Purely Joyful Movie!

In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Taking into consideration different aspects, before you trash this film, keep in mind that it was clearly done on a budget! The thing that strikes me most about this film is how fresh it is, the plot is different, the performances are different, the presentation of certain scenes and elements is also different. The two stories get together revealing another amazing aspect in the movie, through combining the two stories and knitting it all together. The fantasy factor is handled very carefully in this film, added to strengthen the scenes without taking from the reality of the stories. For creativity this movie definitely stands out for me. The acting was kind of tricky because as a character you'd have to maintain your personality and balance between your realistic and imaginative features. Excellent.

I loved this film. I believe Plagianos's choices are intelligently made - it also doesn't hurt that the two leads, Burrow and the underused journeyman Clohessy, understand their roles and play them with the type of passion deserved. Watching Parker on his last legs of life still able to talk back to his employer—a great no nonsense turn of Brooklyn underbelly from Lee R. Sellars—with humor and wit, as well as have the ability to attempt to retrieve his pride when defeat by sword seems his only option, goes a long way in making the climatic scene resonate. It may be one more convenient connection at the hands of a higher power, using 'The Book' of Chapter Three's title to bond these two men together as slaves unwilling to back down and be pushed around like puppets, but beneath the contrivance is a measure of truth. If anything, the multitude of overlapping plot threads and crisscrossing of paths only adds to the illusory aspect of the film, making The Crimson Mask into the morality tale its creator set out to make. It's inspiring job of professionalism as a first-time feature with little in the way of monetary resource shows the promise this young man's future holds. I look forward to checking out his next projects!

Saw this at Buffalo/Niagara Film Fest 2010, with discussion with auteur etc--it only becomes clear at the end that this is some kind of test for Thomas, to become the head of a Company, but this isn't elaborated-you are left to draw your own conclusions ... It was admitted that two (?) separate films were amalgamated, which was enterprising. Perhaps melding the content of these two films dictated the (brief) Faustian motif. There are some references to Film great moments -- and the early clips from old films need careful attention ... This creative team say they are set to make 2 more movies, and one would have high hopes. After a full week of indies, a well-paced film like this is a relief.

I'm not really sure what movie iacon6 thought he was reviewing, but this was definitely not the disaster he's made it out to be. (I suspect cinemafreek's assessment of why he would write a review not far off the mark) I saw this movie several weeks ago at the film festival in Philadelphia. What I saw was an excellent independent film featuring a plot that managed to be complex without being complicated, excellent performances (especially Clohessy) and a satisfying conclusion that features a great action scene and a relatable moral. For a relatively new filmmaker, I think this was a very ambitious film that succeeded quite well in its mission, and I look forward to seeing what else Elias Plagianos can come up with in the future.