13 Tzameti

13 Tzameti

2005
Suspense/Thriller
1h 33m
In the middle of nowhere, Sebastien (Babluani), a 22-year-old man, is repairing the house of old Jean- François Godon (Passon). But the elderly man dies without having paid his employee. Sebastien finds an envelope belonging to Godon and containing a strange invitation: a ticket train and a hotel reservation. Sebastien decides to steal Godon's identity and to get into the train. So begins a strange game. The young man discovers a terrifying world where men bet on other men's lives. (Film Forum)
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13 Tzameti

2005
Suspense/Thriller
1h 33m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 58.05% from 747 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(747)
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Rated 31 Mar 2013
68
72nd
I won't hide it. I despise French films on the same level that I despise microscopic parasite eggs in my sushi. No matter how beautifully presented, I know that if I eat the tasty blend of raw fish and sticky rice I'll soon have a 3-metre tapeworm diverting precious nutrients from my ever-weakening body. Every now and then, though, if you're lucky, you can get a fresh piece that won't give you the bloody flux. Tzameti was one such piece, but I still saw the ending coming from approx. 13 km away.
Rated 20 Apr 2008
80
82nd
It's a rare film where there's not a moment you don't see coming that somehow retains a gritty, palpable tension throughout.
Rated 12 Jul 2007
100
98th
This movie sticks with you. It crawls inside of your brain and stays there until you can feel it in the back of your skull... it sticks to your ribs and the ends of your fingers, worming its way through your body and down inside of your stomach like a virus creeping into your body, making you feel vaguely ill. It's good. It's really fucking good. Watch it.
Rated 05 Jul 2009
6
55th
Like "The Quick and the Dead". Except French, b&w, completely devoid of females and with the sense of campy fun replaced by the sense of existential dread. And, well, not directed by Raimi. So - guess it's not really like "The Quick and the Dead" after all!
Rated 08 Mar 2007
63
32nd
13 Tzameti is only as good as its central concept - and thus, about 1/3 of its running time.
Rated 12 Jul 2007
5
96th
Disturbing existential thriller. I've never felt a more palpable sense of dread come over me when watching a film. Best to go into it completely blind.
Rated 26 Aug 2007
60
22nd
40 riveting minutes in the middle that are bookended by boring and senseless set up and a completely unwarranted, cheap conclusion.
Rated 22 Nov 2007
50
40th
If you are shooting your first movie and low on budget shoot it b&w. The first half is pointless, it gets appaling by the introduction of two magical elements: guns and game. Even then it doesn't do much other than creating tension. Mostly grey use of b&w was needlesly depressing for me.
Rated 19 Feb 2009
50
43rd
Although this movie succeeds in creating a state of tension, it seems as though the filmmaker failed to adequately solve the question of how to film the central motif of the movie. Being unable to show, simultaneously, what was happening to each of the participants, he relied instead on the audience hearing what happens, and, to make this clearer, he stretched each of these moments across time, in a manner which draws attention to itself and interferes with the "realism" of these scenes.
Rated 07 Apr 2009
86
70th
Great film Craziness and violence in one story
Rated 12 Jun 2009
85
92nd
If you're the type to easily get sucked into a movie, Tzameti will leave you with clenched sweaty fists during it's second half. Takes a while to get going and the protagonists' motivations could have been fleshed out a tad better, but ye gods, once it gets going it is a wild, intense descent into hell.
Rated 01 Jan 2010
86
55th
Sick!
Rated 02 Jul 2014
72
72nd
My friends and I had our own version of this where instead of using loaded weapons we chose our colleges by darts. I got Arizona State. Bullet to the head.
Rated 10 Aug 2014
95
92nd
Gela Babluani, who at just 26 years old already knows more about suspense than many filmmakers absorb in whole careers, creates a fear so profound, a nightmare so believable that its talons rip into your perception. 13 Tzameti is elegantly minimal, and remarkably hard-hitting, and its monochromatic look at a cast of captivating, case-hardened mugs make it unbearable not to watch, even when proceedings grow nigh on unbearable.
Rated 19 Mar 2007
79
57th
Greed and desperation go hand in hand as the film shows you the consequences of both in an extreme and bizarre setup. It obviously feels somewhat contrived but it's effective.
Rated 19 Jul 2007
25
4th
The premise is just so stupid!
Rated 31 Oct 2007
77
66th
Though it's pretty superficial, this is a nice, tense little thriller with a great premise and decent execution (no pun intended).
Rated 03 Nov 2007
50
23rd
It's not a problem to make half your film a tense russian roulette game a la The Deer Hunter and then think it's nerve-wrenching. Other than that very long set piece, there's nothing really noteworthy here.
Rated 15 Nov 2007
100
98th
Intense, very intense.
Rated 04 Jan 2008
35
6th
After reading many great reviews, I found it to be pretty dull... It's very well shot, in a black and white "look: contrast" sort of way, but it's really the least interesting way this movie could have been shown. The roulette scenes are thrilling, and the performances were good (even if the main character looked enough like James Franco for it to be distracting...), but it was just too slow for my taste. I recommend "Intacto" over this any day of the week.
Rated 06 Sep 2008
85
87th
The only real flaw is that the characterization setup fails terribly, so you end up empathisizing with the protagonist far too late in the film. It's intriguing and tense throughout, but it takes too long to set in. And once it does the film is over.
Rated 28 Apr 2009
92
91st
One of the most tense movies I've ever seen.
Rated 03 May 2009
85
86th
Very good. 13 is a hauntingly brutal about a young man who accidently finds an unexpectedly cruel way to make some money. This movie shows life and death in such stark contrast likes of which have seldom been seen before. Recommended buy.
Rated 20 Nov 2009
90
98th
Damn, I seriously wouldnt want to be standing in Sebastien's shoes right now... Great french black and white movie by a french director
Rated 09 Jan 2010
80
78th
This is a good, shortish film. The balck and white photographty supports the overall depression of the opening and the brutality of the "competition". The director and lead both discharge themselves admirably, especially as this is both their débuts. The lead does particularly well to convey the naiveté so convincingly. I am now very interested to see what the English-language version will be like...I bet its crap.
Rated 30 Jul 2010
80
74th
Strong concept and a suitable lead actor, but the director's deadpan delivery was a bit too emotionally distant and never explored the psychological aspects of the "game" - only its physical effects. It felt like a short film padded out to 90 minutes rather than a structured feature film. The potential for the surrounding intrigue, alliances and backstabbings, and the police involvement were all left underdeveloped. And it wouldn't have hurt to give the hero something more to live for.
Rated 20 Aug 2010
87
78th
What a ride.
Rated 19 Oct 2010
20
41st
"Aspires to the heights of a Jean-Pierre Melville or Fritz Lang but proves to be more along the mediocre lines of an M. Night Shyamalan." - Nick Schager
Rated 26 Nov 2010
80
86th
French/Georgian noir thriller with some great ideas and great tension. Tho the pacing lacks from the beginning first act, overall still a very fine attempt.
Rated 13 Jan 2011
55
42nd
Something of a missed opportunity - sprinting through the "russian roulette" plot without building real suspense or much tension (actually quite an achievement, considering the subject matter) ...
Rated 04 Feb 2011
80
64th
3 subat 11 & guzel bir kapitalizm alegorisi.. geriyor, tuyleri diken diken ediyor.
Rated 28 Feb 2011
64
65th
Some things are better done in the remake, directed improve them...but some things make more sense in original...
Rated 04 May 2011
85
87th
I generally happen to rate French movies a couple of tiers lower when compared to the community but this one is going to be an exception. Acting was just great. I was gripped by the movie in the very first moments and the pace and the tension was maintained throughout the span.
Rated 12 May 2011
57
28th
The audience shouldn't be allowed to know how long this movie lasts, then there might be at least a hint of tension. Well acted and beautifully shot though.
Rated 19 Jul 2011
86
73rd
Hostel avant la lettre.
Rated 02 Oct 2011
80
79th
Goddamn suspensful! My heart was pounding like crazy during those thrilling moments
Rated 26 Oct 2012
60
34th
* Casting, Acting : 6 * Script : 5 * Directing, Aura : 7 * Ease of Viewing : 6 * Naked Eye : 6
Rated 19 Mar 2013
65
44th
bir "ilk film" olarak basarisiz degil, ama "ilk film" olmasinin getirdigi acemilikler de hissedilmeyecek, goze batmayacak gibi degil. bariz bir "amator" hava var filmin genelinde.
Rated 12 May 2013
70
76th
It starts as a typical French movie, but don't let that fool you. Excellent debut by Géla Babluani.
Rated 06 Jan 2014
80
67th
I really liked this movie: not because of the script (no real suprises here), not because of the premise (not exactly groundbreaking), but because it brilliantly succeeds in making you feel uneasy throughout the whole movie. With a minimum of resources (it seems), the director manages to evoke an atmosphere that skillfully balances between the claustrophobic and the uncanny. You kind of know what is going to happen, but still you're like 'WTF is happening'.
Rated 19 Feb 2015
80
57th
I'd be curious to see if the remake was able to fix some of the film's weak points, because the concept is great, but the execution is terrible.
Rated 10 Mar 2016
63
19th
Babluani shows an inherent talent in creating a palpable mood almost entirely through the image, his heightened stylistic tendencies recalling the visual iconography of film noir and, more specifically, German Expressionism. Alas, the music cues are awkward, the main character provides a horrifically stilted performance, and the ending is a complete eye-roller. That said, the film's narrative intrigue and aesthetic acuity work around its flaws for the most part.
Rated 07 Jan 2019
75
42nd
Interesting to see a different style of film making from the traditional hollywood. But lacking character development and a point besides the shock value.
Rated 12 Jan 2023
40
20th
Shot in great noir style but completely lacks substance in script, acting and pace.
Rated 24 Jul 2023
80
63rd
This film has stuck with me over the years.

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