Danielle Solzman
For those who are suffering from Drunk History withdrawals, Murder Bury Win offers you the chance to get your Craig Cackowski fix.
Murder Bury Win is an indie film in the truest sense of the word. Even though the film was shot in 14 days with a crew of ten, you wouldn’t have noticed this in watching the film. Such a small cast might lead one to wonder if this film was produced during the pandemic. However, the film’s premiere was took place during Cinequest. The fact that it is coming out now just happens to be a coincidence.
Three friends–Chris (Mikelen Walker), Adam (Erich Lane), and Barrett (Henry Alexander Kelly)–are the creators of a board game, Murder Bury Win. They’ve turned to crowdfunding in hopes of getting the game out in the world. Their effort unfortunately fails but not before a man (Craig Cackowski) calls them and shortly offers to meet. This film is more of a comedic thriller but it’s never a good sign when you venture out to a cabin in the woods! Things look promising when he offers them the chance to publish the game. And soon it goes from good to worse when he wants to credit them as game testers. Let it be known that two of the creators are people of color. This is NOT going to end well!
I don’t care if you are the creator of Murder Wall. Nobody should have that many weapons–including a bear trap–along your wall. It is a recipe for disaster. Something bad is going to happen even if it is by accident. To nobody’s surprise, there are going to be people freaking out. That’s just the kind of thing that happens in a film with this name. I would not expect anything different!
The trio aside, it’s just nice to see Craig Cackowski on screen again. Seeing the improv veteran over the course of many episodes of Drunk History is one thing but watching him here is different. I wouldn’t necessarily say his character is a nice guy. In fact, his character couldn’t be more different from the man in real life! With a 14-day shoot, it makes it harder to have opportunities to improvise especially when sticking to such a tight schedule.
If comedic thrillers are up your alley, you’ll have plenty of fun with Murder Bury Win. This film is recommended for board game players who aren’t afraid of blood.
DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: Michael Lovan
CAST: Mikelen Walker, Erich Lane, Henry Alexander Kelly, Craig Cackowski, Brian Slaten
