Sadly Over-hyped

Lack of good storyline.

Good start, but then it gets ruined

I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

Imagine having a bad dream, in which you see a loved one die at your hands. Only to wake up in some kind of asylum, not knowing what's real and what's inside of your own head. That is just one of the themes questioned in the new Sci-fi Thriller, Cruel & Unusual. This is one strange film, that will leave you questioning the nature of reality, but is it all that believable? The story is definitely unique, but has more than several appealing plot holes, that will leave you wondering if the movie was just lazy or beyond your comprehension. The film centers on Edger, played poorly by David Richmond-Peck. Are we really supposed to believe that this guy is capable of the temper or heroism his character is supposed to have displayed? Even less believable is that he's got a hot wife! Personally, I watched this strange film for Richard Harmon, best known as one of the stars of The 100. Harmon truly brings the words devilishly handsome to life, as behind that innocent face and crooked in smile, something sinister is always lurking, and that's what makes him so entertaining. The bottom line is that Cruel & Unusual is a weird film, that makes you think and can be frustrating at times. As a critic, I see massive holes in the story, but maybe, just maybe those were intentional, left to us to fill in the gaps, in which case, the film itself could be as smart and deep as it's plot.

This doesn't usually happen to me with most movies, however, I had quite a difficult time identifying how seriously this movie really took itself. When I came to this website, I half expected the genre to say both "sci-fi" and "comedy," as opposed to "sci-fi" and "thriller." The acting was superb, however, the script and interaction between the characters had me laughing when I guess I was not supposed to. I cannot say that I was expecting what came at the resolution either, which certainly makes this movie worth watching. I did not want to include any spoilers in this review, so I'll conclude it by telling those who are a fan of the sci-fi genre to give this title a shot, and decide how they feel about it for themselves.

I, as well, stumbled across this on Netflix, oddly enough in the horror category. I guess they lump suspense and horror together. Anyways, it was a great find, my eyes were glued to the screen, though not right away. The first 10 minutes or so are off-putting considering the horrible acting by the foreign wife. She seems upset for no reason and screams and sobs in literally every line. Her acting just didn't match the rest of the cast who were very believable. It wasn't until the protagonist revisits that night when you can think her hysteria is somewhat rational. Luckily, she doesn't take up too much screen time where I turned it off before the story took off. It's a bizarre premise, counseling for murderers who killed their loved ones and are dead... this surely has a ton of unanswered questions. Luckily, it did not prevent me from enjoying this film and being satisfied with the ending. What happens when you gain acceptance? Do you leave? How is it possible that he changed the outcome of what already happened? And why would he still be there if he technically didn't murder his wife? Either way, you sympathize with the characters, even though they are murderers. Also, you can barely tell it's low budget. Well done!

I Went for the premiere of this film in Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival. Everything is perfect, the performing of actors and actresses are persuasive, the story is simple in fact, but by the editing, it makes the plot more interesting and digging deeper. The philosophy of life and love in the film makes it worth seeing it again and again. The twists in the second half of the film leads the story to an unexpected touching ending. In the end, it turns out to be a movie warm and full of love. Really impressive, and it blows my mind. The movie score seems a little weak comparing to other aspects. In addition, for the first half, some scenes repeat too much times but reveals less. But those are not so important. Please go and see it.