13 SINS: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

It's always nice to see a small film with no buildup get released and then discover that it's better than some of the big name titles coming out. Sure we all want to see the major releases but those small flicks often offer some great storytelling that outweighs blockbuster titles. Such is the case with 13 SINS.

Elliot Brindle (Mark Webber) is as far down on his luck as you can be. About to be married and expecting a child the company he works for decides to fire him. Their reason is that he isn't cut throat enough, that he doesn't have the gumption it takes to be a go getter. This means that he won't have insurance so his mentally disabled brother won't be taken care of. At the same time his father is facing eviction from his apartment and will have to move in with him as well. At the end of his rope, Elliot has no hope.

Then while sitting at a red light a cell phone begins ringing. He finds the phone sitting on the car seat and a mysterious voice tells him if he is willing to play a game then he can earn $100. All he has to do is swat the fly in his car buzzing around his head. He does so and a text alert tells him he now has $100 in his account. The voice tells him there is a game consisting of 13 obstacles and he's just passed the first one. If he eats the fly, he gets more money and moves on towards the next event. Bon appetite!

Elliot thinks things are going well now. He has the chance to get himself out of debt and to move on with his life. He gets another call that lets him know that once the game begins he can't back out. To do so means he forfeits everything he's won so far. He agrees only to find the tasks more and more outrageous, eventually putting his life on the line as well as his freedom when certain felonious events are asked of him. Just how far is Elliot willing to go?

The end prize is $6,000,000. On top of that the voice tells him that all traces of his crimes will be erased and he won't end up in prison. But halfway through the 13 events he is told that should he now quit he not only forfeits the money but is on his own when it comes to the police. Arson, moving a dead body and more await Elliot, but only if he carries on, all the while being watched through various means by the mysterious voice.

The movie develops with each new request of the voice, forcing Elliot to move on to more and more events that could lead him down a path of no redemption. But each one of these events not only puts more money in his pocket, with the first batch they begin to change Elliot from the milk toast that he begins as to someone to be reckoned with. But as each item gets more and more violent his willingness begins to falter. Will he complete all 13 items?

While watching this movie you can't help but ask yourself would I be willing to do what Elliot has done? Would I have even started following these tasks? Or would I simply have allowed the world to come crashing down on me with the hand that life had dealt? It's not an easy answer to come up with. If you've ever felt at wits end you know that there are times you might do anything. But that's the true word that comes into play, anything. Would or could you do anything?

The movie is well made and the pacing is great with each new item laid out and the consequences of each there to witness. As Elliot goes from willing contestant to possible patsy you wonder if he will actually succeed at these tasks. And if he does, will those responsible for the game actually follow through? In the end the movie holds your interest from start to finish.

There are some gruesome and gory moments here but most are fairly light compared to things seen on TV these days (with one possible exception involving and amputation). As the world becomes a crazier place these days with people seeming to do things thought unheard of at one time, you begin to wonder if perhaps the game is actually being played today. Keeping that thought in mind, if someone calls your cell phone and asks you to swat a fly? Hang up.

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