Main cast: Warren Kole (David Hellar), Jaime Ray Newman (Emma), Dustin Nguyen (Jin-Soo), Nick Lane (Tyler), and Bai Ling (Kim Lee)
Director: Matt Eskandari
The things I do for Warren Kole, I tell you. There’s a good reason that whenever he shows up—sadly for me, never enough—he plays the deranged bad guy. He’s good at it, and looking so damn fine while he’s at it.
Since there are only so many times I can watch cut scenes of Philip Graves in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Rafe Adler in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, I’m thrilled to finally come across Game of Assassins one fine day. Finally, something from Mr Kole that I haven’t seen before!
When the title card plays, it says that this movie is called The Gauntlet. Well, that’s actually a more accurate title for this movie, as the title it ends up with and the movie poster have nothing to do at all with the actual thing.
This movie rides on the whole “strangers wake up in a room full of death traps” bandwagon that was all the rage in the early 2000s.
Indeed, five people wake up, only not in a room, but what seems like the catacombs in Diablo. Think: medieval torture devices, skeletons and rotting corpses strewn everywhere, and barely any light. Oh, and there are weapons strewn around to be picked up, along with secret keyholes and more.
There are David Hellar, a cop, along with cynical Emma, the young kid Tyler, and the token stereotype of a Korean Jin that also carries a pic of his wife and kid (yeah, guess what will happen to that fellow) along with Kim Lee, a mysterious lady that claims she is on the run from other, more unhinged people trapped in this place.
What is this place, anyway? Fortunately, in addition to being an action hero capable of carrying the rest of the gang, David also grew up in a Catholic orphanage, so he conveniently enough is able to read and understand the Biblical clues written around the place in Aramaic. Wait, they teach Aramaic in these places?
It turns out that they have to go through four levels and solve some puzzles along the way, in order to free themselves.
Really, this is a video game. Viewing this movie as anything else will just lead people to a most disappointing place. The movie is structured like a video game or tabletop role-playing game campaign, with these barely developed characters jumping in and trying to survive four consecutive levels of agony.
Each level demands blood and even sacrifice, but this movie isn’t subtle when it comes to David’s plot armor. That dude barely gets a scratch, and he is always in control in every situation!
It’s also easy to figure out Kim Lee, and on the whole, the movie can be on the predictable side. The characters also barely rise above being stereotypes.
However, the cast actually puts on a solid performance, with Mr Kole making a pretty convincing action hero that is always easy on the eyes. There are so many close-ups on his face, so this movie definitely knows my heart. Bai Ling once again cements her reputation: she may always seem to show up in the worst movies around, but she at the same time will always elevate them with her gorgeous yet barely-restrained cray cray screen presence!
By the time the big twist is revealed, David’s plot armor and how this Gauntlet seems way too easy for him make a whole lot of sense, though. Hence, the movie may not be the best thing ever when it comes to plot and characterization, but it is self aware enough to cover its bases.
So yes, I’ve had a good time watching this silly thing. Don’t ask me how much of my enjoyment is due to my infatuation with Warren Kole, though. These things are never rational; we just have to follow our heart on these matters.
