Thr3e (2007)

 Thr3e words...this film stinks!
I want to say it's a saw rip-off, but it rips from a bunch of films not the least of which is Fight Club. I'm sure if you look hard enough you may find borrowing in most films. But it's pretty blatant in this one, and they didn't build upon those borrowed ideas...they don't come close.
Perhaps you had to read the book to enjoy this film. Some other reviewers have Given this 4 and 5 stars...I can't imagine why. If Jigsaw from Saw and Keifer Sutherland's character from Phone booth had a deficient child with movie making aspirations...it may have made this film.
Confess or die is the general idea behind this poorly acted, poorly written dud.
It's hard to get past the botox experiment gone awry with Laura Jordan's "Samantha" lower lip...until you meet "Jennifer" Justine Wadell. You will wonder if her jaw is wired shut, as she acts without opening her mouth. Most annoying.
The DVD itself has the full screen version on one side, and wide screen on the other. That's a nice feature, and I did enjoy the score, it's the films only redeeming quality and the reason it gets 2 stars. No special features on this version of the film....and I'm thankful. To write a thorough review, I feel you have to watch the whole film and the special features included.
This one is for renting, or better yet try to catch it on TV if you must watch it. January 23, 2008

 If you liked/disliked the movie, READ THE BOOK
I highly recommend reading the book regardless if you liked or disliked the movie. The book is so much more intense and gives more background information than the movie. December 31, 2007

 give this one a miss
I read the book which was great, this movie was not even close to good. The writing was really, REALLY bad. So many examples come to mind but I will force myself to only provide one: the bad guy calls Kevin to warn him that he only has 60 seconds to save a loved one, Damon. The camera flashes to a photo of a child hugging a black lab. Will he dare go back to the place he swore he'd never return? We next see Kevin running out of his apartment in the city and into the suburbs, back to his crazy Aunt & Uncle's house. He then stops to talk to his cousin Bobby and then tries to have a conversation with "Princess". Finally, we discover that his much loved Damon is the black lab. Ummmm, all this took less then one minute?? and the photo is of himself as a little boy with Damon - just how is this dog still alive?? The film is full of scenes and dialogue that just don't add up. Maybe the movie suffers from bad editing but that shouldn't mean viewers have to suffer through it as well. Acting was spotty yet entertaining: the female police pyschologist was wooden, the lead male detective was constantly sweating and looked seriously ill for no apparent reason (the actor is ok, right?), and I know "Princess" was crazy but Priscilla Barnes played her a too little over the top (I still kinda liked it), but maybe campy was the goal. The most absorbing scenes for me involved Kevin's slow cousin Bobby and NOT the actual plotline. I felt for Bobby when he kept showing off his new computer game to various characters. He always asked if they wanted to see it and every time I kept my fingers crossed that someone would look at poor Bobby's handheld video game. Then I wondered why all of these scenes were kept in the film? Scenes were a hodge podge of misdirected clues leading to the finale. No real suspense but I read the book so maybe my opinion on this point doesn't count. My two cents, avoid this one unless you have no other options left at the video store and enjoy mocking movies. December 19, 2007

 Good
The movie tends to stray from the book in several places, which were not necessary and would have made the movie even better. I enjoyed the book, and the movie was good, however I would have liked seeing the two come together better. However, the ending is quite suspenseful and accurate to the story. Good movie. Better Book. October 10, 2007

 Better Tha I expected
Most of the films from Christian production companies that I have seen suffered from 2 major setbacks: Poor production, and shoving the Goapel down the viewer's throat Thr3e manages to pretty much get past these. I know of Ted Decker's work, but as of yet have not read any of his books. I have read elsewhere that this movie pretty much follows the book, and if this is the case, I think I could be a fan.

Yes, we Christians are commanded to share the Gospel at every opportunity, but for the most part, a preachy movie will not get the attention from those who we are trying to reach. The story has enough suapense, twists and surprises to keep the viewer's interest (I'm speaking as a life-long fan of Alfred Hitchcock.)

The movie ends with a positive affirmation of the tenents of Christianity. Although there is no alter call at the end, the clear, objective existence of good and evil is made quite plain.

The production quality is fair - light years beyond many "Christian" movies of the past. My own interest was held to the extent that I did not even notice the poor dialogue that some reviewers have complained about. The twist at the ending was completely unexpected. I had figured out part of the solution, but then dismissed it because of other circumstances that were later dealt with.

The DVD had a commercial for another movie based on "House," a book by Ted Decker - and Frank Peretti, whose books I HAVE enjoyed. It is due out this month, and I will certainly be watching for it.

In the meantime, this movie is worth a watch. October 6, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...