User reviews

"Darkgame" is a suspenseful ride that throws you into the murky world of online predators and hidden identities. While the film falters at times with a predictable plot that borrows from other films, it's the strong performances and intriguing characters that keep you engaged.

The story follows Detective Jacobs as he delves into a twisted online game where viewers pay to watch victims tortured. The investigation takes him down a rabbit hole of cryptic clues and shadowy figures, including the enigmatic Presenter (played with chilling relish by Andrew P. Stephen) who orchestrates the disturbing game.

Where Darkgame truly excels is in its atmosphere. The film masterfully captures the unsettling anonymity of the dark web, making you question who you can trust online. The interrogation scenes are particularly tense, with Detective Jacobs facing off against cunning suspects like Larch (brilliantly portrayed by Rick Yale), a character whose backstory hints at a deeper darkness.

However, the film's biggest weakness lies in its familiarity. The plot unfolds in a fairly predictable manner, relying on well-worn tropes of the genre. With a bigger budget, Darkgame could have delved deeper into the psychological motivations of its characters.

Here's where the film's true potential lies. Characters like Larch and The Presenter are far too fascinating to be relegated to the sidelines. While the film might not break new ground narratively, it lays the foundation for a captivating universe with untapped potential. If you're looking for a quick and suspenseful watch, Darkgame won't disappoint.

Actually more than one game! So no pun intended! Yes if that sounds familiar ... you may have ... Saw in mind! You saw it coming anyway (the pun that is). You may be tired of all the movies trying to copy Saw - and I don't think this is able to reach the heights of it ... maybe not even some of its sequels power.

That said, the movie is more than fine .... especially the main bad guy. He is having so much fun with his role ... and it shows! Even if he covers his face - I assume there may be another movie in the works - or at least planned ... maybe prequel, maybe something or rather someone else than him taking over ... maybe him - depends on the end of the movie, doesn't it? That was rhetorical obviously.

Interesting horror with some horrifying effects ... not for the faint hearted for sure ... be wary if you are sensitive ... just saying.

For the love of all that is holy... LEARN TO LIGHT A FREAKING SCENE! Every. Single. Scene. Is backlit with daylight coming through the windows and ZERO fill lighting. In a police station, apparently they cannot afford to pay the power bill. Not a single light is on. At night, there is the equivalent of 4 watt night light bulbs "lighting" the scene, again from behind, so that the main figures are silhouetted. There is one scene in the killer's basement where there is literally a dual fixture flood light - FLOOD light, mind you - that apparently puts out as much area light as MAYBE a single 40 watt bulb. And that is being generous. I don't know who started this ignorant, film-school-dropout trend of poor lighting, but they should be forced to participate in one of these "Russian Roulette" games.

OK... enough about the lack of lighting. The movie itself... meh. It's been done before, and in much better fashion. There is no reason for the killer or his games. There is no rhyme nor reason to the "contestants" choosing. There is no reason for the convict that is called in to help, and then once he does, he's completely forgotten. As a matter of fact, once the feds come in and take over (like they always do), towards the end, the just aren't there. No reason. No mention.

Oh, but just for checklist's sake, there is one of each... just because. No matter who you are, you WILL see yourself in this movie. As a matter of fact, I have never seen so many foreign language speakers in America in my life. I will give it that the usual suspects are not all knowing and all powerful. The casting is the only thing "current." But It is still noteworthy just for the sake of transparency.

Nah... don't even bother with this one.

Disappointed! The idea of the film was good - executed in a miserable way.

Set design - meh Costume design - Bad Acting - more than enough room for improvement Script/ dialogue - a lot of cliché tech and law terminology Music/score - okay

Overall felt like a high school project, so I can imagine it would be convincing for 12yr olds.

It was like watching one of those fake prank videos on Facebook - just irritatingly pretentious.

The events are said to take place on the dark web - I'm confident that zero research was conducted regarding the etiquette and culture surrounding the dark web and 'red rooms'.

Same goes for law enforcement - their meetings are cheesy, the swat team are cringe and felt like I was watching a YouTube skit or a SNL sketch. I'm impressed at how little effort can be made into a movie that potentially had a great film writer.

Everything felt really vague! ... Not to be confused with ambiguity (in which case would be somewhat suspenseful) It is a watered down version of something that could've been tasty.

Everything felt a little too clean and 'on the nose' with no depth or character development.

It's like when Crime programs like CSI used to do that thing where they click one button to "enhance image" ... Like bruh 😆 that's the feeling I got when watching this - like we're just supposed to accept it haha.

Gave 2 stars because it MIGHT be funny if you're high.

The movie is very bad and the story is repeated, but by directing worse than the previous films that were watched, shooting is limited to two places throughout the movie. I do not recommend wasting your time watching this bad content. The movie is commercial. I don't know how it was included in the cinema. It does not live up, so the actors were not, and there are many mistakes that the mind cannot accept even for entertainment. I hope that the cinema companies will be the greatest responsibility so that these commercial films are not included once in the theaters.

Thanks for reading my opinion.

This movie seemed like a watered down version mash up of SAW and Hostel. Lead played by one dimensional unbelievable Ed Westwick, but I guess the dialog left him no choice. The Presenter was a mix of Joker & Saw without any embellishments. Never really answered how the Presenter was one step ahead of the cops/FBI as well as other plot dropped questions. Should have been so much through and not left any dead ends. I was not too thrilled and left very disappointed.

I think I watched a different movie than those who thought it was an "intense, gruesome thriller" or "A Gripping Thriller" or even "intelligent".

I found this film to be a gripping thriller that defied the expectations set by its trailer. While not excessively gory, it effectively maintained tension throughout, offering a storyline that kept me engaged without any dull moments. Ed Westwick's portrayal of a troubled cop on a mission to rescue kidnapped individuals from a dark web game show was noteworthy, bringing depth to the character. Opposing him was a villain reminiscent of the Joker, played by newcomer Andrew Stephen, who delivered a standout performance that evolved from menacing to oddly compelling.

The heart of the film revolves around the captives, a group of likable characters, particularly the main female victim Katya, who serves as the audience's window into the dark games. While the film may not be groundbreaking in its themes, it presents them in a well-structured manner that sustains interest from start to finish. The tension builds effectively, with gruesome moments cleverly implied rather than explicitly shown. The director skillfully elicits strong performances from the cast, and the refined script contributes to the overall coherence of the film.

While the film excels in many aspects, it does show signs of budget limitations in certain areas. While the setting suits the narrative, larger set pieces could have enhanced the viewing experience. Overall, it offers a tightly woven storyline that keeps viewers captivated throughout.

A more intelligent film than it first appears actually. I watched thinking it would be a mildly thriller in vein of other dark web orientated content. But I was surprisingly entertained on a few fronts.

The film opens with a bloody death as the masked host of a game show kills an innocent girl, and I immediately thought I'd be watching a nasty hostel-alike show.

Not at all - sticking with it, what unfurls is a tight, attention grabbing thriller, with a lot of tension, and squirming moments that manage to avoid showing any real gore, a testament to the film-makers to able to pull that off.

The antagonist of the film, the Presenter, kidnaps people and puts them in his game show on the dark web, where presumably his evil friends place bets on who gets evicted and how they get killed.

What then unfurls is something a little more layered. Ben, played by Gossip Girls Ed Westwick, is battling his own demons whilst hunting this supposed deranged lunatic taking people hostage, and a young mum called Kaya who provides our window into the game, and the Presenter himself, who, in my eyes, is the real star of the show here.

I found myself starting to root for him about two thirsts into the film, which is a great mark pf a film presenting an antagonist that we might love to hate. He is deliciously played by Andrew P Stephen, who has done little on screen before, but he is clearly enjoying the role immensely, he is a joy to watch and I would like to see a sequel where he take more of a central stage.

This film delivers of thrills and drama. It lacks some sophistication in its execution, I'd have liked the police station and exteriors to have felt bigger, but the action it does have is well done.

This intense, gruesome thriller has a fairly predictable script - especially the cliched dialogue between PD and FBI - with a few clever twists. But overall the acting is generally very good, especially by the victims, and some of the fight scenes are well choreographed and appear very realistic.

Because it's low budget, my expectations of the director were low, but it's kind of amusing to see how they used the limited locations.

There's at least one fun jump-scare and certainly enough to make this worth watching for fans of this type of psychological thriller.

And it's also unusual to see a movie set in Portland.