Cube (1997)

7 complete strangers of widely varying personality characteristics are involuntarily placed in an endless kafkaesque maze containing deadly traps.

Director:

Vincenzo Natali

Writers:

André Bijelic, Vincenzo Natali,

Stars:

Maurice Dean Wint, David Hewlett, Nicole de Boer

13 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Maurice Dean Wint	...	Quentin
David Hewlett	...	Worth
Nicole de Boer	...	Leaven
Nicky Guadagni	...	Holloway
Andrew Miller	...	Kazan
Julian Richings	...	Alderson
Wayne Robson	...	Rennes

Storyline

Six different people, each from a very different walk of life, awaken to find themselves inside a giant cube with thousands of possible rooms. Each has a skill that becomes clear when they must band together to get out: a cop, a math whiz, a building designer, a doctor, an escape master, and a disabled man. Each plays a part in their thrilling quest to find answers as to why they've been imprisoned.

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Plot Keywords:

trap | stranger | room | maze | escape | 

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Taglines:

Fear... Paranoia... Suspicion... Desperation

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some strong sci-fi violence/gore and language

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English German

Release Date:

11 July 1998 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

El cubo

Filming Locations:

Wallace Avenue Studios, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 365,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$57,147 (USA) (11 September 1998)

Gross:

$489,220 (USA) (27 November 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cube Libre, Feature Film Project, The, Harold Greenberg Fund, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

All the characters were chartered accountants in the original first draft of the script.

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Goofs

Kazan is supposed to be a math genius, something that the plot hinges on, but he makes several mistakes when calculating the number of prime factors to find out whether a room is trapped or not. He says that 462 has three prime factors, when it has four, that 206 has four when it only has two and that 563 has two and 911 has three when both are actually prime numbers.

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Quotes

Quentin: [talking to Holloway] You listen to me, woman. Every day I mop up after your bleeding heart. The only reason you even exist is because I keep you!. I know your type. No kids, no man to fuck you. So, you go around outraged, sticking your nose up other people's assholes. Sniffing their business.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cell (2000)

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Soundtracks

"Distorted Reality"
(music samples)
by Mark Korven

User Reviews

Cult Classic Sci-Fi!!

Vincenzo Natali. Funny sounding name right? Well just a little funny. Keep that name in your mind though over the next few years. After this film the Cube, Natali's follow up was the superb Cypher. He seems to be a master of a difficult genre, Sci-Fi. In a genre that is primarily known for having a high pap ratio, the fact that Natali's first two features have been cult classic science fiction movies then bodes well for Sci-fi fanatics who will eagerly anticipate his next movie. The Cube is a superbly crafted low budget film. On a shoestring budget and a dangerously basic premise full of intrigue, the film succeeds because of imaginative effects and taut directions as well as a superbly written script, delving into the human psyche in such an extreme situation. The plot is basically thus: A group of strangers wake in a cube room. They don't know where they are or how they got there but they know they must find a way out. It also transpires that when they leave each room the enter another room that is virtually identical in look. There will perhaps be a different colour in the lighting. The must find their way out before they starve tp death or go nuts, but to add to their woes, it seems that some of the rooms are booby trapped, ranging from sound activated, to pressure activated traps. They soon discover that each of them has a specific gift that can perhaps hold the key to their escape. There is a maths genius who may hold the key to discovering a way out. The rooms are numbered and the numbers could signify the type of room but also a map. The film is excellent and just when they think they have figured it out the Cube bites them in the behind. The dynamic of the characters is excellent as inevitably some go crazy. I do think that for a film shot for less than 300,000 dollars this is amazing looking. It works well for a film that is set in the same environment for the 90 minutes of the film. I have to say this film is one of those pleasant surprises that comes from nowhere and when word of mouth finally gets to you, please listen! ****