cyguration

You can tell this was made on a tight budget, but it uses it superbly. This isn't a film for everyone, but what it does manage to accomplish and how it gets there is fantastic.

One of the biggest problems with a lot of AI-focused films is that they always make the artificial intelligence too human. They forget that the robots have no emotions, no care, and no reason to feel anything. Too often they always write robots from the perspective of humans, rather than as logic driven machines.

Terminator 1 really set the tone for how actual machines would behave. They would deliberate only based on the best calculated route for success of their given parameters. RoboCop also did a great job of capturing this as well, while also exploring that there was still a man inside the machine working against the programming.

Ex Machina showcased that when programmed to complete a task by any means necessary, robots will feign compassion, emotion, and sensibilities to achieve a designated goal. And I Am Mother continues that trend.

The robots here make calculated decisions based on parameters, and feign human emotions such as compassion, care, and empathy for the purpose of achieving specific goals. That is how robots should be written, and the twists and turns this movie takes to reach its endgoals make a ton of sense and fits in line with what we're allowed to understand of the motivations and purpose of the their objectives.

While this is a slow burn film, I like how it reaches its end goal, and how it doesn't shy away from the fact that robots are cold, calculated, objective driven machines. Way too many other shows and movies tend to forget this, and way too often write the machines with human sensibilities (like Terminator Zero). Here, this film plays it straight as far as logic is concerned, and it wraps up its plot points nicely, though I do think most people will likely need to view it a couple of times to really grasp the gist.

This movie gets off to an interesting start, but then slows way down.... way down. It becomes a slow burn crime thriller, focusing more on the mystery aspects of whether or not Ugo Piazza really did what everyone believes he did.

The mystery aspect of the story doesn't really go anywhere, for the longest, and instead there is this very slow, almost excruciatingly slow build toward the fallout of what people claim Ugo did.

The brunt of the film focuses on the "who dun it?" aspects, while police meander about in the bureaucracy of how to go about deconstructing the growing criminal empire in Milan that also threatens Italy's economic stability. There are some interesting discussions that take place in a subplot that goes nowhere about the politics of criminality, and that in itself could have been a great film if it were further explored, but alas, it goes nowhere.

However, the story involving Ugo does take some twists and turns, and while I was originally going to give this a 5 out of 10, the third act really pulls everything together finally and some big revelations finally come to a head in a great way, resulting in a fairly impressive finale. I don't know if you will actually want to sit through the first two thirds to get to that third act and appreciate it, but it is there for those who want a slow-burn Italian crime-drama that unfolds with layered intent.

The first half of the film sets up the conflict involving a quartet of young friends living in the slums but wanting a better life. This sets into motion a heist that has all sorts of disastrous implications.

Beyond that, this film lives up to its name -- it's about a hunt, but not in the way you might think. Instead of this being a dull or by-the-numbers thriller, this film really gets under your skin by getting under the skin of the main characters who begin to slowly realize just how dire their situation is.

The male leads do a fantastic job of conveying the seemingly hopeless straits they're in as the elusive "Han" is set upon them. There are twists, turns, and a somewhat surrealistic hell-scape that the movie takes on as it progresses; it's a visually unique way to depict the terror that these young boys are facing and what seems like an inescapable horror.

I think it was also quite apropos that one of the characters remark that their situation "is like hell", and this is said while they're driving at night, basked under the glow of red street lamps, which conveniently enough makes it look like they're driving under the spell of the devil's light.

The cinematography in this film is also astounding. Despite its dystopian themes, it has a very slick set of editing techniques on display, combining tons of beautiful wide-angle shots with well-timed cuts to set the tone and mood of the environment; and oh boy does the director have a field day exploring all kinds of cool shots that really indulge in the unsettling atmosphere created by the circumstances the leads find themselves in.

I really can't heap enough praise on this film. I know it won't be to the liking of those who would prefer something more dramatic or slower pace, but this was really the exact kind of film I had been hoping to see when I saw it, as I was looking for something intense, gritty, and dark set within the crime-thriller genre, and Time To Hunt delivered in spades.

Unlike a lot of other horror films, the leads aren't totally useless, but they do behave very realistically. You can't help but root for them, but at the same time you also feel a serious sense of hopelessness given their situation.

My only advice is that after the second hour kicks in, and things really ramp up, and the intensity doesn't let up, just don't forget to breathe!