When a reckless bank robber and his rebellious teenage hostage hole up for the night in a bad motel, anything can happen.When a reckless bank robber and his rebellious teenage hostage hole up for the night in a bad motel, anything can happen.When a reckless bank robber and his rebellious teenage hostage hole up for the night in a bad motel, anything can happen.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThere is a single cut in the film from a wide-shot to a close-up of two characters that was filmed a year apart.
- ConnectionsReferences Psycho (1960)
- SoundtracksRed Runs the River
Written by Todor Kobakov (SOCAN) & Hayley Gene Penner
Performed by Hayley Gene Penner & Steve Krecklo (SOCAN)
Courtesy of Todor Kobakov Inc.
Featured review
Intense low budget greatness
Note to all you first time filmmakers that embark on the journey of making a low budget horror or thriller film – 'Keep it Simple'.
If only more directors without much funding would take this to heed we would get more films like Long Pigs and Sympathy and less like The Landlord and Dead Noon.
This was not lost on director Andrew Moorman who took a smart thriller by writer Arik Martin and turned it into a very competent and highly entertaining film called Sympathy.
The beauty of the film is in its simplicity. The story has but three characters and all takes place in a motel room. That is where a suggested bank robber named Tripp (Steven Pritchard) brings his hostage Sara (Marina Shtelen) and handcuffs her to the bed. While trying to formulate an escape plan, Tripp's getaway is interrupted by Dennis (Aaron Boucher), an escaped convict who coincidentally end up in the same room with multiple agendas.
In a film style that clearly pays homage to Alfred Hitchcock and Brain DePalma, the three characters will spend an evening revealing depths of their personalities while setting in motion an intense cat-and-mouse game convoluted with bulging egos and personal motivations.
To further obstruct a clean getaway, characters will be shot, stabbed and emotionally tormented as the story unfolds revealing characters that are not whom they appear to be. The final chapters will include a blood soaked ending that will remind you of an early Tarantino work and a satisfying end to an evening's odyssey.
Kudos to director Andrew Moorman for not trying to squeeze more out of the intelligent script than what was pressed onto the straight to DVD release. His directing was able to hide from this seasoned reviewer a reveal that I didn't see coming (granted it wasn't M. Night-ish, but it still generated a 'wow' response).
When producing a movie with one setting and limited characters, it is important to have strong acting to accompany the script pages or all is lost. Pritchard, Shtelen and Boucher put on believable performances even if the acting is at times uneven. Shtelen in particular starts off weak, but by the end of the film, she plays the role of Sara with a seasoned confidence.
Revealing any specifics would be an injustice to anyone who follows this review with a screening, but as low budget, independent films go, this one ranks in the top tier.
www.killerreviews.com
If only more directors without much funding would take this to heed we would get more films like Long Pigs and Sympathy and less like The Landlord and Dead Noon.
This was not lost on director Andrew Moorman who took a smart thriller by writer Arik Martin and turned it into a very competent and highly entertaining film called Sympathy.
The beauty of the film is in its simplicity. The story has but three characters and all takes place in a motel room. That is where a suggested bank robber named Tripp (Steven Pritchard) brings his hostage Sara (Marina Shtelen) and handcuffs her to the bed. While trying to formulate an escape plan, Tripp's getaway is interrupted by Dennis (Aaron Boucher), an escaped convict who coincidentally end up in the same room with multiple agendas.
In a film style that clearly pays homage to Alfred Hitchcock and Brain DePalma, the three characters will spend an evening revealing depths of their personalities while setting in motion an intense cat-and-mouse game convoluted with bulging egos and personal motivations.
To further obstruct a clean getaway, characters will be shot, stabbed and emotionally tormented as the story unfolds revealing characters that are not whom they appear to be. The final chapters will include a blood soaked ending that will remind you of an early Tarantino work and a satisfying end to an evening's odyssey.
Kudos to director Andrew Moorman for not trying to squeeze more out of the intelligent script than what was pressed onto the straight to DVD release. His directing was able to hide from this seasoned reviewer a reveal that I didn't see coming (granted it wasn't M. Night-ish, but it still generated a 'wow' response).
When producing a movie with one setting and limited characters, it is important to have strong acting to accompany the script pages or all is lost. Pritchard, Shtelen and Boucher put on believable performances even if the acting is at times uneven. Shtelen in particular starts off weak, but by the end of the film, she plays the role of Sara with a seasoned confidence.
Revealing any specifics would be an injustice to anyone who follows this review with a screening, but as low budget, independent films go, this one ranks in the top tier.
www.killerreviews.com
helpful•22
- gregsrants
- Sep 10, 2010
Details
- Runtime1 hour 45 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content