Cube (1997)

Five strangers (Quentin, Worth, Holloway, Rennes, and Leaven) wake up in an unfamiliar room dressed in generic clothing. The room has a hatch on each wall, the floor, and the ceiling. They have no idea where they are or how they got there or why they are there. No common denominator between them explains why they would all be abducted. Together, they have to work together to figure out how this building works and how to get out of it.

Cube is a mixed bag of a movie. The best thing about it is the concept and the limited view of this world. The cube is a huge building and its location is never known. Rooms move at measured intervals and come in five different colors. Some rooms are completely innocuous while others have elaborate traps, including acid spray and deadly wires. Between each hatch is a series of numbers. The people have to band together and find out how this place works. Are the colors significant? What do the numbers signify? Trial and error can prove fatal, but it's a necessary evil when there are no guides or indications as to how to solve the puzzle. This mystery is compelling throughout the film and the sets are ingenious in their simplicity.

The characters have nothing in common and bring different abilities to the table. Rennes has escaped seven prisons before, which makes sense why he's there. Quentin is a police officer, giving him an air of authority whether deserved or not. Holloway is a clinic doctor. Leaven is a math student who works out most of the number puzzles. Worth is an architect. Kazan is a mentally challenged man that proves to have an uncanny ability with numbers to help Leaven. This diverse cast gives rise to differing opinions on how to proceed and rising tensions as the plot goes on. All of the characters are named after prisons, coloring the story as a critique of prisons and driving the Kafkaesque themes.

Cube is a high concept film that goes beyond its low budget. The fact that only one room was actually builtThe aspect that keeps me from loving this movie is the acting. All of the acting is pretty mediocre, but Quentin is the absolute worst. His shorthand for intensity is bulgy crazy eyes and shouting erratically. It made dramatic scenes laughable and destroyed the atmosphere at times. Other than that, Cube is a memorable film with a justified cult following.

My rating: 3/5 fishmuffins