quaseprovisorio a very dark tale about lost hope and entertainment. that's it. the characters are all driven into the same goal, so we can relate to them easily. i think the main character was presented too slowly but i didn't mind much. i also think they played too high with the probabilities - i have doubts if anyone could be so lucky to survive 3 times to this - but in the end that's gibberish . mostly because its main idea is nicely explored, with logic, and with worries to relate the viewers to the characters.it has a huge dramatical atmosphere, the viewer feels the pressure of the characters, we got scared with the light, the movie is not amazingly surprising but i did like the ending, and it proposes some questions to us: why the hell do we have people capable of kill and die basically for nothing? who are the viewers of this show, making bets, rooting for the "athletes"? i think the answers for both is "us". now we are at the viewer side, comfortably sit, while we see people killing each other on the screen. but we'll we have our sofa forever? if we become desperate is it impossible for everyone to do this? don't think so.an accurate social commentary, with a well-built tension and characters we can understand. great cinematography also, and overall a very good movie. go watch it, you won't regret.

jzappa Gela Babluani, who at just 26 years old already knows more about suspense than many filmmakers absorb in whole careers, creates a fear so profound, a nightmare so believable that its talons rip into your perception. 13 Tzameti is elegantly minimal, and remarkably hard-hitting, and its monochromatic look at a cast of captivating, case-hardened mugs make it unbearable not to watch, even when proceedings grow nigh on unbearable.Georges Babluani, indeed the director's brother, plays young Georgian immigrant worker Sébastien, who is living in France and working construction jobs to sustain his destitute family. Working on the home of a man named Godon, he learns that he's a frail morphine addict, and is under police surveillance. Godon's overdose turns all of Sebastien's toiling into a waste, so when he overhears the widow furtively discussing an enigmatic "job" meant for her husband, desperate Sébastien filches the instructions for obtaining the mysterious position. The instructions are a crafty manner of evading the police. Sebastien is about to wish he didn't follow those instructions.Establishing himself with a muted eye and a smart ear, Gela has fashioned a film in three acts and while his exposition is intriguing and location striking, it's the innermost act that is laden with taut pressure, an astounding set piece that will hold spellbound any moviegoer willing to give it a chance. The composure in the work of both Babluani brothers is uncannily subdued and ripe, already free of the urge to show off, and works no more than to congeal the terror. Dialogue is short and curt, personalities deferential to plot, character names of such irrelevance that most do not in fact have evident ones while others are distinguished by purpose or by numbers on clammy T-shirts, or by a broken nose, a cane-aided hobble, an unpleasant gastrointestinal issue or a bespectacled slightness. And one would be negligent not to note the exceptionally good suspense thriller score by The Troublemakers, piano, flute and cymbals flitting about a Middle Eastern theme.The film's minimalism and force are ministered to by the bracing black-and-white cinematography of Tariel Meliava, which gives the work a noir look suggestive of the 1940s but with a ferment that is utterly new millennium. Indeed, this beautiful testosterone nightmare is a film thick with distinctive male faces, skillfully composed in black and white close-ups, like Diane Arbus subjects. We do get momentary sensations of character from some of these supporting players, like Aurélien Recoing's brutal Jacky and Vania Vilers' untamed Mr. Schlondorff. Also vibrant are men who back them, like Sébastien's sponsor Alain, all cultured cravat and tweed jacket, and a frenzied, panting gambler who would've been a Peter Lorre character in noir's halcyon days. Less a character than a device, Pascal Bongard is indelible as a delirious master of ceremonies, and helps power the anxiety with his roared announcements.Unlike so many low-budget debuts, 13 Tzameti is filled with genuine behavior on screen. The performances are all active and dynamic rather than static, sensory and specific instead of general. It's made on a shoestring by a bare-knuckle beginner, and it's a smart, austere film noir where men either have little hope or so much money it has warped their souls, though that is no reading of the film. It's purely experiential, which is why it's so effective. It has no superficial moralizing, and that detachment, with the underpinning of restrained formality in enterprising technique, makes for a gripping film to say the least.

Brian Harris (wildsidecinema) 13 Tzameti is brilliant; the cinematography was exceptional and the characters were all well written and engaging. I cannot recommend this film enough.Those of you interested in checking it out should be sure to hit the special features for an absolutely hilarious little short film entitled Sunday's Game. It was a witty little gore-fest featuring a group of adorable little old ladies gossiping, sipping tea and playing an ultra bloody game of Russian Roulette! Brains and doilies never looked so good! If you're thirsting for something new and different and you're able to watch black and white films with subtitling than look no further than 13 Tzameti. I know many people out there don't do B&W nor are they fond of subtitles but I highly recommend giving this film a shot. I don't think you'll disappointed with this fantastic bit of French / Russian cinema.

brandon_lee420 Review: 13 TzametiDirector: Gela Babluani Review: 13 Tzameti is a film that is either a masterpiece or a violent, disgusting tale. To me this film is both: a modern violent masterpiece by an unknown director, Géla Babluani, who came out of nowhere and made his violent debut with this film. A film with a low budget like this once again proves that we do not need Avatar like budget to make you like a film. Surprisingly, this film was a lot better than Avatar for its exciting plot and its valuable dialog that you become attached to in the first few minutes of the film. The entire film was shot in Black And White and you might be thinking, "Who the hell does that?" but the director made his reasons clear as the first gun shot went off. What I mean is that the color for this particular film made the experience a lot more....more...splendid. I cannot visualize this in color. When 13, Géla Babluani's remake of 13 Tzameti comes out in cinemas around the world, then we can compare each one but my hopes are stuck onto this one. The beginning starts out really boring as you see a roof repairer repairing a building. Then things start to get more interesting when he is requested to help a woman carry her friend who is a morphine addict into the house. From then on, it's a ride to hell and mainly, fun. The atmosphere is what I call perfect in this film because it creates something that suits the film and also adds a bit more effect to the deaths. Some people might be thinking that is a Russian roulette based film but no it isn't but instead it is a French Roulette where they all stand in a circle with a gun to each other's head. Since this film is quite short then this review has to be, sadly, short as well. Sebastian, a young man, has decided to follow instructions intended for someone else, without knowing where they will take him. Something else he does not know is that Gerard Dorez, a cop on a knife-edge, is tailing him. When he reaches his destination, Sebastian falls into a degenerate, clandestine world of mental chaos behind closed doors in which men gamble on the lives of others men.A low-budget film like this will draw away most people but don't fall for that and make sure that this is in your hands no matter what you are feeling. Who cares if you are the odd one out in the whole video store because you would get the most pleasure out of viewing this. I would like to say, again, that Gela Babluani is a talented director who actually creates shocking miracles. I cannot wait to compare this film with its remake, 13 with Hollywood actors. The first shot was unexpected and really frightening. The deaths were so real that you wish you could tear your eyes off the screen but couldn't since this film gets you in a hypnotic trance. I highly recommend this masterpiece to people who love the genre (s) like Crime, Thriller, and Drama, or a mixture of all. 13 Tzameti is the year's best foreign film, maybe the decades, for its brilliant story and a great cast all worthy of praise. George Babluani plays the role if innocent to not so innocent Sebastian well. He lacks acting skills but has a lot of expression. The ending is different from what you have in mind but it is sad as well. If you liked this movie I also recommend....mmmmm....oh, I forgot this film is unique........... 8/10