Betting the Game is an edgy cool gangster thriller, yes, but it's no by the numbers crime short. It's astonishing, really, that a genre film like this manages to keep you interested in every grimy twist and turn.
But forget all that. This movie is refreshingly violent. I think that is a good thing. Seriously. And it's not easy to do.
It's not often in a short...no, a student short especially, that a filmmaker can evoke a visceral, gutwrenching response with cinematic violence. I'm a proponent of it...effective violence in a story like this requires astonishing technique...and taste. Look at all the mindless, over the top nonsense in other films of this type...and then watch Betting the Game to see it done right. Tanya Reihill knows what not to show...and where to point the camera. And when to hand hold it. And when to lock it down.
I won't spoil the violent scene I love so much, but you'll watch this film with balled-up fists. Enjoy!
