Three men (Jared Bankens, Keegan Macy, Antonio Saez) find themselves locked in at the bottom of an elevator shaft, neither knowing one another or how they got there. They also find weapons, like a hammer or an unloaded gun, that are pretty useless when it comes to getting them out of their predicament, and they soon enough have to realize using them against one another won't get them anywhere, even if they're all filled with rage. They also find a phone - one that can only receive calls though. And the person at the other end of the line gives them instructions, that they have to last 8 hours in the shaft, and at the end of that time only one can emerge, the other two have to be dead - and yet, they have to work togethre to resolve their situation, as should they murder prematurely, their love ones will be killed. Now that by itself sounds complicated enough, but by the by the caller gives them information about one another, and they're not exactly good people - in fact, all three of them are murderers of one sort or another - and their fates are all linked in a rather morbid way ...

At first sight, the premise of this movie might sound quite a bit like Saw - even if that movie was by far not the first one to use the strangers-locked-in-a-room twist mind you -, but the similarities are fleeting at best, as Abacus is by no means straight horror but rather a character piece wrapped into a maze-like mystery. And a dynamic and often daring directorial effort makes this film remain fresh throughout despite limited locations and a relative lack of action. And add to this a cast that in all the outrageousness of the characters remains relatable throughout, and you've got yourself a pretty cool, pretty unusual piece of thriller cinema.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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