听 User Rating 
Contains strong violence and hard drug use
A thriller of starkly economic proportions, G茅la Babluani's impressive debut 13 (Tzameti) demonstrates there is definitely no such thing as a free lunch. His brother George plays Sebastien, an impoverished immigrant who stumbles on what appears to be a method of making lots of money very easily, but nothing is ever so simple. Sebastien is gradually sucked into a malicious game where contestants play for the very highest stakes and come the end credits, fingernails will be firmly embedded in armrests.
A deceptive first half ticks slowly by as the pieces fall into place and Sebastien eavesdrops on his employer, hearing vague details about the get rich quick scheme. When the boss dies of an overdose, Sebastien seizes his chance and follows a set of anonymous instructions that lead him deep into the French countryside. And then, just as all hope of any excitement is exhausted, the film turns on a dime, forcing the cock-sure Sebastien into a simple yet deadly game that blends echoes of The Vanishing and Takeshi Miike at his most depraved.
"PURE TENSION"
Georgian-born director Babluani works like a prize fighter, distracting attention with one hand before slamming home with the other, and the clinical black and white photography only adds to the nightmare. Actor Babluani gives a fine performance and his angelic face stands out in a bear pit of craggy, amoral men, neatly paraphrasing Sebastien's loss of innocence in one visual swoop. Once the game is revealed, however, drama is sacrificed for pure tension. But although the outcome is never in any doubt, the twist in this nasty little tale is anything but a cheap shot.
In French with English subtitles.
