Cheap Thrills (2013)

Fresh and Exciting

Absolutely Fantastic

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

It's not often one comes across a film that's entirely original in concept, so that's the starting point with this one. You have to wonder what kind of twisted mind comes up with these things, but you have to admit, the story line is unpredictable and shocking, with two of the principal characters involved in an expanding high stakes game that threatens to turn deadly at any turn. What intrigued me was the dynamic that developed between long time buddies Craig (Pat Healy) and Vince (Ethan Embry) when the prize money offered by Colin (David Koechner) began to escalate. They begin to turn against each other, to the point of negotiating the payoffs in order to gain a seeming advantage with their benefactor. Vince in particular couldn't handle the early successes of his rival, and it was disconcerting to see him resort to some of the tactics he thought would gain him an advantage. What's never made clear is how Colin ever acquired so much money that he treated it like water; that might have added another dimension to the story. Along with wife Violet's (Sara Paxton) seeming disregard for everything going on, the film moves along to a point of no return that turns both players into monsters, no longer capable of making rational judgments because of their lust for money. If your tastes go for the outlandish, this might be the flick for you, best summed up by coke snorting Vince when things start to get really hairy - "This is some weird-ass sh.., man!" I think you'll come to the same conclusion.

There are no spoilers for this movie. I only bring up films that reminded me of this one, and that's only in my opinion. I've seen movies in this "genre," if you will. This flick reminded me of: WOULD YOU RATHER? FUNNY GAMES. THE STRANGERS. THE LOVED ONES. ETC.The acting is awesome. The gore is okay. The music is good. The camera work is excellent. Everything comes together as it should in a timely fashion (although some may find the beginning a bit slow). There is an emotional pay-off and I found myself conflicted between right and wrong. Ultimately, the film is very well done. I'm glad I watched it.However, CHEAP THRILLS isn't for everyone. Many will find certain elements offensive, but I can't elaborate (and wont). This is a film best enjoyed by those going into it "blind."I'm new to IMDb and CHEAP THRILLS enticed me enough to write my very first review. If it's not up to par, I apologize.That out of the way...On a five out of five rating (VIOLENCE, GORE, SEXUALITY, PLOT AND STORY, OVERALL ENJOYMENT):VIOLENCE:The movie isn't overly done, but there are elements that may disturb (heck, it should disturb) some viewers.To be safe, I'm going with a 3.5/5. GORE:Not too much, to be honest. I was surprised. 2/5.SEXUALITY: Sex transpires but it's not graphic. 2/5.PLOT AND STORY:3/5Overall Enjoyment:2.5/5The material isn't totally fresh but the movie does offer a new spin on things. FINAL THOUGHTS:If you're going to watch this film, know there are elements many will find objectionable. Be aware that the film is horror/satire/ comedy. Not for all but meant for many, CHEAP THRILL flick earns:A Thumbs UP.

Cheap Thrills has the type of concept which could easily live up to its title. Two rich sickos torturing a couple of poor strangers by daring them to do progressively twisted tasks could result in an exploitative B-movie designed to shock the audience for the sake of it. Thankfully, Cheap Thrills manages to offer much more than a few cheap thrills. It's actually an intelligent, engaging and darkly humorous little film with a few hints of postmodernism not too dissimilar to Funny Games.Pat Healy and Sara Paxton made a terrifically witty duo in Ti West's limp, The Innkeepers and deserved to appear in a much better film. Cheap Thrills is that better film, and whilst Sara doesn't have particularly much to do, Pat puts on a similarly likable performance as the down on his luck protagonist, who we can all relate to. In fact, all of the characters manage to be engaging and interesting. I love how realistically the film progressed from a friendly encounter on a night out to a sick set of dares.For a film largely set in one location with just four characters, it's never boring. Quite the opposite, in fact I was left wanting more and I think it could've pushed the boundaries more, but that's probably just my twisted horror nut coming out! Where the film actually succeeds is that it doesn't make the dares the focus of the entire film. Instead it's much more concerned with the characters and how they develop, thus making for a much better quality and more involving piece of filmmaking.The comment it makes on society is quite heavy-handed but nevertheless an intelligent and relevant one. It's best to view the two rich psychos as symbols, rather than characters. They're obviously representative of the bourgeoisie and how they exploit the poor minority. However, the film also makes a subtle comment on the psychotic nature of audiences too. I thought that the ending kind of made out like the psychos were doing it all for us, the viewing public, thus adding another intelligent and postmodern layer to the film.Overall the film is a striking debut and this E.L Katz bloke looks like he has a promising future in the horror movie industry. His directing was consistently intense and he managed to build some massive amounts of tension. Cheap Thrills may falter on repeated viewings (due to the lack of a surprise factor) but for a first time viewing there's very little to complain about. Perhaps it could've been a little more twisted, but really I was surprised by how intelligent the screenplay actually was. Cheap Thrills offers a lot more than its title suggests. It's probably one of the best horror-comedies we've had in a while.

Cheap Thrills is an excellent film with brilliant performances, solid direction and a clever screenplay which brings a potent message about human condition, combined with such black humor that it's difficult for us to determine whether we have to laugh or cry at the display of sadism and perversion portrayed. I generally don't like "home invasion" films, in which a group of thugs tortures innocent people without a reason. Fortunately, Cheap Thrills isn't one of those movies; or it might be, but inverting the roles of heroes and villains. Instead of being invaders, the friends Craig and Vince let themselves be conducted to Colin's mansion, where the brutality of the "gambles" is incremented to inhuman levels. And as spectators/accomplices, we witness the domestic drama developed under the guise of a game with a combination of fascination and repulsion. Cheap Thrills plunges us into the characters' mental manipulation, leaving us with the question: "What would we do in their place?". I guess that every person will have to carry with the weight of his/her answer. Regarding the less controversial aspects of the film, director E.L. Katz could perfectly achieve an atmosphere of anguish and suspense without employing any tiring stylish tricks which infest many modern thrillers. And despite being quite a short film, there's enough narrative expertise to efficiently portray the main characters' nature, something which brings credibility to the most extreme scenes. The actors make an excellent work in their roles, highlighting David Koechner, who manages to bring a simultaneously affable and dangerous attitude to his character, and Sara Paxton, who doesn't need too many words to transmit the complexity and nuances of her character. In conclusion, Cheap Thrills is a brilliant thriller, and it definitely deserves an enthusiastic recommendation, mainly because of its audacity and expertise to keep us fascinated and very entertained with such a demoralizing and pessimistic story.