gavin6942 A failed bank robbery leads to a hostage situation in a hotel. An escaped convict also arrives at the hotel, commencing a series of three-way mind games.The movie starts off pretty strong, right in the middle of the hostage situation. There is no bank robbery shown, and the entire film consists of one room and three people. This is a minimalist approach to filming and a good way to stretch a budget. "The Disappearance of Alice Creed", a similar yet different story, relied on this tactic to keep the film simple and easier to storyboard. Here we have a poor man's "Alice Creed", simple enough that it could even be a stage production.The directing and cinematography are above average (thank you, Andrew Moorman) and the sound is also quite good. If there is any weak point, it may be the casting. I do not mean to imply that the acting was bad. Everyone here played their parts well. My only concern was that the captor did not have a menacing look and I doubted his ability to pull off such a caper. This inconsistency is somewhat resolved later on in the plot development, but not to my full satisfaction.The second actor, playing the convict, is more convincing for me. He has a natural darkness to him, a sort of stereotypical Sicilian look. He does play the more violent and threatening of the two, so that was a wise choice (having the little guy boss around the big guy would look silly if it was anyone other than Joe Pesci doing it).In short, the film did not do it for me. I sort of regret saying so, because I feel this was more a budget issue than anything else. There is plenty of talent behind this picture and I really hope to see Andrew Moorman's work in the future. He has the skills, he has the eye of a masterful director. But something just did not ignite on this one.

Greg Note to all you first time filmmakers that embark on the journey of making a low budget horror or thriller film – 'Keep it Simple'.If only more directors without much funding would take this to heed we would get more films like Long Pigs and Sympathy and less like The Landlord and Dead Noon.This was not lost on director Andrew Moorman who took a smart thriller by writer Arik Martin and turned it into a very competent and highly entertaining film called Sympathy.The beauty of the film is in its simplicity. The story has but three characters and all takes place in a motel room. That is where a suggested bank robber named Tripp (Steven Pritchard) brings his hostage Sara (Marina Shtelen) and handcuffs her to the bed. While trying to formulate an escape plan, Tripp's getaway is interrupted by Dennis (Aaron Boucher), an escaped convict who coincidentally end up in the same room with multiple agendas.In a film style that clearly pays homage to Alfred Hitchcock and Brain DePalma, the three characters will spend an evening revealing depths of their personalities while setting in motion an intense cat-and-mouse game convoluted with bulging egos and personal motivations.To further obstruct a clean getaway, characters will be shot, stabbed and emotionally tormented as the story unfolds revealing characters that are not whom they appear to be. The final chapters will include a blood soaked ending that will remind you of an early Tarantino work and a satisfying end to an evening's odyssey.Kudos to director Andrew Moorman for not trying to squeeze more out of the intelligent script than what was pressed onto the straight to DVD release. His directing was able to hide from this seasoned reviewer a reveal that I didn't see coming (granted it wasn't M. Night-ish, but it still generated a 'wow' response).When producing a movie with one setting and limited characters, it is important to have strong acting to accompany the script pages or all is lost. Pritchard, Shtelen and Boucher put on believable performances even if the acting is at times uneven. Shtelen in particular starts off weak, but by the end of the film, she plays the role of Sara with a seasoned confidence.Revealing any specifics would be an injustice to anyone who follows this review with a screening, but as low budget, independent films go, this one ranks in the top tier.www.killerreviews.com

emorgret I discovered this movie while building the schedule for my new film festival. Now called Maelstrom Festival of Horror and the Fantastic. It was so well received at the screening that I am bringing it back for Crypticon Seattle. It will play at 11:00pm Friday night the 23rd of May.This is a film worth checking out. If you spend any time looking at small indie films you will appreciate "Sympathy". Powerful and compelling find it and watch it.People stuck in a room after a heist. What are they doing in the hotel room and who is really calling the shots?

danielromanrojas First of all I just want to say that this movie is phenomenal. This is one probably the greatest suspense film I have ever seen in my 19 years of life. The direction of the film is amazing and the plot has no holes in it. The acting is wonderful and believable. Made for only $6,500, this movie is genius. The director clearly allows you to get to know the characters throughout the film and actually feel for them as well. The movie doesn't drag at all what-so-ever. It's suspenseful all the way to it's climatic ending, which is one of the greatest endings I have ever seen in a movie. This should definitely get picked up by a Hollywood studio. Instead of releasing crappy movies like "Captivity," they should release this film.