This film that mixes adventure, action and suspense was directed by Greg Marcks and the script was written by Kevin Elders, Michael Nitsberg, both debutants in the role, and its plot revolves around a systems engineer to whom a cell phone arrives anonymously to his room in a Bangkok hotel, giving him advice on what he must do to earn money.
Max Peterson, played by Shane West, known for playing Dr. Ray Barnett for 5 years in the successful series E.R., follows the messages to the letter and after agreeing to go to Prague to play in a casino, manages to become a millionaire but is intercepted by CIA agents who investigate and try to find the sender of these messages since four people who had previously done what Max does now, died.
Between Prague, Moscow and the United States, the action unfolds, spiced with scenes where the plot takes unexpected turns.
A great conspiracy is unveiled in which the protagonist is the U.S. government itself and everything changes course.
West is joined in leading roles by Edward Burns as John Reed and Ving Rhames as agent Dave Grant, Martin Sheen as Raymond Burke, Jonathan Pryce as Mueller and Tamara Feldman as Kamila.
It was released in theaters in February 2009 and the critics' opinion was not good, considering that the plot lacked conviction and a better ending, and the public seems to have had the same opinion because the box office was not good, only 2 million dollars.
Personally I consider that the plot is very well handled but has an ending that is too confusing, although for the time in which it was made it deals with the subject of Artificial Intelligence in a somewhat futuristic way.
For fans of the genre, it certainly meets the basics of the genre's films.
