will have difficulty with. Personally, I simply view this as film entertainment that it is no more or less questionable than horror movies which feature people being dismembered or action flicks where people are blown up maimed and killed on mass. There isn't really much substance outside the main premise, people consenting to death on TV as entertainment and as I said that aspect of it gets boring quite quickly. Fortunately there are some nicely interwoven sub plots to give if extra dimension.Some issues exist with character identities. Initially our lead is so traumatised by events he witnesses he's having difficulty coming to terms. That he would shorty become primarily responsible for instituting systematic practice of the same on network TV, and descending further into moral depravity... is questionable. Its a Jekyll & Hyde transformation and thankfully Josh Duhamel does an excellent job with the role. The janitor's domestic situation (played by Giancarlo Esposito) is similarly stretched, but I'll concede as some leeway is required for he movie to work in spite of some slightly flawed characters.Most everything else is done very well. Great directing, good script... a very able production in general. It may sound heartless even callous for me to label a film detailing on screen suicide as a little lacking but I maintain the basic plot is not where the enjoyment lies. All the interest really revolves around the personal situations, relationships, and the personal experiences detailed in the screenplay, and that does make the movie interesting.I think its definitely worth a watch. There is some emotional depth here, not in the subject matter per se, more in the portrayal of people and relationships.I recommend it, but as a caveat also recommend that you avoid it if you find such subject matter upsetting or offensive.

This was a far better film than I thought it was going to be. The premise seemed a little stale, so I didn't go into expecting much more than a semi-gory splatter film. It's really much more than that. There were some subplots that the film could have done without -- the boy with cancer, for example -- but otherwise the script and acting were very good.I have a feeling that those trashing the film here don't want to face the fact that we as a society could very well be stepping into the realm this movie portrays; that we're only a step or two from bloodthirsty savages. If certain laws had loopholes, and a cable network wanted to air a show like this, it's a pretty sure bet that it would be a hit. We're not talking about a world in this film that is THAT fictional.