The Belko Experiment - Blu-ray

Movie: The American office workers at Belko Industries in Bogotá Colombia are astonished when, on an otherwise ordinary morning, they are greeted by a new security detail that sends all the local employees back home. A short time later, when the isolated building is hermetically sealed off, they also believe it's a bad joke. But when they are then ordered to kill three colleagues in the next 30 minutes, and when there are actual deaths after this deadline, they realize that they are trapped in a horrific nightmare. And if the voice giving them orders via loudspeaker has its way, only one of them will probably be able to survive this day. Now it's up to them to fight together for survival and not get involved in the mind games - which is becoming more impossible by the minute.

Australian filmmaker Greg McLean has been known since his successful debut Wolf Creek for liking to take things up a notch. This is undoubtedly true of his latest work, The Belko Experiment. However, the film isn't just mindless carnage. The script by James Gunn, the writer and director of the Guardians of the Galaxy films, alone ensures that. Gunn has infused this office version of Battle Royale with a wickedly cynical tone, giving it a delightfully satirical edge. As a result, McLean has created a thriller that is both suspenseful and amusing, both extremely gory and cryptic.

Admittedly, there are some lengths, especially in the middle section. The death of single office workers is a bit tiring in the long run. Moreover, the story doesn't seem very surprising at this point. Even a few amusing dialogues can't help to overcome the boredom that sets in. But luckily this low is only of a short duration. Because to the showdown it goes again properly to the thing - and there are also still a few surprises of which probably most will not see at least one coming.

The cast, which includes James Gunn's regular Michael Rooker and Gunn's brother Sean (Kirk from Gilmore Girls), is decent, but doesn't really get a chance to reveal a wide facet of acting ability. However, that's not the point here either. The Belko Experiment is a breathless fight for survival, with little time for long dialogue or great character development, especially in the second half. It's very quickly clear which characters are sympathetic and which characters will turn into bloodthirsty killers.

However, even though there are dramaturgical flaws and very predictable character sketches, overall The Belko Experiment is a great treat for genre fans, with an ending that definitely makes you want to see more. Worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The slightly undercooked colour scheme underlines the atmosphere of the film. The picture also manages to impress with decent overall sharpness and a coherent contrast blend. The lively 5.1 DTS mix provides plenty of multichannel movement, especially during the gunfights. But also the dialogue, music and smaller background noises sound pleasantly powerful from the speakers. Good.

Extras: A short making of (approx. 9:56 min.) explains The Rules of the Game, followed by four amusing survival tips (approx. 2:37 min.) in delightful clay animation. Eight deleted scenes (approx. 5:19 min.), an image gallery and the trailer round off the scarce additional offerings.

Conclusion: The Belko Experiment is a bitterly wicked and very bloody satire, which admittedly has some weaknesses dramaturgically and also doesn't go into too much depth when drawing the characters. The fun factor is, however, for long stretches at a very high level. Picture and sound quality of the Blu-ray is on a good level. The bonus material is okay, but turns out overall a bit meager. But the bottom line is a clear: Recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp