In small town Ohio a petty thief under pressure from a loan shark is taken under the wing of a mysterious benefactor, who offers him a role in a game that will change his life.
More satire than horror, and the violence is mild with most of it not just off screen but barely even referred to - although it does get explicit in the end. Also the sex is coy - what were they doing on the floor? - so most horror fans would give it a miss. The game is one we've seen in many movies over the years, so I'll just note that it has harsh observations on inequality in the USA, including flag and anthem.
I enjoyed this. The atmosphere is seedy, the mood grim, but there's a touch of Scorsese in the strip club scene and the actors get their teeth into the dialogue as they deliver a group of engaging characters. And then there's the brilliant benefactor (the Lion), played with affable menace by a first time actor (and producer) who performs neat little dance moves as the ringmaster of the deadly game. He has a strong screen presence and gives the movie a real edge - more McConaughey than Hopper but still unsettling.
The game scenes have a downbeat decadence to them, reminiscent of many British movies of the '60s. The pace is pretty good, there's some farting about with out-of-sequence editing in the middle, and the music mostly fits well with sinister piano & synth & some scratchy strings, breaking into hill billy dance numbers during the game.
Overall, a small movie but a good 'un - although not strong enough in its tastes.
