The Game of Death

When I heard there was a film version of Robert Louis Stevenson's The Suicide Club, I was immediately intrigued. Stevenson's short story set up an unusual and very dark premise but I felt the story too short, it's possibilities not quite fulfilled. Samuels' film version expands Stevenson's idea and takes it to the limit. Jonathan Pryce is wonderfully sinister as the mastermind behind a game of death. Literally, a card game. The story's hero, destroyed by the tragic demise of the woman he loves, craves nothing but death for himself. Lured into a macabre private club where death is dealt by Pryce as the Master of Ceremonies, Henry Joyce is eager to be dealt the one special black card. Because in this club, members kill each other, eliminating a charge of suicide - anathema in Victorian England. Then, Joyce meets the mysterious Sara - brilliantly played by Catheryn Siggins, also a club member and things begin to unravel for Joyce as he finds himself falling in love. Twists and turns and a surprise ending tops off this excellent film. Paul Bettany, Samuels' discovery, as Shaw is perfectly cast. I was so drawn in that I almost wanted to join the club. Beautifully shot in Ireland with authentic period details, Samuels has made a tour de force on a shoestring.