RIDDLE DVD (2013)

SYNOPSIS: College student Holly Teller (Elisabeth Harnois) is drawn to the mysterious small town of Riddle, Pennsylvania in search of her missing brother. Against the will of the local Sheriff (Val Kilmer) and town elder (William Sadler), she begins to unravel a mystery connected to an abandoned psychiatric hospital on the edge of town, uncovering a terrifying past the town is determined to keep hidden.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Riddle definitely is one of the biggest non-event movies of the year despite having two directors at the helm and a staggering four writers having a go at the script.

High school student, Holly Teller (Elisabeth Harnois) has a younger brother, Nathan who mysteriously went missing after two school bullies took him out for a joy ride. Years later, Holly manages to stumble upon some clues leading to the whereabouts of her brother. Driving into the eerie, quiet town of Riddle, she tries to enlist the help of local Sheriff Richards (Val Kilmer) but the law enforcer went on to dismiss Holly’s plead. Befriending the Sheriff’s daughter, Amber (Diora Baird) and the same old school bullies, Cameron and Matt who took Nathan out on the ride years before, the foursome embarks on their investigation and discovers Nathan’s missing might be linked to the town’s wicked past.    

If you are thinking along the line of Silent Hill, you are giving yourself too much hope I must say. And if you are suggesting Holly might be possessed by some sinister beings (since she dreamt about some horrifying looking nurse), you likely caught too much Supernatural. Obviously, Riddle is one hell of a hack job promising nothing exceptional and believable. For a start, try stepping into a bear trap and walk several miles to get help. One character actually does that here, just don’t roll your eyes off the floor. You can’t classify this hot mess as a drama nor does it function on the whole as a suspense thriller. Heck, even a random Scooby Doo episode fares better.

The biggest name in this direct-to-DVD production is none other than Val Kilmer who sports a ponytail and looking as overweight as Mickey Rourke. Appearing for less than 10 minutes and shot sitting behind a desk, on a chair and in a car for the entire time, Kilmer probably has a clause in his contract that says ‘no shooting below the chest’ and this for sure marks another cross in his already flagging career.

While Elisabeth Harnois and Diora Baird are two hot looking beauties, they are simply too old to be playing college girls, mother of two maybe just not student roles. There’s even a familiar face, William Sadler (Iron Man 3) as a fellow townsman but the script apparently does little justice to his presence except having him killed off in the least imaginative way.

Saves for some of the technicalities liked the cinematography which is still passable; this is one bad movie that desperately in need of several more rewrites. And you thought a creepy looking asylum and a killing spree can salvage the effort in the end? The answer remains a big NO.   

SPECIAL FEATURES:

NIL

AUDIO/VISUAL:

Audio and visual is serviceable for this bare bones DVD.

MOVIE RATING:



DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee



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