Starring: Ted Raimi, Noel Douglas Orput, Merrick McCartha
Directed by: Alex Kahuam
There comes a time in life where we’re all faced with the prospect of letting go of something that’s been held near & dear to our hearts for a long time – be it a family member, prized possession, what have you. In Director Alex Kahuam’s one-shot thriller, FAILURE! starring industry icon Ted Raimi, the focus is placed on a man (Raimi himself) who is faced with a most daunting choice – give up what he’s cherished & venerated for what seems like a lifetime…or pay a price that can never be reversed.
Interestingly enough, this film was shot in one take over the course of an 87 minute runtime, prompting Kahuam to state “that if someone screwed up a line in minute 86, we’d have to start all over again.” How’s that for ballsy-filmmaking? The movie centers around Raimi’s character’s who is already facing a mountain of debt, and is given the better part of an hour to either sell off the factory that’s been under he & his father’s control for moons…and the alternative isn’t much prettier: don’t pay what you owe and the people that you care for will be erased from existence. He’s not dealing with amateurs here, and aside from the distraction of preparing for his daughter’s impending nuptials, his choices (and time) is quickly running out.
The personalities in this presentation are more than adequate, but its Raimi that shines and takes on the brunt force of the load here, with his stoicism on one end, to utter unrestrained confusion & disquietude on the other – this is a landmark performance and it only solidifies his spot as a completely underrated performer. The pacing is deliberately sluggish, but that is obviously the intent here, with the notion of imminent (and potentially) life-ending circumstances taking place, however the runtime becomes a moot point because you’ll be so immersed in the film’s happenings there won’t be a care to clock-watch, it just hooks you to that extent.
Overall, I can absolutely recommend FAILURE! to anyone who likes their time-frame thrillers distinct & latent – make sure to give this one a hard look when it becomes available – it will not disappoint.
