Often cited as one of the most intelligent horror movies in recent years, Saw offered a sly commentary on how far individuals would go to save their own skin, bringing some much-needed smarts to a genre too bogged down in a simplistic, hack-and-slash mentality. The Thai thriller 13: Game of Death takes its cues from the Saw saga. But in addition to putting its lead character through the endurance test of a lifetime, the film expands its reach to include some satricial jabs at what passes for entertainment these days, which enhances one of the most disturbing and thematically well-rounded genre pictures in a long time.

Meek salesman Chit (Krissada Sukosol) is not having a good day. On top of seeing his car towed away, he's been involuntarily ousted from his job, thanks in part to the efforts of an overachieving co-worker. Then just when it seems hings can't get any worse for the poor guy, Chit gets a mysterious phone call telling him he's become part of an Internet game show, and all he has to do to give his bank account a boost is swat a fly. After he does so, he's a richer man, but the tasks don't end there. The number of challenges increase, and so does their intensity, as Chit, now trapped in a twisted game getting increasingly out of hand, finds himself going from having to make a bunch of little kids cry to performing the most unspeakable acts in public. With a 100 million baht prize in sight, Chit must decode whether to put an end to the madness or go for the cash, at the cost of his own humanity.

With TV shows like Fear Factor and A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila gaining puzzling amounts of popularity, it's no wonder something like 13: Game of Death came along. These programs have earned the attention (or, perhaps, morbid curiosity) of audiences by featuring their participants engaging in the sort of grotesque acts that even Caligula would blush at. The huge ratings of these shows are no doubt more as a result of shock value than of true interest in the people featured on them, and it's this world that 13: Game of Death uses as its backdrop.

Don't expect to be walloped with satire and symbolism, though, for the filmmakers have wisely chosen to keep those tuning into Chit's trials in the background, instead of focusing on the character's much meatier and more managable psyche. What we have here is a man who convincingly progresses from a sympathetic sadsack into a misguided monster. Chit's not entirely likable, since he can easily stop the game at any time he wants, but you're nevertheless compelled to follow him to see if he'll completely abandon his morals by the time the credits roll.

As Chit is the primary player in 13: Game of Death, he's present in almost every scene, so it takes a balancing act to nail the character just right. Fortunately, Sukosol does just that, playing up both Chit's weaknesses and the hints of ugliness that emerge as he presses onward in the game. This doesn't leave much room for other characters, though. Achita Sikamana has a few good moments as one of Chit's co-workers, who senses that his strange behavior is being driven by an outside force, but aside from that, the most prominent character is a detective who gets about a minute of combined screen time that could've been excised from the film. Plus, while building the story up in a compelling manner and keeping the audience's complete attention for a good hour and a half, the filmmakers fumble the ball in the movie's  final minutes. The explanation of who's running the game is a perplexing disappointment, and there's a final nail in the coffin involving an interesting twist that results in more of a cheap surprise than in offering up the thematic depth it's supposed to achieve.  

13: Game of Death may not completely shock those who yawned at the grue and gore offered by such films as Saw and Hostel. However, this Thai movie gives those disappointed by a lack of intelligence in the horror offerings they've seen the chance to engage their brains and test their gag reflexes in one fell swoop. 

MY RATING: *** (out of ****)

(Released by Weinstein Company and rated "R" for some violent and disturbing images.)

Review also posted at www.passportcinema.com .