Series 7: The Contenders (2001)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

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:

Satire | Contest | Gun | Blood Splatter | Most Dangerous Game

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

Color:

Color

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:

The film was originally conceived as a weekly television show.

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:

Narrator: He is in intensive care following a self-inflicted knife wound to the back.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

The Wedding Serenade

Supposed comedy / parody fails miserably....

Zero laughs, even though the opportunity for black comedy was fertile. The characters are cartoon-like and the script is very thin. Way up there on the stupid scale, it is exploitive and comes across as nothing more than boring TV. This is perhaps the ultimate "so what" video. If it had been written as black comedy, interest might have been maintained, but as is, the over the top premise of six strangers trying to kill each other totally lacks interest. The special effects are poor, and the thing just grinds on as the contestants go about stalking each other. Avoid this at all costs, it is devoid of any possible entertainment value. - MERK