Today’s quick review: 13. To pay for his father’s medical bills, Vincent Ferro (Sam Riley) steals an invitation to what turns out to be a Russian roulette tournament, where rich gamblers bet on the lives of the contestants. There Vincent squares off against the reigning champion Roland Lynn (Ray Winstone), who is backed by his brother Jasper (Jason Statham). To survive the tournament, Vincent will need his luck and his nerve to hold out.
13 is a crime thriller about a deadly competition where the contestants risk their lives for a fortune in prize money. 13 benefits from a striking premise, a decent plot progression, and a broad supporting cast that includes Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Michael Shannon, Alexander Skarsgard, and Mickey Rourke. However, weak craftsmanship, a linear plot, and limited character work keep it from realizing its potential.
The main factor holding 13 back is its craft. Everything from the camerawork to the editing shows subtle flaws that throw off the tension the movie is trying to build. The mistakes are hard to identify but easy to feel: The entire first act of the movie slips by without pulling the viewer in. The problem is exacerbated by the movie’s unnecessarily large cast, few of whom are properly introduced or receive a proper character arc.
13’s fortunes improve when the tournament gets going. The atmosphere of the competition, the ruthlessness of the gamblers, and Vincent’s conversion from innocent victim to would-be killer all help the movie shake off its early mistakes and tell an interesting story. 13 is still not entirely successful—its plot is too straightforward for many twists—but it does manage to convey its main idea well.
13 will not be everyone’s cup of tea, either in theory or in practice. The random outcome of the tournament limits the kind of drama the movie can engage in, while the supporting cast is not given the time or the material they need to shine. Still, for all its faults, 13 does a few interesting things with its premise, making it a decent pick for fans of the death game genre.
For an action-oriented take on a similar premise, try Man of Tai Chi, The Tournament, or Arena. For a more cerebral and stylized story about a high-stakes underground tournament, try Animal World.
[6.1 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0798817/). I give it a 5.5 for flawed execution of an interesting premise.