Choose DVD Review

Release Date (UK DVD) – 17th January 2010


Certificate (UK) – 18


Country – USA

Director – Marcus Graves


Runtime – 100 mins


Starring – Katheryn Winnick, Kevin Pollak, Richard Short

Choose- the new Saw?

Choose follows Fiona Wagner (Katheryn Winnick), an aspiring news reporter who becomes entangled in a web of deranged crimes spreading throughout her suburban city. A psychopathic killer is forcing his victims to choose their fortune; a child must choose between the life of her mother and father, a pianist between his ability to hear and ability to play. Fiona begins to receive threatening pop-up messages on her laptop and it’s clear for whatever reason the madman seeks her involvement.

She turns to her father Sheriff Tom Wagner (Kevin Pollak), and together they attempt to unravel the bizarre motive behind the crimes. As Fiona delves into her research on choice theory she recognizes the terminology with regret and begins to question her mothers suicide.

What struck first is the originality and strength of the films concept; Choose is essentially an age-old playground game. In the same vein its opening scene actualizes an inherent childhood fear: the choice between mum and dad. It is for this darkly playful quality that the film has unsurprisingly received mass criticism for its thematic similarities to the Saw films, but fortunately Choose felt relatively fresh and unfamiliar.

Unfortunately, the acting was a little hit and miss. Winnick’s performance was somewhat lack-lustre and wooden, failing to win audience empathy, but undoubtedly serving its purpose as eye-candy. Even Pollak appeared depressed and disinterested.  The sloppy script was occasionally cringe inducing, often inconsistent and without a sense of humour.

It’s a great shame then that in a genre where new and exciting concepts are so thin on the ground this film almost frivolously squanders its promise and originality. Significantly less formulaic and predictable than other dross dominating modern horror but, rather frustratingly, Choose is by no means groundbreaking. 

Published on thefilmpilgrim.com