Siege of Lab 13
| Siege of Lab 13 | |
| Director | Robert Pesaro |
| Producers | Adam Lavrenty |
| Starring | Even Sørensen Olivia Nielson Patrick Honseff Ezio Pesaro |
| Distribution | Ministry of Culture (Malgrave) Released to DVD and Blu-Ray in 2014 |
| Release Date | 1st of May 2014 (Malgrave) |
| Runtime | 151 minutes |
| Country | Malgrave |
| Awards | Malgravean National Film Awards (2014): Best Director Best Actor Best Soundtrack |
| Language | English and Polish. Subtitles available in Equestrian and others. |
| Budget | $68,508,000 NSD |
| Rating | 18+ (Malgrave) |
Siege of Lab 13 is a 2014 Malgravean film, produced by the Ministry of Culture in an attempt to promote film making and export cultural products into the international community and compete in international award ceremonies. It gained controversy due to its large budget and large usage of violence and sex.
Plot
Johannes Hevelius ( Even Sørensen) and other scientists are shown working on a simulation showing the spread of various biological weapons against an unspecified civilian target and the response of the civilian authorities, as the simulation proceeds various pockets of the city are shown to be more effective at dealing with the attack compared to others. As the clear zones eventually spread out across the city Johannes begins congratulating his team and it is revealed that the sectors that dealt with the infections first had been given simulated supplements researched by the team.
After a short break the same-scientific team with a few additions are shown working on live samples of blood fever when an alarm signals an intruder has been spotted trying to enter the facility through force. Inside one of the facilities panic rooms a majority of the team are pleased to hear that the security threat has been dealt with and that work can continue as normal. Johannes, Alfred, Emily and a few of the others however are convinced that the facility is still under attack as normal procedure would be for some of the labs guards to greet them and make sure that the weapons in the safe room have been properly secured.
Despite fierce arguing from some of the scientists Johannes, Alfred (Patrick Honseff), Emily (Olivia Nielson) and a couple of other team members leave the safe room in an attempt to find a member of the security services to confirm news that the facility is secure. Travelling to one of the facilities break-rooms they find one of the security guards being tortured by a self-identified member of "Fist of Retribution" an anti-science neo-nazi group dedicated to the elimination of all intellectuals in the country. Attempting to leave the scene and contact the authorities Alfred accidentally alerts the torturer who shoots at the group instantly killing two scientists before they manage to enter another room, the trio quickly gathering a mixture supplies again before retreating to the corner of the room.
As the torturer opens the door weapon in hand he looks down on the ground, an explosion engulfing him before he can react. After this incident the trio return to the safe room and inform their colleagues of the news, realising the contents of the lab the scientists quickly realise that they must defend the lab at all costs and quickly grab the weapons stored in the safe-room and move out towards the main containment lab engaging in several fire-fights on the way that highlight the various levels of competence in the gang and lead to the death of several terrorists in considerably violent fashions.
Zakhar Tadeusz (Ezio Pesaro), the leader of the anti-science movement is enraged by the latest news inside the facility and orders his remaining men to assault the containment lab, wipe out the scientists defending it and secure the biological weapons for later terrorist attacks before burning the entire complex to the ground. Inside the facility the scientists have armed themselves with weapons from the terrorists and the deceased guards and are seen arguing over what to do, with some wanting to negotiate or attempt to contact the authorities to organise a rescue. Johannes quietens the arguing members of his team and in a rallying speech convinces the surviving members of the team that they must defend the contents of the room against at all cost reminding them that negotiating with anti-intellectuals is impossible, communications have probably been cut off and that the nation was re-born on the blood of fascists. In a brief montage clip joined with suitable music the research team are shown constructing and placing various traps throughout the facility designed to incapacitate and cut down the attackers while Johannes and Emily are shown having sex in small storage room of the facility.
As night-falls the neo-nazi's begin their assault on the facility with dozens being instantly being cut-down by an assortment of explosives and blunt traps, more troops however continue pouring into the building and the scientists are soon forced to use the firearms to defend themselves from the onslaught with an epic gun-battle ensuing between the two sides resulting in the death of hundreds of nazis and the injury and death of a few scientists including Alfred who heroically sacrifices himself by falling on a grenade, the attacks stopping as Zakhar Tadeusz enters the building carrying a white-flag he offers the scientists an opportunity. If the leader of the defenders defeats him in a duel then his men shall retreat however if Zakhar is victorious then the scientists should fall back and allow his men to take the samples contained in the facility.
Despite the protests of his colleagues and love-interest Johannes agrees to the fight, the scientists (minus Emily) being allowed to go to the safe room as the villain and hero enter on of the hallways to engage in the fight. To the surprise of many Johannes quickly overwhelms Zakhar engaging in some dirty tactics until he brutally smashes his face in with a broken computer tower, rather shocked about the result the neo-nazi's try and renege on the agreement and kill Johannes however as they raise their weapons explosions fill the screen brutally killing the fascists. An unscathed Johannes and Emily run to the safe room with parts of the building collapsing around him as fire and chaos starts to follow him, the entire facility exploding in a glorious plume of fire and smoke.
Johannes, Emily and the rest of the scientists manage to survive the explosion be being in the safe room, although the fire has destroyed a portion of Emily's clothes and she is half-naked as forces of the Special Investigative Service arrive to secure the facility.
Bonus Features
Siege of Lab 13 is also known for an after credit scene, with several hours worth of footage depicting Johannes, Emily and several unnamed SiS agents filling out a seemingly endless pile forms and witness testimony relating to the events of the film with some additional cameos from famous lawyers and other actors. Some controversy also emerged when an extended version of the sex scene was made available on foreign sales of the DVD and it was suspected this was a movement made to increase revenue sales.
Reception
'Siege of Lab 13' received praise in the Malgravean press despite the high amount of violence and sex depicted in the film, receiving the highest of possible reviews from the Royal Malgravean Times and an over rating of 88% positive from offline and online review agencies.
The film was met with critical and commercial success in the Republic of Breheim. Review aggregate of traditional media critics (primarily newspapers) was 4.6/6, with the film being praised for well-executed action sequences, a more gradual build-up compared to domestic action films and good performance from actors. Main critique was a less involved than expected plot and stereotypical characterization of the film's antagonists. Online reviewers, a growing trend in the country, rated the film at 87%. Due to a Breheimian playing the lead role, the film received significant media attention before it was released in the country. It is one of the few foreign films in the 21st century that was shown in a majority of the country's cinemas. The film grossed $8.9 million in total ($1.1 million in the opening weekend alone). During its opening weekend, it ranked third at the box office, but the ensuing weekend it rose to second place. Among movie-goers, the most common criticism was the slow build-up of the film and its focus on technical jargon over action.