9 Souls (2003)

	Denna B.

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This is not a buddy movie, a comedy or anything like a Japanese version of "Shawshank Redemption". It's a dramatic story about nine escapees who try to enter back into their previously familiar lives. One by one, the escapees find that living their long imprisoned dreams seem to be more difficult than they expected. The acting was good as was the directing, which was surprising given the director's young age. However, the writing was the weak point due to character development taking a back seat to telling one too many stories. Be sure not to miss the extra scene after the end credits. Despite defaulting to Dolby Digital 5.1, the audio came across as stereo. As for extras, there's a trailer for the movie, a "Bio/Filmographies" option for the director and actors, an "Interviews" option with two director interviews (44:59 min), a "Promotional Materials" option displaying a promotional booklet for the movie and a "Tom Mes Commentary". Lightly recommended.

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	Erik B.

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Nine escaped convicts journey through the countryside and cityscape. The first hour or so is heavily weighted towards comedy, while the second takes a more dramatic tone. The humor is entertaining, although some of it is raunchy. The dramatic element is well-done, as the convicts depart one by one in their attempt to redeem themselves or assimilate back into society. The viewer is warned of impending graphic violence.

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	Hosai A.

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Bad low-budget movie with subtitles. Expect to fast forward a lot of it. Had minimal good moments. Mainly consisted of a long, boring movie that failed to solidfy in the end. Plot ran off into many directions, failing to develop into a deep, meaningful whole unit. The movie contained too many characters to keep track of and who looked similiar to each other. Each character supposedly had a haunting past but in the end, nothing triumphed. The message the film implied was a supposedly deep message but on screen, it did not work. The movie sucked.

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