A Hand to Play (2013) User Reviews

Excellent thriller

[Info-704-782015 · 10/10 · 5 June 2013]

Managed to watch a screener of this tense little film this past week. First thing is first, Doug Bradley is scary in everything he is in, including this. Bradley plays Mr. Trent, a gangster type who is looking to make an example out of one of his employees.

Although it runs for less than 15 mins, the tension I felt through every second. The music that accompanies the film is perfect and the director shows that he is very capable and could very well have a promising future.

Keep an eye out on this little astute thriller

9 out of 10

Good Short Film, But...

[ProfessorMovieMovie · 5/10 · 23 January 2014]

This is a good, tight and taught thriller. I liked just about everything about it. It's well written and wonderfully acted. The bad guy is scary and unpredictable right away. The actor playing the bad guy is spooky without being cheesy or over the top. He is even believable as a sort of crazy ass super villain.

I liked the story, etc. etc. but I did not like the music editing. I think this short would have been 1000 times more suspenseful and thrilling without the continual and very annoying, overwrought sound track. The music is very good, well written, performed well and it's obvious someone of skill wrote and produced the music track.

However, it is non-stop and intrusive. It's far too loud in the beginning and it NEVER STOPS. You notice it every second it is NOT enhancing it is obscuring.

I suggest the film makers keep everything else about this movie as it is but go back to the drawing board and rethink the music editing.

Seriously annoying to the point of awful distraction.

Can only give this a 5 due to highly irritating music editing.