Limbo

First time director, allegedly ... first movie, allegedly ... ridiculously small budget, allegedly ... Either someone thinks I am very gullible or movie-makers all over the world should think about making church on Sundays a regular practice ... alternatively, they should spare themselves countless hours in AA further down the line (when directors and their movies like this become common practice) and quit now!!

We live in a particularly distressing age of movie making where the most basic aspect of any movie, THE STORY, has fallen to the wayside. Nowadays stories (when they are not biographic or lifted directly from already successful books) are unimpressive at best. Montage is either stroboscopic or lethargic and cinematography is either "periodic" or over zealously "hand-held". Let us just say disenchantment with the silver screen has set in. However, I am always optimistic and sometimes it pays off and that pay off in 2005 came in the form of Thomas Ikimi's "Limbo". A conceptually and literally dark and pensive, quasi-thriller, which unselfishly and also uncompromisingly dives head first into moral debates on life, human nature, free will and religion. Rather than risk going so far into how impressed I was with Thomas Ikimi's "FIRST" cinematic effort and end up looking like a groupie ... all I will say is I am counting the days until the release of his next feature and with Ikimi's discovery of a rare diamond in Joe Holt, the wait for his next offering also seems endless. !!! BRAVO !!!

Watching this movie, you would never guess that it was made with a budget of under $10,000 or that this is writer/director Thomas Ikimi's first film. It's a truly artistic expression in film that is metaphysical, existential, and flat out brilliant. The sombre mood is consistent throughout, there are many memorable performances, and the plot takes many unpredictable twists and turns.

Limbo takes the concept of being trapped in a single hour, and how the lines between right and wrong, good and evil, begin to blur when there are no consequences to ones actions. It is a film worthy of great praise and it is strongest in the areas that matter most; the story.

Limbo seems to have been influenced by film noir, Hitchcock, Memento, Usual Suspects, Unbreakable, Fight Club, The Man Who Wasn't There, The Matrix and the original Twilight Zone. Limbo manages to match the quality of story telling of all of these. It simultaneously reminds one of so many films and yet it is so remarkably unique.

Anyone who enjoys the titles I mentioned should give Limbo a chance, it is a decision you will not regret.

In a time when movies like Primer and The Man From Earth are showing us that great films can be made on a shoestring budget, Limbo acts as a cautionary tale that small films can still be terrible.

The story is derivative of a series of derivative films. Clearly taken from Groundhog Day, which was taken from the film 12:01, which was based on the incredible independent short 12:01, Limbo offers nothing new to the story beyond a tacked-on attempt at a film noir mystery.

The acting is poor, flat and unengaging. The cinematography is pretentious with the DP constantly attempting to do something with film that is far beyond his reach. The music is sad, sounding like the incidental music one would hear in a 90's interactive cd-rom title. The dialog is simply laughable from the first line spoken to the end, both in writing and delivery.

This film is by no means a masterpiece, it's not even passable. Comparing this to films like Momento and Fight Club is like comparing Lord Of The Rings to fanfics. Feels like a student film by someone who is minoring in film studies at the University of Nevada. And a C- film at that.

All and all, normally I would have given this film 3 stars as it's a step above some youtube videos I've seen lately. However as I feel the average rating should reflect the quality of the film I am sending in a 1 star review to try to balance the score against these bizarrely skewed priors (I am seriously suspicious that they were written by friends and family of cast and crew).

To sum up, Limbo is an example that, even in an age where anyone is capable of making a film, you should really think twice about whether your passion for film isn't overshadowed by your lack of talent and vision. Skip this dog.

This dark psychological film noir is one of the best debut feature films I've ever seen. Made impressively for less than ten thousand dollars, writer/director Thomas Ikimi managed to craft a unique gem of a movie filled with deep philosophical aspects held strongly together by an intriguing and eventful story that never stops surprising.

Whilst working on a very important case involving mobsters and federal agents, lawyer Adam Moses (Christopher M. Russo) finds himself stuck in Limbo where he is essentially trapped in the same hour of time for an eternity. Although the film is in black and white, which adds to its classic film noir style, Adam interacts with some very colourful characters such as Lasloe The Great (Joe Holt) on his journey to try and find a mysterious assassin known only as Ouroboros.

Although the actors do a wonderful job in bringing this incredible story to life, they are aided immensely by Andrew David Daniels's score which perfectly accompanies both the film noir style and the eerie darkness that comes with the protagonist's struggle.

As I watched the thought provoking opening sequence of Limbo I knew I was about to watch a film the likes of which I'd never seen before. Limbo is a well made, smart movie that grabs the audience's attention from its opening and manages to hold it throughout. Although on the surface Limbo may appear to share similarities with Groundhog Day, the only real thing they have in common is a plot which sees their protagonists trapped in time and the fact that they are both great movies.

Limbo are one of those seldom little qualities that one is lucky they found. The film just has such a gripping storyline that leaves allows one to interpret it in so many numerous ways. Then the black and white look that keeps you edgy through the whole movie is truly excellent and the score by Andy Daniels is incredible in my opinion. This really is a film that everybody needs to own, ESPECIALLY, aspiring filmmakers. I still find it outstanding, being a filmmaker myself, that Ikimi managed to assemble a crew this good to produce such excellence for a meagre $9,000. I just hope that it can come out soon on DVD so that I can watch it again as I am really desperate to do so.

Hopefully, those 'directors' in Hollywood can take note of the brilliance of Limbo. It really is a great effort by the whole crew that was assembled. Well done