Series 7: The Contenders. (2001). Cert 18. Director - Daniel Minahan.     Writer - Daniel Minahan. Starring - Brooke Smith, Marylouise Burke, Glenn Fitzgerald, Michael Kaycheck & Richard Venture.

Premise - The Contenders is a reality game show where 6 randomly selected members of the public fight to the death. This is a strange one. This film doesn't really know what it wants top be. On the one hand it is a study of the morality of reality TV, on the other it is a black comedy poking fun at cheaply made exploitation television. Unfortunately it isn't that good at being either. The lives of the people involved in the TV show are presented like the script of some cheap, tacky soap opera. Like real reality shows, the footage is edited to give the viewer the juiciest material, there by diluting these peoples lives into soundbites and shocking revelations. Unfortunately Series 7 comes across as just what it is supposed to be lampooning, a cheap, tacky soap opera. The cast is made up of unknowns and the standard of performances range from average to downright terrible. Much like a soap opera then. The main character, a winner from a previous series, is a 8 month pregnant woman who looks like a bag-lady for the duration of the film. The direction is tight with first timer Daniel Minahan getting the look and feel of reality shows spot on. The zippy editing, the handheld cameras & the flash graphics all make sure that it feels like your watching a TV show rather than a movie. Considering the subject matter the film is not gratuitously violent. Only on a few occasions do we see any violence and bloodshed is kept to a minimum. Series 7: The Contenders is a stunningly average film that is not as smart as it thinks it is.

6/10 for Series 7: The Contenders. Poster Quote - Really average.