Shackled (2010)

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Best movie of this year hands down!

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

For some reason 11 people (at the moment) have given this p.o.s 10 stars. 8 people gave it 1 star. And factoring in the other votes, it starts to look like this movie just might be worth sitting through (expecially if you read the only other review posted) but, there are so many other horrible experiences you could be putting yourself through. Like sticking a vibrator in your ear while chewing on tinfoil. There are so many flaws in this movie that I'm only going to waste a little time describing a few. First, this is not Blair witch or any type of movie like it. So why is it you can obviously tell the camera is be held in the operators hand? When the screen shakes, its a reminder that your watching a movie and it kills any suspense. Also, if you wanna build suspense, try inventing characters your audience will identify with or care about. If your just watching a story and are completely detached, then there is no reason to be suspense filled or scared. (Once again the idea is to make your audience forget there watching your crappy movie). I'm gonna keep this one short... it was cool for things to not be explained and/or make sense in the movie "rubber" (highly recommended) seeing as that was sort of the point of that movie. This movie, on the other hand, should have full explanations for the events happening. Otherwise it will seem as though your writers are just really bad at writing scripts. Which was the case as far as this feature is concerned. Lastly, lighting is key to LETTING YOUR AUDIENCE ACTUALLY SEE WHATS HAPPENING. And there are other suspenseful sounds other than chellos playing the same thing over and over. (Jaws could get away with it, this movie, not so much). In closing if you want to watch a badly directed, boring ass movie that leads pretty much nowhere except down a long road of disappointment than sure, give it a try. P.s. I'm very disappointed in all the IMDb users that led me to believe this movie was even close to worth the time. Bad users! Bad!

Brian McDonald is found murdered on the beach. His distraught sister Sarah (a solid performance by Donna Bradley) and childhood friend Michael Grant (a fine and engaging portrayal by Andrew Blaike) decide to find out what exactly happened during the last few weeks of Brian's life. Director David McCabe, who also co-wrote the engrossing script with Stephen Cumiskey and Ambrose McDermott, grounds the gripping premise in a believably drab everyday reality, draws the main characters with real depth, presents several haunting dream sequences that keep the viewer on edge, ably crafts a compelling sense of mystery and paranoia, and delivers some exciting action in the harrowing last third. Bradley and Blaike are appealing as the leads who get in way over their heads with their investigation. Moreover, this movie makes a valid point about how sometimes its best to leave dark secrets of the past unknown. McDermott's widescreen cinematography gives this picture an appropriately grayish look. Martin Brannigan's rousing score hits the heart-pounding spot. A neat little flick.