Such a frustrating disappointment

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Having seen the majority of Linklater's stuff, I was going into this with high expectations, however a little concerned that the whole film was shot on a camcorder. Coming out of it the film managed to destroy my concerns and live up to my high expectations, amazement the end result. Beautifully written, acted and superbly paced, you completely forget that there's only one location, shot with a piece of equipment literally everyone has in their attic gathering dust. It really proved to me that a great story, characters and writing outweighs everything, truly representing "it's not what you use, but how you use it". Mad respect gained for Richard Linklater which I honestly didn't think could get any higher.A must see!!

A small, much more contemporary piece compared to his highly cerebral and evocative Waking Life from the same year, Richard Linklater's film adaptation of the Stephen Belber play is rather convincing and foreboding in its portrayal of three friends from high school who reunite ten years later and learn how little each of them has been able to shake their respective pasts.Ethan Hawke truly stands out here as a bonafide actor; completely confident and convincing in his role as a drug dealer/firefighter who initially seems like a typical, stoned-out druggie yet turns out to be far more observant and conniving. Robert Sean Leonard is also strong who likewise turns a few corners over the course of a night of talking frankly with people from his past. Overall, this is a fairly minor work from one of America's most important directors, but it shows his capabilities to stretch beyond his comfort zone and mix it up within a rather unpopular but still important subgenre of drama. Shot on digital video for a more authentic and gritty feel, this is a gripping story that at its best shows pitiful characters at their most vulnerable points.

This film is not bad because it's just a conversation or because it's done with cheap camera equipment. And as such or because of it, it isn't boring. Actually, these are the only positive things about this film and they might even stimulate more people to make films like this, technically.Now, for what is bad and abominable: Vince, a loser in American society, comes together with two friends from college. Actually, the meeting is something that Vince seems to have been planning for ages because it's five to ten years since he seen any of his old friends. From this we can gather that there is a big trauma for him involving his two friends. As it turns out, Vince dated Amy but she wouldn't pull out and Vince broke off the relationship. His reason was obviously not because Amy was saving it for after marriage and therefore instead thought that he was unloved by Amy and so broke off a relationship that probably only served to strengthen Amy's self-esteem and nothing else. This seemed to be especially obvious, since Amy later got together with Jon, the other friend, and had sex with him. Vince did however suspect coercion from Jon's side for being able to sleep with Amy. How old that suspicion is, we do not know but we can suspect that Amy's rejection has hurt Vince deeply and now he wants to know for sure what happened.It is true, that we never clearly know why Amy did not want to have sex but just as she later claims that what Jon did was not rape (although we know that he has admitted it on tape), we can assume that she did not tell Vince that she was saving it for marriage, which he might have respected. We do not even know that Vince knew that she was a virgin and maybe she wasn't! As it all turns out and the reason for why this film is fascistic is that Vince, a loser in society, started out his voyage in life by being exploited by both Amy and Jon, without understanding it fully but vaguely suspecting it. In the end of the film, he is left after being fooled to waste all his capital in form of drugs and both Amy and Jon are comparably triumphant. To top this, Vince are supposed to feel sorry for breaking off with Amy, who just used him and obviously felt nothing for him, not then and not now, since she fools him into losing a lot of money, when it is obvious that he does not have so much of that stuff.Bottom line: Two winners in society triumphs over a poor loser - just as it should be in any fascistic state.

Shot on DV in one night at 'Tape' makes the viewer feel like a voyeur peeking into a motel room. It's set in a motel room where two friends reunite after 10 years (ironically Hawke and Leonard also appear together on screen more than a decade after their last film 'Dead Poet's Society') and have a private conversation that turns from the common catching up to unravelling secrets.The entire movie is pretty much a conversation but it is a layered film with layered characters. The writing is brilliant. The editing it very tight. As the events unfold with clever twists, it becomes an intense human drama and a thrilling experience for the audience. While we are provided with sufficient background information on Amy and Jon, Vince remains somewhat of a mystery. His intentions remain for the viewer to interpret as there are hints that point in different directions. The hand-held camera mostly acts as hidden camera that lures the viewer to look into a private moment of these three character's lives. The swirling camera actually acts like a person itself, who's just sitting there while no one is aware of its presence. Once Linklater builds the tension, he sustains it and keeps the viewer engaged right through the end.Being a conversational piece, it relies strongly on acting. The performances are solid. Ethan Hawke does a fine job of the (drug-induced) hyper but manipulative Vince. His character may be a bit ambiguous but he plays the part to the T. Robert Sean Leonard is adequate but in some places he seems a little lost. However, after Uma Thurman's entry, he is remarkable. Uma Thurman looks sensational with simple makeup. This is one actress who can look very plain when needed and supersexy when required. Her acting is excellent as she puts the pieces together while cleverly blindfolding the audience allowing them to figure out what happened.While some people may feel confused at the end, it is very thought-provoking movie as one would try to figure out the puzzle. On the whole, 'Tape' takes us into a different territory that only a few Hollywood films have done. It has some great performances, good direction, brilliant writing and will very likely keep you glued to the screen.