Macabre…ish Horror Review: Division 19
Division 19, 2018/ 1 hr 33 min
In a dystopian future where all of society is controlled and surveilled, in part, by giant overhead drone that enforces all of the arbitrary societal rules, many of which, at the end of a 10 second countdown, for smoking outdoors, can cost you your life.
The government and corporations has gamified prison by making it another product for those online to consume. They can vote and determine what does and doesn’t happen to the inmates. Now they want to expand that model, they’re selling it as an answer to prison over flow, officially. A chance at rehabilitation, at least for select inmates, by creating a society where microchipped prisoners can 'earn' their freedom and at the same time, learn life skills. It already has a name, Newtown. This is the unofficial expansion of PrisonTV.
A hacker group finds out and hijacks the live, public feed and they have demands which if they are not met, they will disperse the funds of two major international banks. They'll create their own public courts, live and online, they’ll interrupt web transmissions and release the prisoners. They will plunge the city into darkness.
The demands are: the end to mandatory finger printing and PrisonTV, an independent corruption trial for all successive governments to present day, a reintroduction of the Glass-Steagall act.
Four demands, seven days, no negotiations.
They also share a more equitable tax code for citizens and corporations, the latter will pay a 100% tax rate.
Meanwhile, there is a fugitive, Hardin Jones, on the run and he’s bartering his way underground. He’s a fighter and his bounty is high. His escape is the brainchild of his brother, Nash, who he hasn’t seen in a decade. There was never any intension of letting him out. Hardin gets updated and is told to use the Hobo code and given the name of his contact, Perelman.
Hardin’s fugitive status becomes a big problem for the network because they need him in Newtown. But Hardin’s brother, Nash, is part of the group trying to take down Panopticon, In an act of desperation, Neilsen appeals to him on the feed. She promises him the world, all he has to do, is surrender.
This dystopian sci fi thriller was directed by Suzie Halewood. And if you are a fan of the Stephen King book The Running Man, this movie very much has that feel. It’s moody, the pace is really well done. And the desperation is palpable in this flick. Well done.