Bet Your Life (2004)

BET YOUR LIFE is a dreadfully over-the-top TV movie which once again re-treads the old 'hunting humans' plot line popular in everything from THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME to HARD TARGET. The main character is a gambler who bets that he can spend 24 hours eluding a megalomaniac gunning for him; the resulting film is a scriptless mess of unending action scenes, all of them cheesily staged and completely unbelievable.Apparently this film was the end product of a reality TV programme called NEXT ACTION STAR, designed to pick two non-actors to appear in a Hollywood movie. That explains the poor quality acting of the leads. Elsewhere, poor old Billy Zane chews the scenery and hams it up all the while, often swapping to a stunt man for the action scenes. I love action, but this incessant stuff is really bad, with awful cinematography and a weirdly over-saturated colour palette adding to the fakeness. The truck chase is the only bit I mildly enjoyed; the rest is a mess.

I thought this movie was excellent,for the fact that Corrine and Sean are newcomers to the business.It was packed with action and a little romance,but there were some points when Corrine didn't speak very clearly (when she threatened Sean with the gun) and she clenched her teeth...maybe she was supposed to?I think the roles of Joseph and Sonny were portrayed very well,and there was an obvious contrast.Also,because i watched next action star,i am certain that Corrine and Sean did their own stunts,which were performed very well.I am looking forward to another movie by the pair,as they make a great team,or perhaps a sequel to bet your life-possibly called 'making it big in the big apple',it could this time be about Carmen..Bet your life is EXCELLENT!

I am born and raised in Cleveland , so my interest in this movie was the fact most of it was filmed here (About 90%), so the opening sequence is in Vegas , but then they show the Terminal Tower(Tower Casino) and other Cleveland landmarks,I mean the front of the casino was downtown Cleveland, what was the director thinking here?,maybe they couldn't shoot in any real Vegas casino?, but that kind of made it cheesy,then you fly to Cleveland and they show the Tower again and the same landmarks, the action scenes were OK but , why did they stay in one area if its a hunt?, why not use more of the city like many other movie do?(I guess budget was really low) then they return to Vegas ,only to see Cleveland buildings again? don't get me wrong I'm glad to see my city on film , most of the locations ,I have been myself, but be accurate with locations! overall for 2 first time actors it was OK (didn't know till I was told they were from next action star) but it entertained me

It is unbelievable that a script as cliché and completely absurd could make any screen even the small one. The dialogue in this movie makes Catwoman seem like a high culture classic. Billy Zane plays the bad ass harmonica playing, Elvis impersonating, gunslinging, martial arts master who gambles on the life of a down-an-out former football player turned gambling addict played by the winner of NBC's craptastic show "Next Action Star." His performance is as cold as ice and not in a cool way. The "film" takes place in Vegas, and since people play poker there the writers felt it was a perfect setting for a movie about a guy trying to survive 24 hours against an omnipresent, wealthy gambler who has offered his target $2.4 million if he can make it through the day. And so the hunt ensues. A hunt reeking with unimpressive explosions, construction yard settings, shoddy cinematography, and one-liners containing the word "bet" or "gamble." The female winner is also tossed in the mix, but for what reason I have no idea. Oh but don't worry "NAS" fans the losers make their memorable cameos as well. The surprise ending will knock your socks off if you love predictability or plagiarism. Joel Silver should reevaluate his decision to sell out even more. I wish he could give me those two hours of my life back.