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By Joachim Jurgenson / Published on May 3th, 2008 / Entertainment

The theme of Machiavelli Hangman is "Carpe Diem." And it does not just jump at you spelling out all the ways you can live life to the fullest and live all your dreams today instead of leaving them for tomorrow. It slowly crawls out of the story, so subtly that you don't realize it is staring at you until it hits you right between the eyes. The actors in the film are so impeccable in their parts that you would think that the script was written with precisely them in mind. The story flows as if it was in one continuous time-frame even though Machiavelli Hangman is told through a non-continuous structure.

The film reminds of other originals like Pulp Fiction and Memento but it doesn't have the dramatic undertones as the previous. This one is a comedy in the spirit of a great Billy Wilder classic. If only Jack Lemon was alive, and in his 20's, he would have been a perfect fit for the role of George. You will see what I'm talking about when you see the film. This film is a modern version of Double-Indemnity with the comedic rhythms of Some Like It Hot with Marilyn Monroe.

If you're not sure what I am talking about, please rent those Billy Wilder films and watch them before watching Machiavelli Hangman. You will almost think that Shervin Youssefian (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1352346/) is the reincarnation of Wilder in the way he writes the material. Like Wilder, he is of foreign descent and stands only 5'6 tall.

It's definitely been a while since a good comedy has turned up without any of the easy jokes or cheap shots taken at geeks and every other minority group. Napoleon Dynamite, although successful, refrained often to that type of humor and the audience laughed but often quite uncomfortably. Machiavelli Hangman does not take itself so seriously either, but it respects each of its characters as if they were real human beings. The relationships vibrate and radiate beyond the screen and you feel part of that classic gangster underworld.

It truly comes as no big surprise that Machiavelli Hangman (http://www.hangmanmovie.com) is gaining momentum and is predicted to become the film to beat in 2006. It is truly a cinematic gem that interweaves so many genres without coming out like a calculated collage cliches. Like in life, we live horror and comedies and drama and just as we do everyday, the characters in the film live it in two hours.

This film was made with a budget of only a hundred fifty thousand dollars but it nevertheless going up in my top 10 all time classics list. It sizzles, dazzles, crackles at times and it leaves you wanting more. I'm going back for seconds and waiting impatiently for the sequel.




About the author:


Joachim Jurgenson is a movie reviewer.
Machiavelli Hangman
http://www.hangmanmovie.com