| | | 13 Players. One Bullet. The Ultimate Game of Chance.
Features: DVD, French, English, Subtitled, Widescreen
Twenty-two-year-old Sebastien (Georges Babluani) leads an impoverished life with his immigrant family constantly struggling to support them. While repairing the roof of a neighbor's house, he overhears a conversation about an expected package which promises to make the household rich. Sensing the opportunity of a lifetime, Sebastien intercepts the package which contains a series of specific instructions. Following the clues, he assumes a false identity and manages to slip through the grasp of the enclosing police as he ventures deeper and deeper into the countryside. The closer he gets to his destination and the more people he meets along the way, the less he understands about what he is looking for. Ultimately, he comes face to face with a ring of clandestine gamblers placing bets on the outcome of a multi-player, high stakes tournament of Russian roulette. Directed by newcomer Gela Babluani, 13 Tzameti is a winner-take-all thriller, where an unfortunate young man is transformed into Contestant #13 with no way out save his luck.
"A gruesome existential thriller!" Anthony Kaufman, Time Out New York
"Shockingly good..." GQ
"...unforgettable..." Metro
Editor's Note
A man decides to follow his instincts when he uncovers detailed instructions and directions left for someone else. But when he follows them he ends up in a dangerous world where a gambling syndicate is playing a deadly game with human lives.
| Features | Audio: French Dolby Digital Stereo | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English | | Theatrical Trailers |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Universal (Music) |
| Release Date: 2/13/2007 |
| Running Time: 90 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2006 | | Catalog ID: 3147 | | UPC: 00660200314729 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: French | | Available Audio Tracks: French | | Available Subtitles: English | | Video: B&W |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Winner (2006) | | | Sundance Film Festival, Gela Babluani, Grand Jury Prize - World Cinema - Dramatic | |
Winner (2005) | | | Venice Film Festival, Gela Babluani, Luigi De Laurentiis Award | | | Venice Film Festival, Gela Babluani, Netpac Award |
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| | Professional Reviews | Ultimate DVD
"With its icy cynicism and desolate settings, the film evokes the work of the young Roman Polanski in his sadistic trickster mode." 07/28/2006 p.E10Box Office
"Babluani maintains a mood of continual anxiety, but 13 TZAMETI is strongest visually..." 02/01/2007 p.69 Variety 9 of 10
Shot like the grunge version of a '50s noir thriller from France (or Soviet Georgia), the black-and-white "13 (Tzameti)" turns into a shocker of Tarantino proportions in protracted sequences of explosive violence that leave viewers quaking...The director -- son of well-known Georgian helmer Temur Babluani -- has absorbed a lot from classic East European cinema, including a feeling for eerie faces and images, and a knack for building tension. He is fortunate to apply his gifts to Sabine Bauchart's quite original screenplay, which might be a candidate for a remake...Tariel Meliava's B&W cinematography has a stark brutality that brings the old Georgian cinema to mind, as do the faces of just about every member of the cast. A score by East (Troublemakers) pumps up the tension, making it useless to close your eyes. - Deborah Young
Reel.com 10 of 10
This French neo-noir thriller, wasn't just the best film I saw at the Festival this year, but Gela Babluani's feature-length debut could be the best film I'll see all year. Shot in glorious black and white, 13 Tzameti, takes the old thriller paradigm (one room, two people, and a gun) to a whole new level...13 Tzameti reminds one of the French Nouvelle Vague in every way that matters. In fact, if it wasn't for the modern cars, one would initially think this film came right out of 1960s France. The film is beautifully shot, and Babluani builds tension to a breaking point and then proceeds to crash right through it. Not for the weak-hearted, 13 Tzameti cannot be watched without squirming in your seat. Its visuals are almost unbearable, but so utterly compelling that it's impossible not to watch. - James Emanuel Shapiro
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