Series 7: The Contenders (2001)

Director:

Daniel Minahan

Writer:

Daniel Minahan (writer)

Release Date:

25 May 2001 (Italy)

Genre:

Comedy | Thriller

Tagline:

Real People In Real Danger

Plot:

A TV program selects people at random to kill one another for fame and their freedom.

Plot Keywords:

Gun | Satire | Contest | Mysterious Letter | Game Of Death

Awards:

3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Brooke Smith	...	Dawn
Mark Woodbury	...	Dairy Mart Clerk
Michael Kaycheck	...	Tony
Marylouise Burke	...	Connie
Richard Venture	...	Franklin
Donna Hanover	...	Sheila
Merritt Wever	...	Lindsay
Glenn Fitzgerald	...	Jeff
Angelina Phillips	...	Doria
Tom Gilroy	...	Dawn's Cameraman
Nada Despotovich	...	Michelle
Stephen Michael Rinaldi	...	Craig
Alex Yershov	...	Nathan
Danton Stone	...	Bob
Joseph Barrett	...	Doctor

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violent content and language.

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Portugal:M/18 | Iceland:16 | Australia:R | Canada:18A | Hong Kong:III | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | South Korea:18

Filming Locations:

Danbury, Connecticut, USA

Company:

Blow Up Pictures

Trivia:

Writer/Director Daniel Minahan's childhood friend, Dawn Lagarto, is given a "Special Thanks" credit. He originally wrote the story using her name for the main character. When it came time to start filming the producers had legal concerns regarding the use of a real person's name, but actress Brooke Smith felt an affinity for the name and wanted to retain it for her character. Minahan called the real Dawn Lagarto and got her blessing to use the name. The real Dawn Lagarto is not an unwed mother, has never participated in a reality TV series, and has never killed anyone.

Goofs:

Continuity: The truck's tires are perfectly intact, despite during the helicopter shots sparks flying up and the commentator telling us his tires had blown out and he was riding on his rims.

Quotes:

Dispatch Operator: Has her water broke?
Connie: Yes, all over my floor.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2001-03-03)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

Let Me Come Back

OK indie film

Any film that has Joy Division's "Love will tear us apart" as its love theme can't be all bad. The only problem is that is about the best that one can say about this indie film; it's not that bad.

The film is structured as a reality TV show. The difference is that the characters have to go one step further and kill their rivals. While no mention is made of time one can only assume that this is the America of some terrible future where television companies have acquired the power to force randomly selected individuals to compete on the show.

The film is well made and therein lies the rub; it is EXACTLY like a reality TV show and I personally have never managed to sit through more than ten minutes of shows like "Survivor" or "Boot camp".