Cube - 1997
Quick Summary
A group of people, without knowing why, find themselves locked in a surreal prison, an endless labyrinth of interconnecting cubic rooms equipped with death traps. The captive policeman, architect, math student, psychologist and autistic man know only one thing: each possesses a special gift that, combined with the others, can help them escape. As fear grows, so do personal conflicts and power struggles. But they need to work together to escape certain death.
My Thoughts
Cube is over 20 years old, and it shows. While some films have aged very well, this one is a little old school. Some shots and special effects resemble those seen in films from the 1960s-1970s. All the same, this is an interesting film.
More than a simple science-fiction film, it seems to denounce the human condition, and shows its drifts in situations of panic and uncertainty. The idea is an interesting one: 5 people are trapped in a huge booby-trapped structure, each with a skill or gift for finding a way out, and yet they're going to kill each other instead of helping each other.
There are plenty of great scenes in this film, for example the opening scene, which is very striking and plunges us straight into the atmosphere.
Apart from that, the actors aren't great, apart from Andrew Miller who plays Kazan, the autistic scientist and mental calculator. These are always tricky roles to play, and here he pulls it off brilliantly. The rest of the cast overplay their hand a little, making some scenes a bit uninspiring.
To Watch or Not to Watch
This film starts with an interesting idea, and even if it has quite a few flaws, it's a great watch and you can't wait to see what happens. I recommend it.