Paintball (2009/IFC Films/MPI DVD)

 

Picture: B-     Sound: C     Extras: C     Main Program: B-

 

 

Eight pro-paintballers have been brought together for the ultimate paintball challenge, a renegade paintball game for 2 days in the thriller Paintball (2009).  Their objective is to capture 6 flags and survive for 2 days, the ultimate game for any hardcore gamer... that is until they discover someone is using real bullets and they are the game.  As they desperately try to survive and find out who is hunting them, they soon find out that it is play or pay... and the stakes are their lives.

Eight strangers are brought in for an illegal paintball game.  Thinking it is all fun and games, that is until the game suddenly turns deadly... at first some them wanted to quit, but they soon find out quitters only end up dead.  At each flag there is a box with an item to help them even up their odds a little, but when there are no rules, the team begins to fall apart when members begin fighting, even killing each other for what is inside the boxes... As a deadly hunter stalks them a mysterious organization watches on... manipulating them from the shadows.
 
If you like hunter and survivor horror movies then stop here, what was to be a weekend getaway turns into the ultimate nightmare.  When pretend suddenly becomes real, some players fold, while others get into the 'game'.  Thought I would hardly call it fair game when the hunter has superior firepower and tracking equipment (thermal imaging goggles).  I could also argue there were a few problems with some of psychologies of character's characterizations, if were a bunch 'hardcore' paintballers, they would of banded together more and used better tactics to help them survive instead cracking so easily.  Extras include trailers and making of featurette.

 

 

-   Ricky Chiang