Battle Royale meets Office Space. Ending Explained, Cody Leach Review, and Kill Count.
80 employees of the company Belko Industries, located in Bogota, Columbia, are pitted against each other when the building is locked down and they are faced with kill or be killed.
The opening scene, where everyone is arriving at the office building and interacting with each other really sets the tone and establishes the relationships between characters. This is what makes the rest of the film so brutal and intense. These people have been together daily for a year and have developed friendships. It makes the subsequent scenes difficult to watch at times.
Similarly to Circle the movie features a wide cast of people from all different walks of life, although this one doesn’t feature a heavily pregnant woman and a small child. There is, however, a woman in a wheelchair, which is rather sinister. It feels like she’s at a complete disadvantage being an easier target.
It was written by James Gunn and directed by Greg McLean. I think it works really well. Gunn’s realistic and at times darkly comedic dialogue merged with McLean’s gritty look into true human behaviour and haunting imagery makes for a highly entertaining and well executed commentary.
John Gallagher Jr. gives another great performance as likeable nice guy Mike. He wants to explore every option before they start killing each other. On the opposite side is the COO Barry, played by Tony Goldwyn. He is a former special forces soldier who wants to just complete his task so he can go home to his family. This movie contains so many grey areas.
There are also some other memorable performances from Michael Rooker, Rusty Schwimmer, John C. McGinley, and Sean Gunn (who I love as a Gilmore Girls fan. Where’s my Kirk the Musical?). There are so many conflicting personalities that it makes it hard to side with one person. Mike just wants to save everyone, even though you know it’s not possible.
I really enjoy this movie. I first saw it, I think two years ago, and I’ve watched it a few times since then. I even bought it on Blu-ray and watched the special features. It’s interesting, well paced, disturbing and has some incredible and memorable scenes.
Where to watch: Justwatch
Linsey Loves Horror 