Short film has always been a real fascination for me. It is usually best when it involves small stories that can't be stretched into a full feature without adding alot of fluff. The Bet is actually a short film that was based on a very simple almost one line idea into about a ten minute short. Michael Dunn did a fantastic job of using everything at his disposal into creating a short with very high production value.

The basic premise of the short is that two men have a bit of a problem. That being they have a bit of a gambling problem using unfortunate people who cross there path as gambling chips. The men begin passing a woman back forth to each other from room to room every minute. At this point one must ask themselves, 'What is the bet?' and 'What exactly are they betting?' All those questions are answered within the final seconds of the short in a rather monumentus ending.

If you can recall the images of two men chained together not knowing where they are or for what reason they are there. In a grimy underground bathroom with nothing but fungus and musty air then you will know the feeling that this movie was going for. It has that kind of "Saw-esque" look to it. A grimy and interesting trip into the minds of two sadistic gamblers.

One of my only gripes about the short was well the length. I would love to see these characters explored further into their little game. How it all came about, who are these guys, and where do they get these people? Hopefully this short will recieve a warm reception at Cinevegas when it makes its World Preimere on June 13th. Maybe this will prompt Dunn to delve deeper within these characters intentions and take a closer look at the world within which they function.

With all short films the only thing that always gets me is that most fans of the genre never get to see these types of films unless they are on a DVD that is released after the director films a feature. Hopefully this will get some kind of treatment with a lot of bonus features added with a proper price tag. Only time will tell. In the mean time keep a close eye on Michael Dunn, he is a director on his way up.