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@ over [|=|

If you have 40 minutes to kill some lonely evening, there are worse ways to spend it than watching this action-oriented HLTV. Hailed as the first match of the tokers versus the imbibers, Redeye vs Drinks feels like Starship Troopers without the epic space battle, as large of body count, or as great of acting. The Reds, with their backs to the wall and civilization in chaos from a massacre at the hands of the Death Valley army, retaliate against an organization so deep undercover that its members have aliases for their aliases. In fact, it remains unclear if the Drinkers even know who they are or their own level of sobriety. The film also introduces Munks, a former interleague superstar, to Copper audiences as a new addition to the Red's offensive. In his personal life, Munks boycotted all productions while he dealt with being blacklisted by the Catacombs, one of the major TFC publications. In the movie, Munks tries to steal everything he can get his hands on and every scene he is in. While not a classic Team Fortress opening like scouts rushing over a grassy field, the auto-director's decision to begin with a rush of medics flying across a murky pond sets the overall tone. These are not the fastest or smartest bunch of characters, but they get to their destination well enough, and are quite willing to sacrifice themselves on the way there. The action initiates fairly quickly with both cohorts repeatedly stealing each others flags only to get maimed, bludgeoned, and generally abused on the way home. If you frequent Team Fortress vids, you have seen all these scenes before, and seen them executed with greater precision and flare than this one does. What separates this film from most of the genre is its inventive narrative structure. As relayed from the perspective of the Red's offense, the match unfolds both in real-time and lags three minutes behind itself. The four members of the Red's offense on the field relay the action to a fifth member watching a delayed broadcast of the battle from his home. This gimmick, while not the most creative narrative technique, is highly entertaining and delivers several one-liners that are sure to enter popular culture like, "Dude, where's my flag?", "The medics are dancing again, sir.", "You know you want to watch me do it." and "Munks capped 4 times without dying." The action remains strong for 30 minutes and at what should have been the halfway point of the film, the Reds appear poised for a victory. The action slows as the Drinkers and Reds regroup for a second wave. During this montage, several Drinkers fail to return. Rumors speculate that they had a falling out with one of the producers. The second half also showcases a couple of Reds that did not appear in the first act. When the battle resumes, the Drinkers are clearly at a disadvantage with substantially fewer forces and less coordination. 10 minutes after the fighting resumes, the movie abruptly ends as if the production ran out of money and had its electric turned off. With! the credits rolling and the acknowledgements flowing, we are left to wonder if the Reds hold out over the Drinkers or if they somehow fail at a crucial moment. My belief is they do*. It should also be noted that the entire film was shot in two continuous takes, with only a single cut and little preparation. It is a testament to everyone involved that they pull off the drama, comedy, and action as well as they do. The movie is so moving that even Finchi, a critic renowned for his sarcastic comments on just about everything, says "God damnit! I have no smart ass remark." So if you have little social life, some spare time, and the HLTV sitting on your desktop, it's worth a viewing. (Note: The reporter owns several shares of Redeye stock, purchased when they were trading at record lows.)

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