The Bet, directed by Mark Lee 2006
The Bet was another one of the movies I was required to see. However, unlike Footy Chicks, I was excited to see this film. Marking Mark Lee's(of Gallipoli fame) entrance into the realm of directing feature films, I was interested to see how things would turn out.
Unfortunately the answer would be, not so well. It's not that this film is particularly bad per say, but it's just that it's not particularly good either. Really I would categorize it as a film that might be fun to pick up on netflix, or watch one night if you managed to catch it on television. I wouldn't, however, recommend running out to theater for this one.
The basic premise is two acquaintances make a bet with each other, who can make more money in 90 days. Angus is a banker, so his route will be through those channels while Will, who is a stock trader, will play the market in the hopes of coming out on top.
What follows is an all too standard film about silly games escalating into serious issues that hold potentially life changing ramifications. Predictably, things go to far and all does not end well for either character. Throw in the obligatory problematic side romance between Will and his girlfriend and you have what amounts to a highly formulaic popcorn flick.
It is worth mentioning, that the performances turned in by all involved are excellent. Sadly though, the script is too weak for their performances to elevate the film to the next level. That being said, it still is somewhat entertaining to watch - just not entertaining enough for me to recommend that you spend a couple hours of your life at your local theater just to see it.
**Two stars.
2 comments:
Yeah, I really should preview before I post. Anyway, I just have to add what I've said too often already. Among the standard issue bits is also the rich people are evil idea.
Other than that, I have to agree about the actors outshining the material. Also, it seemed like the shots of the city were overused, almost as if they received a good bit of funding from the city of Sydney and had to include a certain number of shots that included the city to keep the money.
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