13 Sins Review

“13 Sins” stars Mark Webber as Elliot, a gentle soul with terrible luck.  At the start of the film we learn that he’s set to marry his pregnant girlfriend and is banking on a big promotion to help foot the bill.  However, fate turns against him and he instead loses his job.  To make things worse, Elliot now has to care for his bitter elderly father and mentally challenged brother.

Just when things seem at their bleakest for Elliot, he gets a phone call from a mysterious benefactor who asks Elliot to kill a fly in exchange for a monetary reward. When the caller proves to be genuine and rewards Elliot for his fly murder, Elliot agrees to participate in a game where he is challenged to complete 13 tasks.  If he completes the game, he’ll win $5 million.  However, if he fails any task, he’ll lose all the money he’s won and have to deal with the consequences on his own.  And while the tasks start off simple and mundane, Elliot soon realizes that he’s being led down a dark and sinister path.

Narratively, the film starts off really strong.  We’re given enough exposure to Elliot and his world to immediately sympathize with his plight.  Not only that, but Mark Webber is a strong and likeable actor who brings a lot of warmth to the role. In a lot of ways he reminds me of an American Martin Freeman.  He just has a natural gentleness to his persona that contrasts well with the horrible tasks he has to complete.  Mark Webber is easily one of the strongest elements of the film.

And it was extremely important to get that element right, because much of the plot and the enjoyment of the film rests on Webber’s shoulders.  There are other characters in the film who do serve pivotal roles, but their involvement is minimal.  Ron Perlman, for example, is in the film as an inquisitive detective investigating Elliot.  However, his screen time is just a couple of minutes with a bit of dialog.  And it’s a similar scenario for the rest of the cast.  In fact, the only character that has nearly as much screen time as Elliot is the voice on the phone.

This one man show proves to be both gripping and amusing as Elliot transforms from a soft-spoken everyman to a man grappling with his inner monster.  The increasing difficulty of the tasks take Elliot down some dark and bloody paths that verge on “Saw” levels of gore. However, this isn’t a movie where violence is a centerpiece, but when it happens it’s visceral and intense.  It punctuates Elliot’s descent into depravity.

Unfortunately, while I enjoyed 90% of this movie, I felt that certain elements of the climax were unsatisfying.  During the last legs of the movie the film introduces some conspiracy theory elements that feel far too cartoony for a movie of this nature.  The movie then quickly glazes over it, which makes you wonder why it was introduced in the first place.  It’s a scene that detracts from the movie more than it adds.

I also felt that the movie’s finale lacked a true feeling of consequence.  “13 Sins” features a gripping mystery that pulls you into the climax, but then you’re left feeling like there should have been more to it.  It ends on a weird note that doesn’t provide the viewer with a proper sense of conclusion.  I know that’s extremely vague, but I don’t want to spoil anything about the ending since it does present some crazy ideas that make the film worth watching.

“13 Sins” isn’t an incredibly original film that’ll set the world on fire, but it is a solid thriller with a sympathetic lead that draws the viewer into a horrific showcase of moral ambiguity, greed, and death.  A few flaws might leave some with a sour taste, but I think most people will like what it has to offer.

“13 Sins” is currently available on VOD and is slated to have a limited theatrical release on April 18th.