The reason I wrote this review is to give a heads up to people like me who check this website for a film and it's ratings/reviews to get an idea of whether or not it is any good. The plot of 'Ante' is very original and interesting. The writer delivered a very cool idea. The movie itself, however, is awful. You get a nice opening 20 minutes or so but the rest of the movie is absolutely terrible. It slowly becomes more and more ridiculous to the point you can no longer take it seriously. The closing scene caps off the absurdity. Cringe-worthy. Don't be fooled by the score. Ante is not worth viewing.
7 Reviews
know when to fold them
specialuse1177 June 2013
Warning: Spoilers
There were some entertaining moments, but just kind of fell apart. Worst editing of a movie in a long time. I want to go back with a stop watch and time how much we have to watch the lead actor run. I bet at least 20 minute is just chase scenes on foot that just go on and on. When he wasn't running he was digging graves over and over again.
Side note: I was distracted by the guy sounding like Dan Akyroid from SNL.
I was more interested in the farm woman, she had a decent presence on the screen but was grossly underused, the only interesting character and actress. The other wife was a joke and just didn't fit.
Plot holes everywhere, many moments of sheer boredom, unlikable characters, it was really an empty film that had a few moments I did enjoy but it was not worth it.
Side note: I was distracted by the guy sounding like Dan Akyroid from SNL.
I was more interested in the farm woman, she had a decent presence on the screen but was grossly underused, the only interesting character and actress. The other wife was a joke and just didn't fit.
Plot holes everywhere, many moments of sheer boredom, unlikable characters, it was really an empty film that had a few moments I did enjoy but it was not worth it.
Ludicrous
artpf21 October 2013
When down-on-his-luck Sam Bailey takes a wrong turn on a remote country road, he ends up with more than a little dirt to wash off his shoes after a miserable farm wife's hope for a better life becomes his worst nightmare.
After Sam's greedy Russian wife discovers his deadly secret, she ups the ante with her own crazy plot - playing with Sam's life to cover her bet. The story of a man's absurd gamble to save his innocence; three desperate people who bet everything they have in a brainless high-stakes game of loser-loses-all.
Firstly, I completely agree with the reviewer who said the score for this movie has been manipulated. There is no way a normal person would give this a score of 8, 9 or 10! No way.
It's quite a pretentious movie and not a lot of it makes a shred of sense. For example if you walk into a hone and see broken furniture and blood on the carpet would you go in the basement? Really? The movie starts out well but then goes down hill fast. Believably disappears and there is no tension whatsoever. In fact there are scenes that are down right laughable.
And the main character smokes so much he MUST have lung cancer by now. Why he was cast at all is a mystery. He's got a horrible annoying voice. His claim to fame? He played a cop on the Trailer Park Boys.
After Sam's greedy Russian wife discovers his deadly secret, she ups the ante with her own crazy plot - playing with Sam's life to cover her bet. The story of a man's absurd gamble to save his innocence; three desperate people who bet everything they have in a brainless high-stakes game of loser-loses-all.
Firstly, I completely agree with the reviewer who said the score for this movie has been manipulated. There is no way a normal person would give this a score of 8, 9 or 10! No way.
It's quite a pretentious movie and not a lot of it makes a shred of sense. For example if you walk into a hone and see broken furniture and blood on the carpet would you go in the basement? Really? The movie starts out well but then goes down hill fast. Believably disappears and there is no tension whatsoever. In fact there are scenes that are down right laughable.
And the main character smokes so much he MUST have lung cancer by now. Why he was cast at all is a mystery. He's got a horrible annoying voice. His claim to fame? He played a cop on the Trailer Park Boys.
Great Indie Film With Original Ideas
imaredhead94615 February 2013
I thought this film was great. I loved the story line and the choice of folk music used. I actually researched the music after watching the movie several times. I take a chance and watch indie movies I've never heard of from time to time and wondered if this would be a good movie. A few minutes into the movie, I was hooked. I would recommend it to anyone. It's just a little over an hour long so if you don't like it, you haven't wasted too much time but I loved it!
My only problem was that this movie has not been watched enough to be able to do a Google search and find it based on the movie plot. I think it's a shame that they didn't spend more on publicity so more people would know about it. Anyway, I liked the movie very much and spent a lot of time trying to find the title so I could watch it again before I accidentally ran across it on Netflix again. I won't forget it next time! I would probably buy this movie if I could find it. Of course, I do like odd and off the beaten path types of movies. I thought it was original which is difficult to find these days and I never really figured out what was going to happen at the end until it was over.
Thanks for a great indie film!!
My only problem was that this movie has not been watched enough to be able to do a Google search and find it based on the movie plot. I think it's a shame that they didn't spend more on publicity so more people would know about it. Anyway, I liked the movie very much and spent a lot of time trying to find the title so I could watch it again before I accidentally ran across it on Netflix again. I won't forget it next time! I would probably buy this movie if I could find it. Of course, I do like odd and off the beaten path types of movies. I thought it was original which is difficult to find these days and I never really figured out what was going to happen at the end until it was over.
Thanks for a great indie film!!
Indie film noir hat satisfies
klbrad196328 May 2012
Warning: Spoilers
The Ante begins with the fateful meeting between Sam and a farmer's wife on her isolated farm after Sam makes a wrong turn. Trouble ensues after the farmer's wife accidentally or is is purposely cuts Sam's arm. The film is able to be both claustrophobic and atmospheric at the same time. Despite a limited budget the cast and crew make the most of the locale and set design. The film has been compared to film noir classics like Detour and the early works of the Coen Brothers. Fans of these types of films will see their influence, but the production maintains its own identify as the viewer attempts to decipher the characters motivations. It is a fast-paced thriller that will maintain your interest throughout it's 80 minutes of screen time.
Good indie dark comedy
EdCharleston21 February 2015
Story:A+ | Acting:C- | Cinematography:A+ | Editing:B- | Music:A
I saw it on the big screen in Houston a couple of years back. The plot is great - lots of twists and turns. Someone should definitely make a remake with more budget and better-known actors. I read this was shot with less than $ 100K in 28 days.
If you liked The Trouble with Harry (Hitchcock) or Fargo (Cohen), you'll probably enjoy this. It's basically a tongue-in-cheek dark comedy. It's not always clear how seriously we're expected to take the characters since they're basically all offbeat neurotics. Some of it's a little sketchy, some of it is excellent - so in the end it felt both refreshing and imperfect, like good indie films often do.
I saw it on the big screen in Houston a couple of years back. The plot is great - lots of twists and turns. Someone should definitely make a remake with more budget and better-known actors. I read this was shot with less than $ 100K in 28 days.
If you liked The Trouble with Harry (Hitchcock) or Fargo (Cohen), you'll probably enjoy this. It's basically a tongue-in-cheek dark comedy. It's not always clear how seriously we're expected to take the characters since they're basically all offbeat neurotics. Some of it's a little sketchy, some of it is excellent - so in the end it felt both refreshing and imperfect, like good indie films often do.
Overall, not a bad movie.
brett_kyle7416 July 2014
First and foremost, if you like the basic plot line of the movie give it a shot. I personally do not give any credit to reviews of any movie as everyone has different tastes in what they like. Secondly, pay no attention to the conspiracy theorists who claim the movies rating were inflated (so to speak). The plot line to this movie is believable and played out fairly well. The movie has some points that could have been better, but that is true of most any movie you watch. Keep in mind this was an indie film going in and with that being said, tailor what you expect to that. Overall, the movie was decently portrayed, the cast was fairly well suited to the characters, and the plot itself was not so outlandish as to be completely unbelievable (which sadly happens with big budget mainstream movies these days). Give the movie a chance and base your opinion solely on what you think of it and not what others have said. It has been my experience that if a critic (or armchair critic in this case) didn't like a movie, it was probably pretty good.
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