Director E.L. Katz—who is a longtime collaborator of You’re Next’s Adam Wingard—makes his feature film debut with Cheap Thrills, a deeply discomforting, nasty piece of cinema that isn’t afraid to push every button in the genre. The film follows Craig, a struggling family man who is on the very edge of losing everything. After running into an old friend at the bar, the two friends are roped into a round of drinks by a charismatic and ridiculously wealthy stranger along with his wife. Together the couple create a series of seemingly innocent dares for the two friends to do in exchange for some quick cash. As the cash reward gets higher and higher, the dares become more and more twisted, showing just how far some people are willing to go for money.
Katz’s twisted sense of humor is on full display here as the film quickly turns into a stomach turning affair that you will likely never forget. The central theme about the film is obvious, how far would you go to make some quick cash? It’s really amazing to see how different people become once money is being waved in front of their eyes. And it’s quite a treat to see the transformation of a family man into something entirely different as he becomes fueled by his own greed.
What’s great about Cheap Thrills is that it becomes a competition between the two friends who at the start of the film are quite friendly towards one another. But as things move along, their true colors are revealed as they both take on completely different faces. Greed, desperation and sheer stupidity become the name of the game as these two dish it out for the highest reward; and as horrible as it is to watch, it’s entertaining as hell, pure and simple.
The premise is genius—even though it’s a pretty ridiculous one—because it sets in motion some sick and twisted dares that only get worse as the cash reward gets higher. At some point you’d think these guys would throw in the towel, but no, what fun would that be? It’s one of those films that never lets you settle down–even in its quieter moments—because you just know that there’s something so much worse around the corner. It’s a fantastic way to tell a story because it keeps you on edge until the final frame; and what a final frame it is.
I can’t say enough good things about Cheap Thrills, it’s truly a demented slice of horror that is just as fun as it is nasty. On the surface is a pitch black ride of pure gut-wrenching thrills, but once you tear away those layers you’ll find something with a much deeper meaning, and what it is to truly want something that your heart desires oh so much.
May have to give this one a go!
You really should check it out. It’s a blast.
Great review Ryan, have been hearing a lot of good stuff about this film. Will have to check it out if it gets an Aussie release of any description.
Thanks! Yea, it sounds like the majority of people really enjoyed this one. It’s a really entertaining flick, definitely check it out when you can!
I loved it, and the Agent Orange song kicking in when it cut to credits was the icing on the fucking cake! So cool they were able to get the rights.
It’s such a ridiculously fun little film from top to bottom!
Gets you thinking, too. If we were ever in that position and it came down to losing our house, how much of that stuff would I do? How much would I let my husband do? There’s no kids in the picture here, but …eek. I think I’d lose my nerve when it came to doing stuff I could be thrown in jail for…then again they did have a lot of prescription drugs on hand. Before I saw the movie, I was also worried they’d get cute and have some twist where it turned out surprise! David Koechner was broke too, and it wasn’t their house. Thankfully things never went there.
Speaking of the cast, I could not BELIEVE than was Ethan Embry. I didn’t recognize him until I saw the credits and even then, had to double-check on IMDB.
Have you seen a Thai thriller (that I consider mostly horror with some black humor rather than a black comedy) called “13-Game of Death?” If you like this, I recommend the Thai movie (rather than the American remake that just came out on VOD called ’13 Sins’ – NO WAY could they go as far as the Thai movie. I rented it via Netflix and was so blown away I ended up buying a copy. It’s packed with suspense and keeps you hooked, but you need a strong stomach not to look away during a few scenes.
I actually have seen the Thai film 13 Game of Death. It’s surprisingly good! Haven’t see the remake yet but I’m hearing it’s not all that bad.