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Nemesis Game

  • 2003
  • R
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
5.4/10
2.5K
YOUR RATING
Adrian Paul and Carly Pope in Nemesis Game (2003)
DramaMysteryThriller

An introspective university student with an unhealthy interest in riddles and puzzles becomes involved in a sinister mind game that results in murder.An introspective university student with an unhealthy interest in riddles and puzzles becomes involved in a sinister mind game that results in murder.An introspective university student with an unhealthy interest in riddles and puzzles becomes involved in a sinister mind game that results in murder.

  • Director
    • Jesse Warn
  • Writer
    • Jesse Warn
  • Stars
    • Carly Pope
    • Ian McShane
    • Adrian Paul
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.4/10
    2.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jesse Warn
    • Writer
      • Jesse Warn
    • Stars
      • Carly Pope
      • Ian McShane
      • Adrian Paul
    • 39User reviews
    • 13Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 5 nominations total

    Videos1

    Nemesis Game
    Trailer 1:40
    Nemesis Game

    Photos6

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    Top Cast19

    Edit
    Carly Pope
    Carly Pope
    • Sara Novak
    Ian McShane
    Ian McShane
    • Jeff Novak
    Adrian Paul
    Adrian Paul
    • Vern
    Rena Owen
    Rena Owen
    • Emily Gray
    Brendan Fehr
    Brendan Fehr
    • Dennis Reveni
    Jay Baruchel
    Jay Baruchel
    • Jeremy Curran
    Vanessa Guy
    Vanessa Guy
    • Marie
    Eve Crawford
    • Lea
    Richard Fitzpatrick
    Richard Fitzpatrick
    • Tom
    Ron Pardo
    Ron Pardo
    • News Anchor #1
    Tony Munch
    Tony Munch
    • Bearded Man
    Michael Kinney
    • Doctor
    Philip Williams
    Philip Williams
    • Police MC
    Victor A. Young
    • Professor
    • (as Victor Young)
    J.C. Kenny
    • Reporter #2
    Paul McGuire
    • Reporter #3
    Wendy Petrie
    • Reporter #1
    Brian Rhodes
    • Security Guard
    • Director
      • Jesse Warn
    • Writer
      • Jesse Warn
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews39

    5.42.4K
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    10

    Featured reviews

    zdravc69

    interresting plot

    I saw the movie yesterday and I must say that I was impressed by the deep plot and twisted guideline. In fact you don't know the outcome 'till the last and it was so much unexpected ... very interresting movie. My recommendation - you must it !!
    Enochian

    Avoid this movie like the plague

    Ok.. here's a short synopsis of the movie : Sara Novak (Carly Pope) is a college girl who's into riddles. She 'plays' riddle games with Vern (Adrian Paul), a shopkeeper, in a scavenger hunt type thing, where solving one riddle will lead to another one. But both of them (separately) get an 'invitation' to play a series of riddles, (usually spray painted on subways for Sara, and on his shop windows/websites for Adrian) which, once solved will reveal the 'design' supposedly explaining why things in life are the way they are i.e. the meaning of life. There are a couple of murders along the way and the whole thing meanders to a climax which is more predictable than my mother-in-law's christmas dinner. Of course by this time, you are so numb thanks to the insipid acting and the stupid plot, that you have lost the will to live and dont care anymore. I have seen a lot of silly movies in my life (unfortunately) and this one deserves to be right on top of the list with the others. The riddles are so ridiculous that even my 5 year-old nephew could have solved them after taking a look. What I would indeed like to know who finances these things. I have a couple of movie ideas about talking chipmunks involved in industrial espionage that I'd like to run past them. In short : Do not watch this movie at all costs!!
    6sofiepeterson

    Very poor ending!

    If this movie would have had another ending, it could easily have gotten a much higher vote from me. Being a movie I had not heard of before but just happened to stumble across, I had no expectations prior to watching it. And except for the last 10 minutes or so, it kept me focused and interested. I love this kind of plots, that includes riddles and clues which gives the person watching the movie, abit of a challenge. But unfortunately they didn't manage to make a good ending, that explained it all in a brilliant way, that made sense of the whole movie. Instead the ending destroyed the entire film. When they build up a plot, they've got to deliver an answer that's reasonable and explains everything that's happened up till that point. But when they fail to do so and just give us an ending with even more questions, it's very disappointing. I would like to advice the ppl responsible for this movie to remake the last 10 minutes and do it better this time.
    5shanfloyd

    Bad climax ruined the initial enthusiasm.

    This is one of the movies that keeps you glued to your seat till the end by weaving too many plot webs but in the end fails miserably to provide some interesting climax. 'Nemesis Game' has a decent basic plot, taut suspense, an interesting central character... but the ending is just meaningless and thus making the whole effort very disappointing. The movie somehow reminded me of the Jude Law starred 'Existenz' but far less efficient in making a story come around. Director Jesse Warn tries hard to give it a cult look, with appropriate shooting locations, good background music,decent script etc and is aided by nice performance by Carly Pope. Yes, the riddles themselves sometimes looked easy, sometimes bizarre which leaves a mixed impression, but they were not enough to answer all the incidents happening in the film. The ending is just too 'cheap' to provide the answers. If somehow that means to keep the viewer occupied with it after watching the film, that's the big mistake. Because without good climax, any such film is instantly forgettable.
    9nomadicpoet

    A Cerebral Adventure

    Nemesis Game is a mind-bending film filled with riddles, death, mystery, and philosophy. In it's simplest sense the film is about seeking answers and what happens when you've finally found them all. The search for answers leads Sarah Novak down a path that gets darker as it gets more compelling. The final answer seems more dangerous than it is worth, yet Sarah is so close to understanding it all. What would you do if you were offered the ability to finally make sense of the chaos of life?

    The movie was written and directed by Jesse Warn. While this was Warn's first feature length film, the movie doesn't reflect that at all, but instead shows polish and an artistic approach to telling the story. Carly Pope was powerful in the lead role and showed a depth of complexity that was fascinating to watch. I would definitely love to see more of her work.

    Being based on riddles, this is a very cerebral movie. It's that's your thing, as it is mine, then I totally recommend seeing Nemesis Game. Rating: 4.5/5

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    Related interests

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    Drama
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    Mystery
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    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The subway station in the movie is an abandoned station at Bay Street on the Toronto subway. At one time it was used when trains switched from the Bloor-Danforth line to the Yonge line. When that was discontinued because of switching problems, the station was abandoned. The Toronto Transit Commission rents it out for movie shoots such as this. At one point it had been made to look like a New York subway station and the TTC wished to keep it that way. However the fire department vetoed that because the material used in the "disguise" presented a fire hazard.
    • Goofs
      The destination "linen" on the subway trains clearly read OUT OF SERVICE.
    • Quotes

      Jeff Novak: If we knew all of the answers, we wouldn't be human. Maybe not knowing the answer makes us go on living. That's what life's all about.

    • Connections
      References Heavy Gear (1997)
    • Soundtracks
      Red
      Performed by Elbow

      Written by Guy Garvey, Mark Potter, Craig Potter, Richard Jupp and Pete Turner

      Published by Salvation Music Ltd

      (C) Salvation Music Ltd and Warner Chappell Music Ltd

      By Kind Permission of Warner/Chappell Music Ltd

      Courtesy of V2 Records

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 16, 2003 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Canada
      • New Zealand
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Игра возмездия
    • Filming locations
      • New Zealand
    • Production companies
      • Lionsgate
      • Emily Gray Productions Ltd.
      • Paper Pictures Inc.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $3,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 32m(92 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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