Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Beautifully Disturbing Thriller, May 15, 2006
I was lucky enough to catch this film this past April while visiting Chicago. It's release has been very limited, but fortunately, we have the DVD release to look forward to this summer, currently scheduled for the 18th of July. Those people who like to throw genre labels onto films may have a tough time with this one. It's got sci-fi, horror, drama and even some dark comedy, but ultimately, it's simply absorbing. In a nutshell, Subject Two features a character by the name of Adam Schmidt, a troubled medical student who receives a call from Dr. Franklin Vick, who offers Adam the chance to work alongside side with him on an experiment that he's been keeping under wraps in his residence high up amid snow covered mountains.
What the good doc doesn't tell Adam is that the main Subject he is using is actually Adam, Subject Two (hence the title.) Dr. Vick is experimenting with resurrection. Catching him off guard, Dr. Vick kills Adam and then brings him back to life a short while later. After Dr. Vick explains to Adam what the experiment is all about, Adam agress to be his guinea pig, which leads to more death episodes for Adam, who has now agreed to die over and over. That's all I'll say about the storyline. The film is best viewed without knowing too much. Subject Two may have been filmed on a limited budget, but there's nothing cheap about the quality. There's a few noticeable technical bumps in the film, but nothing to hamper it. The acting is excellent. Dean Stapleton's spooky-sexy performance as the unrelenting Dr. Vick is quite impressive. At times he seems a bit unstable, but yet has his moments of sensitive emotions which he tries to hide from Adam. Christian Oliver is convincing as the introverted medical student willing to try something that could possibly kill him for good. Just when you think you have him pegged, he does some things that makes you wonder if he may have more in common with Dr. Vick than we thought. There's a fairly brief but memorable performance by Jurgen Jones as an illegal hunter who accidentally mistakes Adam for game and shoots him dead... or so he thinks. His surprise when Adam stands up and starts to talk to him is wonderfully comic. Sure, he may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but you can't help but feel sorry for the guy.
Then there's the music. Full of lush intensity and doom, it's never intrusive. Instead, it seeps into your skin and makes it crawl. Immediately after seeing the film, I got to speak to Dean Stapleton and Christian Oliver. I asked how they could afford an orchestra for the film's score, only to be informed that all of the music was performed by composer Eric Godal.
The scenery is spectacular. It's interesting how snow covered mountains can look so beautiful and creepy at the same time, but that's probably due to the whole tension of the film, thanks mainly to Director and writer Philip Chidel, who also makes a brief but chilling performance in the film.
Don't miss this one, folks. It may be hard to shake off right away after seeing it, but that's what a well done thriller is supposed to do, right?
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Much better than I thought it'd be...., February 26, 2007
I went in to watching this movie expecting very little. In the end, I was suggesting it to my friends and letting them borrow it. It is an enjoyable thriller with pretty good acting. It absorbs you into the setting, which in this case would be the remote, snowy wilderness, and keeps you interested in what is happening with these people. For the price, you really can't beat it. Check it out!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent movie, July 29, 2006
Excellent movie!
Acting was superb, scenery fantastic and theme is an often recurring theme which is rarely treated with the reality this film shows.
The side effects of the experiments makes one wonder about the real the possibility of immortality and its effects on the multiple facets of society.
Nanotechnology is no longer fiction, and will eventually become an essential part of the scientific arena as well as the medical one.
All in all, the film is incredibly hypnotizing and disturbing.... a true thriller and a must see.
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