Now on DVD: Nine Dead

When I first read the description of the movie Nine Dead, my first thought was it was yet another rip off of the Saw franchise. But, I have found plenty of "rip-offs" that were almost as good as the original so I figured it wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

It turns out I was right. The most recognizable name in this film is Melissa Joan Hart. But, even without an all-star cast, the movie managed to be very entertaining, both as a thriller and as a mystery.

The premise of the movie was somewhat similar to Saw (though there were also differences). Nine people are kidnapped and locked in a basement by a masked assailant who promises to release them and turn himself into the police if they can figure out why they are there. There is just one catch; every 10 minutes, he will kill one of them at random.

What I liked about this movie is their task really does seem impossible. You have to assume they all have something in common. But, the group is very diverse. There are several criminals. But, there's also an assistant district attorney (Hart), a police detective, a priest, someone who works for an insurance agency and a woman who doesn't even speak English. It was interesting to watch as they tried to figure out if they were being punished for individual sins or one particular incident. And, once someone is dead, they can no longer contribute to the discussion.

I do also want to say I was actually impressed with Hart in this film. Her character, who was obsessed with her career to the point she could care less about anybody else (including her own child) was a definite opposite Hart's normal Sabrina the Teenaged Witch type roles and she did a great job pulling it off. But, at the same time, I was also a bit glad when she wasn't the one who figured out the connection at the end (because that would be too predictable).

The only thing that prevented me from giving the movie 5 stars was the ending. The film was absolutely fantastic until the last 5 minutes or so; when it takes one of the weirdest turns I've seen and ends very awkwardly. It's as though the writer couldn't figure out how to end it and just wrote the first thing that came to his mind; whether it made sense or not.

Final opinion: If you like Saw, I think you will like this movie. Or, at least everything but the ending.
Average Netflix Grade: 2.9 stars out of a possible 5.

My Grade: 4 stars.