I was quite surprised by this low-budget offering from first-time writer/director Daniel Minahan. Emerging in 2001, this cold-hearted satire was well timed to coincide with the rise of reality television into the collective consciousness of living rooms worldwide.
The plot is simple. Six people are randomly chosen via a lottery to participate in the seventh series of a deadly television show, "The Contenders." Armed with a selection of weapons, they must eliminate their fellow contestants while being taped by a camera crew and broadcast to a nation hooked on reality TV. The winner receives big cash prizes!(read more...)
