Movie Review: Brutal And Unique, ‘The Odds’ Is A Must See Indie Film

May 28, 2019

Written by Kelli Marchman McNeely

Kelli Marchman McNeely is the owner of HorrorFuel.com. She is an Executive Producer of "13 Slays Till Christmas" which is out on Digital and DVD and now streaming on Tubi. She has several other films in the works. Kelli is an animal lover and a true horror addict since the age of 9 when she saw Friday the 13th. Email: horrorfuelinfo@gmail.com

 

 

How far would you go for a better life? Would you go through torture for a shot at $1,000,000? That’s the premise of writer-director Bob Giordano’s The Odds.

 

In the film, nineteen players in nineteen locations must survive multiple rounds, each more painful than the last.  Helped through the game by their “Game Master”, players face the loss of appendages and their lives, all for a game bet on by mysterious gamblers.

 

This intense film is set in one room and features two main stars, played by Abbi Butler (the player) and James J. Fuertes (Game Master). Bob Giordano took a huge risk by making a film set in one room with just two actors. It’s a concept that’s so hard to pull off. Luckily, he pulled it off flawlessly. The film pulls you in, you have to know what the next challenge is and you have to know if the player will go through with it.

 

Butler made “the player’s” trauma feel very real. She was absolutely fantastic, especially during the moments in between rounds where she was not only experiencing pain but mental distress as well.

 

Fuertes killed it as the “Game Master.” In the beginning, we see his character one way, but slowly we see him evolve into his trues self, a creepy, nasty piece of work, whose kink goes toe to toe with his evil persona.

 

 

I will warn you that some scenes are very hard to watch. I won’t tell you what the challenges are though. I feel like you need to discover them on your own. I would hate to ruin any of the film for you. The challenges are creative, twisted and brutal. One of the challenges includes a box and multiple screws. It made me flinch, that’s not easy to do, I’ve become pretty jaded at this point.

 

The Odds is a  multilayer film, on top of the brutal experiences the player has to go through, there are two other layers to the story. The first is the player’s motivation, a daughter who she wants to give a good life. The second is the escalating psychological torture inflicted by the Game Master as he goes from a supportive character to a complete psychopath.

 

Brutal, interesting, intense, and bloody, The Odds has something for every horror fan. I found it surprising and unique, both of which are rare these days.  It is a great indie film all the way around. That’s why I’m going to give it 5 out of 5.

 

The Odds arrives on VOD And Digital HD on Leading Digital Platforms and DVD on June 4, 2019.

 

 

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