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Tuesday, June 29, 2010

[6.00/10] Exam (2010)


Exam (2010)

"Exam" is about eight candidates competing for a high-ranking position in an exalted company, who are called into a room by a mysterious man known as the Invigilator and asked to sit an exam as part of the final stage of a job interview. However, when they turn their papers over, they discover that the pages are blank, so they quickly realize they'll have to work together in order to figure out how to pass. "Exam" is low budget British thriller, that is smart, consistently entertaining and has production values that are all far better then you might expect, despite its single setting. It's also intense, mysterious and very atmospheric, and most importantly, it's thought provoking. As the events in this enclosed room unfold, there is no shortage of visual and physical excitements, suspense and thrills. Direction is pretty simple, as the whole movie is made in one tiny little room. The performances from all the actors are actually quite good and they give the limited setting more motion and interest. Unfortunately, none of the characters are particularly likable, so I didn't care about who wins or loses. The audience is well-entertained by the play on the precision in the use of language. The climax is somehow unsatisfying though. Another is a failing is, that despite those eight strangers are closed in one dark room, claustrophobia never creeps in. That would had added some much more intensity to the overall atmosphere. All in all, Stuart Hazeldine's minimalist thriller is a solid and pretty watchable, despite its unlikable characters and disappointing ending.

  • My Rating: 6.00/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 56% (5.4/10)
  • IMDb: 6.8/10

2 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I just can't get into a movie where all of the characters are deplorable.

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

It was actually very intriguing and I found refreshing that they chose all these no name actors, who all did pretty well for most of the part, with just a few exceptions.