Product Details

• Actors: Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson), Ray Winstone, Sam Riley
• Directors: Gela Babluani
• Format: Anamorphic, Blu-ray, Dolby, HiFi Sound, NTSC, PAL, Surround Sound, THX, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: ANCHOR BAY
• DVD Release Date: November 8, 2011
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (83 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B005IUIZ2W
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,003 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

A naïve young man assumes a dead man's identity in order to join a underworld game of Russian Roulette. The stakes are high, but the payout is more than he can resist. His only collateral is his life and however long his luck can hold. Are his odds any better than any other player in this most deadly game?

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Dark Premise, A Deadly Game: This Remake Lacks The Intensity Of The Original, But Is Still Worth A Look October 16, 2011

By K. Harris HALL OF FAMETOP 10 REVIEWER

Format:Blu-ray

A few years ago, I came across an odd little foreign film that I absolutely fell in love with named "13 Tzameti." At the time, I had no clue what the movie was about and, without preconceived notions, I was fascinated by the dark and twisted tale that unraveled. As a young man is drawn into a complicated and deadly underground battle for survival, the movie is rather stunning in its simplicity. As a very low budget endeavor, it used its sparseness to great advantage. Claustrophobic, tense, and unrelenting, the camera pushes up close and personal as the tension escalates throughout and it is truly a riveting and, at times, unsettling experience. Its writer/director Gela Babluani has been given the opportunity to adapt his thrilling and award winning sensation (Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, Best Director at Venice Film Festival) into an English language version with a pretty impressive cast. The resultant "13" lacks a bit of the intensity of its predecessor, and opening up the story doesn't necessarily serve the material well. Also, its intriguing premise is a little harder to buy in an American Midwest setting, but the movie still has a visceral punch that a certain audience might enjoy.

The movie stars Sam Riley (so great in Control) as an electrician whose family is in dire financial straits. At a work site, he hears talk of a clandestine "job" that has the potential to pay huge. When the person planning on attending the job dies of an overdose, Riley nabs the instructions and heads off to take his place. He has no idea what is in store for him! What he finds is a chilling sports contest in which people bet on life and death itself in increasingly challenging rounds. He can't back out and there can be only one winner, and Riley has no choice but to try to make it to the end. The testosterone fueled plot is headlined by some talented individuals--Mickey Rourke and Ray Winstone are fellow contestants, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson and Alexander Skarsgard are two of the contestant minders, Ben Gazzara and Jason Statham are financially invested, and Michael Shannon is the evening's intense emcee. While it is a fantastic cast, though, no one (aside from Riley and maybe Statham) really has a lot to do.

Herein lies the problem, Babluani tries to adapt his screenplay to accommodate this roster of actors. So we get flashbacks and character development for peripheral and non-important characters. Yes, now we get more of Mickey Rourke and 50 Cent, but this actually detracts from the central contest. And that is the movie! The contest is inescapable and the original movie put viewers on the front lines until the very end. It was exquisitely uncomfortable in confining us in the small and deadly space. But while I wasn't necessarily blown away by "13," I still appreciated its unsavory premise. The cast is quite good, even if underutilized, and it's not a movie you feel like you've seen a hundred times before. Those expecting big action may have to look elsewhere, this plays more as a psychological thriller. I suspect this movie might be a bit divisive--you could think it is outlandish and hate it or you could like it for its uniqueness. I liked, but didn't love, "13." But I do recommend it and, if you ever get the chance, check out the original as well for something a bit more harrowing. About 3 1/2 stars. KGHarris, 10/11.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars An unlucky number for a film that fails to deliver on its premise--the underworld of Russian Roulette betting November 28, 2011

By Wayne Klein HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Even a great premise and a strong supporting cast can't save a poorly made movie. "13" sat on the shelf for over a year (it was produced for release in 2010) for very good reason--it's not very good. In "13" Vince (Sam Riley who played Ian Curtis so well in "Control") who needs money for his father's operation takes on the identity of a dead drug addict unaware that he's stepping into a high stakes illegal contest where he competes against others (Ray Winstone, Mickey Rourke)playing Russian Roulette. The chance to make millions and save his father keeps Vince from trying to escape.

Co-writer Greg Pruss and director Géla Babluani take a fascinating premise that has great potential and wastes it in a film that generates no suspense and, essentially, goes no where. It's tragic because the film has a strong cast (including Jason Statham, Ben Gazzara and Alexander Skarsgĺrd) given very little to do but look moody and trade threatening glances. This is evidently a remake of a foreign film which I haven't seen so I don't know how it compares to that original film.

For those who care the image quality is quite good as is the 5.1 audio mix. The only extra is a featurette on the making of the film.

"13" wastes a strong cast, a great premise with the result a disappointing genre film that fails to deliver on all fronts.

Unless your idea of fun is watching men scream at each other, shoot each other in the head in tension and action free sequences, you should avoid "13".

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Gambling Can Be The Death of You! November 24, 2011

By Grady Harp HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Amazon Instant Video

Georgian writer Géla Babluani found such success in his film 13 Tzameti n 2005 that he decided to recreated the story, this time placing it in the United States. Co-writing this version with Gregory Pruss is the only aspect of this adaptation he shared. The story is a tough one to watch, not unlike `Fight Club', but with higher stakes. It share how far gambling men will go to get their thrills, making cock fights seem very tame. The game at hand is based on gathering quasi-desperate men (prisoners, men deeply in debt, criminals who have little to lose, etc), placing them in a room with tee shirts bearing numbers, giving them guns, placing them in a circle, and on the command of the master of ceremonies they are to fire their gun into the head of the person in front of them. A smarmy form of Russian roulette, at first each man's gun has one bullet in the chamber, but as the game goes on more bullets are placed and the game continues until there is one man left alive. The gamblers place bets on the various numbered men and the stakes are high. This process is performed in a isolated meeting space and is closely scrutinized by detectives who seek to uncover the scheme and stop it.

Vince (Sam M. Riley of `Control' and `Brighton Rock') is a young electrician whose father has been in an accident resulting in sever injuries that require multiple surgeries. Vince's family must put their house up for sale to pay the expenses unless Vince can find a quicker way to make big money to pay the hospital and surgeons. Quite by accident while doing an electrical job he over hears the house owner discuss a `job' that promises to pay a lot of money. The man plans on doing the job, receives an envelope with instructions, but then shoots up heroin and dies of an overdose. Vince helps the police who investigate, but before leaving the house Vince takes the envelope that contains instructions and a cell phone and a piece of bark with the number 13 printed on it. Vince follows the instructions and ends up in a complex scheme - the ultimate result of which is the fact that he becomes #13 in the gambling game. Others sequestered for the killer game include Mickey Rourke, Ray Winstone, and among those involved in the offensive debacle are Alexander Skarsgard, Ben Gazzara, and emcee Michael Shannon. The ending of the film is a complete surprise and revealing even part of it would ruin the impact of the film.

This is definitely not a film for the fainthearted. That such a gruesome gambling scheme could exist is terrifying. But the production and the acting and the grisly atmosphere is well worth the moviegoer's attention. Grady Harp, November 11