Note: If you're really interested in seeing the film, don't read any reviews. Just watch it and then read the reviews.
The game is Russian Roulette spliced with Telephone. In a circle, hold a gun to the player's head in front of you after spinning your barrel a good ten seconds. Wait for the single dangling light bulb in the circle's center to light up, and fire. Losers die, winners play on. Everyone starts with one bullet and increases the ammunition to match each subsequent round to three. The final round is a duel where two players with four slugs each point a spun barreled pistol at each other's forehead and squeeze the trigger. Survive, and you walk away with a load of cash. Oh yeah, and your life.
Sound intriguing? For Sébastien, a poor Mr. Fix-It struggling to support his family, the money is enough to lure him without any knowledge of the game. The winnings are also plenty for the crowd of high stakes gamblers, many of whom travel the circuits of even larger such games, betting on players to make the next round. However, you can't bet unless you have players and apparently there are seasoned veterans who regularly and enthusiastically enter such competitions.
Such is the strange underworld portrayed in Géla Babluani's 13 Tzameti, a film wholly about chance: it is the force that allows Sébastien to get the roof-mending job at experienced dueler Jean-François' house; it collapses at the right time and right place just above a crucial conversation about the money; it leaves the letter in the open; and it sweeps the letter by wind into the yard for Sébastien's finding. It is also chance that permits Sébastien to compete in the game after reaching the "arena" and controls how he performs while playing. Absolutely no skill is involved. The gamblers talk about "experience," especially in the final "duel" round, but what kind of background is necessary to succeed at such a game?
Sébastien also gambles with his life by following through with the letter's contents. All he knows is that a great deal of money is up for grabs and that he'll do just about anything (so he thinks) to get it. Yet when he enters the game, it is clear that he is not up to the assignment. Only when he is faced with sure death does he comply, wearing a murderer's mask for the sake of survival.
After such an intriguing build-up, it's sadly impossible to stop there and discuss 13 Tzameti without mentioning the heart of the film. Making mention to a mysterious letter that leads to riches may be enough for Entertainment Weekly's Fall Movie Preview, but not for a full review. Actually, referencing the game at all is a spoiler of sorts as the concept and its initial directorial execution are the film's only details worth remembering. So, here goes:
The first time the game's concept is presented is by far the film's best scene and also one of the best in recent cinema. The pace, editing, lack of soundtrack, and camera movement are gripping, putting it in the ranks of obvious moments from Death Proof, The Departed, The Bourne Ultimatum, and Children of Men. The camera slowly weaves between the varied emotion-riddled faces of players and gamblers as the "referee" barks out the rules, which are new and frightening to Sébastien and us. The game is shocking and the incredible danger ripples through rookies both on screen and off. Guns rarely look this menacing on film and a light bulb hasn't played a better role since Stalag 17.
The scene is presented nearly in full in the film's trailer, proving again that previews typically give away far too much information. The scene itself may exist more successfully as a short film than the full length feature as, unfortunately, the rest of the film lacks anything close to the same intensity. Each subsequent round is increasingly less tense and less surprising as it becomes yawningly clear that Sébastien will progress to the final round. If he had been killed early on, Janet Leigh in Psycho-style, and another protagonist/perspective emerged, the film potentially could have been far more moving. Instead, it's quite plain.
In a poor attempt to make the film more complex, the standard police investigation is hot on the case. The authorities spy on Jean-François, are knowledgeable of the whole murderous operation, and are just about to law down the law when...Sébastien gets off his train one station earlier than expected. Ooh, so close! Furthermore, the confident, strong lead detective is rendered downright Cluseau-ish after apprehending Sébastien and then buying his simple fib. Never has an cinematic officer so sure of himself pulled such a quick 180. We may be witnessing world record time in fully trusting a suspect mere seconds after swearing to his face that he's a liar. Apparently even the French have Keystone Cops.
Though I'm confused by 13 Tzameti's cult status and comparisons to the likes of Fight Club, I'm curious to see how the U.S. remake will look. Written and directed by Babluani, this isn't exactly Infernal Affairs-The Departed territory. 13 Tzameti exists fine on its own...unless it were to be adapted into the proposed short film. Gus Van Sant's shot-by-shot remake of Psycho made more sense. At least that disaster was an interesting experiment in filmmaking.
Overall, 13 Tzameti feels too one-dimensional to have any lasting impact. It's like a pre-season NFL game: it happened, but did it really mean anything? 13 Tzameti is definitely worth a viewing to feel the excitement of the cornerstone scene, but unworthy of repeat screenings. I can't think of another film that I would heartily recommend yet also give a bad review. Perhaps it is in this irony that Babluani succeeds. If so, well done. You may move on to the next round.