This unpleasant black comedy is a unique take on the rich versus the poor.

The big picture

• Cheap thrills
  presents a unique take on the “Rich vs. Poor” narratives.
• The film’s characters embody distinct archetypes that reflect working-class struggles.
• The film delves into the impact of capitalism on morality, highlighting the role of desperation in immorality.

From The Hunger Games TO Squid Gamethe elite sadistically toying with the working class is not a concept we haven’t seen numerous times before. Wave a couple of large bills at someone who is at the end of his rope to keep his family alive and safe, and let the heartless entertainment begin. The equally vulgar and cutting Cheap thrills follows suit, as an ordinary man who sells his soul to an incredibly wealthy couple to keep his family afloat. But What sets this raw film apart from its peers is that both working men are pitted against each other. voluntarily. And this willing participation lasts for the duration. As events spiral out of control, every man is welcome to leave, but he remains faithfully entrenched in this Faustian tale, driven to action as every glimpse of greenery acts as another dose of the good stuff.

‘Cheap Thrills’ Sets It Apart From ‘Rich vs. Poor’ Movies

Typically these stories begin with some form of monetary incentive, but when the downward spiral of morality kicks in, most participants are forced to stay. Cheap thrillsHowever, he follows the average Joe, Craig (Pat Healy), and the criminal Vince (Ethan Embryo), old friends who choose to become puppets for an incredibly wealthy couple and, at times, even raise the stakes and brutality towards them. Craig is going through one of the darkest periods of his life, finds an eviction notice stuck to his apartment door and loses his job the same day.. Instead of going home to his wife and 18-month-old son, he gets drunk at a bar to work off his sorrows, only to run into his old friend Vince. The two have known each other since Craig’s bad days, but it turns out Vince had been promoted to breaking people’s hands in front of their kids while collecting debts for loan sharks. While Vince isn’t in as precarious a situation as Craig, when Colin (David Koechner) and Viola (Sarah Paxton) they start flaunting their money, he follows them greedily.

Like many Faustian films, where people desperate for money sell their souls to the elite, the challenges gradually increase in intensity, from simply downing a shot to being slapped by a female bartender. In the red-lit bar, Craig starts off rather hesitant, while Vince dives in with manic glee, eager to make a quick buck. The moment Craig finally dives in is when he is challenged to hit a security guard in a heart-pounding scene that is propelled forward by a crazy adrenaline rush. From that point on, The competition between the men is fierce, fueled by testosterone and momentum as both spiral uncontrollably into a black holeletting go of any ethical concerns they may have had beforehand. Throughout the film, a sense of unease is evoked as we realize that they can indeed leave whenever they want, and even consider doing so in stages, but the berserk frenzy continues to overtake them as they race toward the jaw-dropping finale at full throttle.

Each character in “Cheap Thrills” embodies an archetype

As the dynamics between the four characters are established, it is clear that each embodies a certain archetype. Craig is a typical working-class representation, a failed writer who works a dead-end job to try to make ends meet for his family, only to find refuge in a bar when his life begins to fall apart. With mouths to feed and the sole breadwinner, Craig becomes the model of desperation in Cheap thrills and once he has crossed his moral threshold, he is completely committed to any amount of money he can win to keep his family afloat. Vince is also somewhat of a working-class man by comparison, although he favors illegal activities. His chosen field of criminal activity is not necessarily lucrative, and while he is dazzled by the green card cases, it is really his hedonistic and violent streak that initially draws him to the game. Ironically, it is this wild side that ends up becoming his crutch in the end.

Colin and Violet also embody two different types of sadistic elite members that we see on screen. Colin is probably more of the caricature we’re used to, loud, boisterous, and viscerally in love with the chaos he’s capable of inflicting on the two men. But this is layered with undercurrents of menacing psychopathy, suggesting that he’s not as high on cocaine as he appears, and that he gets off on the power he wields. While Koechner becomes a scene-stealer with his booming voice and thunderous presence, Paxton injects a sinister quiet into his character that is equally powerful.. Lou is more of a sociopathic, wealthy person, content to observe and take pictures, while only occasionally allowing herself to maximize the mental distress of men. While the economic and moral divide between the players and the game masters is quite glaring, it is the divide between Craig and Vince that drives the film’s most interesting social commentary.

“Chap Thrills” is a mean and merciless look at capitalism

Both Craig and Vince struggle financially, but it is Vince who demonstrates the ability to take the low moral ground. Yet this bloodthirsty, capricious, and “nothing left to lose” attitude ironically becomes his downfall. Already armed with experience skirting the law and being a lone wolf, Vince is perfectly poised to compete in the early stages of the game. But by manipulating the system instead of joining it, he hasn’t necessarily been crushed by it. Meanwhile, Craig has done it all. He tried to make his dreams come true, and when that failed, he found a steady job with a steady income that would help him raise his family. However, the economic system doesn’t necessarily reward this commitment, as Craig becomes yet another exploited member of the working class, whose hope and courage have been destroyed.

As such, his devolution during this match becomes his strength, exhibiting a capacity for violence and brutality that surpasses Vince, simply out of sheer desperation. There is a scene where he strides back into the mansion with his knuckles clenched in determination. It becomes Craig’s breaking point, where his bloodied face, tense lines and roaring mouth all evoke connotations of an animal belching from its cage. The growing rift between the friends, where Vince gradually loses his self-confidence and Craig becomes imbued with a horrible cruelty, suggesting that it is this cage of capitalism that nourishes a greater capacity for immorality. in classes that are exploited, simply because of pressure and desperation. The game itself reflects the system in a dirty and powerful way, as each man competes to be “better” in this closed system, constantly trying to outdo the other to get his hands on a promised future. It becomes a rat race in the most brutal and provocative sense.

The rich aren’t the only monsters in “Cheap Thrills”

We saw the idea of ​​how far someone would go to save their family, but Cheap thrills complicates this concept by exploring how ethical and economic divisions interact with each other. Both the wealthy couple and Craig are portrayed here as capable of depravity.who exhibit similar moral values ​​but are on opposite ends of the monetary spectrum. Colin and Violet’s immorality manifests itself primarily in voyeurism, as they typically enjoy sitting back and watching the two players sabotage each other in this twisted game. They would rather simply guide and manipulate their toys into deviance without actually implicating themselves in these acts. As such, they demonstrate knowledge of how to manipulate the system in their favor, indicating once again how capitalism facilitates their ability to do so through their immense wealth and access to resources.

While Craig may not have started out with the same moral compass, he certainly degrades his by the end of the film. With different motivations and finances, Craig’s coldness in the finale ends up comparing him to the couplefinding a twisted and dark similarity between them. The film revels in devastation and despondency, offering a nasty and merciless look at an economic system that inadvertently becomes a breeding ground for sin. Satirically titled Cheap thrillsThe film offers a cheap moral in exchange for not-so-cheap prizes, which encourage us to compete: What would you do for $50,000?

Cheap thrills is available to stream now on Peacock in the US

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