Cube, is a gory sci-fi flick from Canadian Vincenzo Natali Vincenzo Natali: in the near future, a group of people find themselves closed in and trapped, without knowing why, in a cube made of cubic rooms (!!). Even if the dice seem loaded, the the small group decides to try to escape during 90 minutes of the film

If the opening sequence as well as the premise of the film are strong, it rapidly turns into an execution of the character and also the spectator. Cube directly competes with The Avengers & Snake Eye for the Top Dawg as soon as the opening credits end.

You owe this to unbearable actors and dialogues that make the cliches of the film look like a marvel. I felt like I had fallen into the middle of practice of a beginning acting class. The ensemble of protagonists acts in unison to nothingness. However, the big prize goes to the main character played by Maurice Dean Wint (remember this name) who while acting with conviction looks like a Saturday Night Live caricature. When you see Dean Wint act, you all of the sudden become aware of Keanu Reeves' huge talent. In terms of dialogue, let’s quote the cop played by Maurice: "It’s my job as a cop to read people like x rays".

Regarding the cast, you will be happy to know that the group of prisonners is composed of a team of specialists just like the A-Team including a jailbird, an intellectual, a strong man.. . The big secret is quickly given away, all the more that the plot borrows quite a bit from the labyrinth episode of The Avengers (the real one with Emma Peel). When the film tries to play the psychology card, you can only scream for help.

The film does however feature a real "tour de force".It manages to communicate the claustrophobia and horror to the audience, who feeling trapped, has but one obsession, to escape the theater room as quickly as possible.

  Fred Thom