Whether you play these kinds of murder-based games or not (the latter for me), Murder Bury Win succeeds at making 90 fun minutes fly by. This character-centric indie presents a unique scenario then follows its energetic train of thought to a reasonably logical, yet absurd conclusion without ever forgetting to be amusing and involving along the way. The sparse cast all nail who these people are very effectively in a dialogue-heavy film that always manages to keep things moving. Even when everyone’s doing something as simple as playing a bloody good board game or talking through their options once complications arise, there’s good forward momentum with relatable people to enjoyably watch unfold.

*Review originally posted October 6, 2020.

Chris (Mikelen Walker), Adam (Erich Lane), and Barrett (Henry Alexander Kelly) love board games to the point they’ve created one of their own–Murder Bury Win. After an attempted crowdfunding to get their dream out of unknown obscurity goes up in smoke they’re contacted by a mysterious benefactor (Craig Cackowski) who claims he can help achieve their goals. Events soon spiral out of Chris, Adam, and Barrett’s control to the point they may have to use their newly made game to help get out of a jam…

If you ask me, just about every movie works better the less you know going in and that’s certainly true for Murder Bury Win. Obviously there will eventually be a dead body to deal with based on the title and the fact it’s being reviewed on a horror website, but the mechanics of who/how/why/etc are best left to the viewer to discover. Besides, this is more about how the surviving characters deal with the bizarre situation they find themselves in as well as their thoughts & feelings about it. Those involved don’t immediately coalesce, either, as where’s the fun in that? A bunch of the entertainment comes from how their various personalities adjust to what each person offers as the best course of action.

Mikelen Walker, Erich Lane, Henry Alexander Kelly, and Craig Cackowski (Officer Cackowski to fellow Community fans) do wonderfully at bringing their unique characters to life. While all viewers may not agree with their choices, Murder Bury Win is effective at conveying why they do what they do. I appreciate how much is left up to the viewer to decide where the line is when it comes to who these people are and how far they’ll go, morally and ethically speaking. Plus, keep in mind that just because I’ve only listed four characters doesn’t mean these are the *only* people featured.

As I said earlier, Murder Bury Win is a dialogue-heavy film and I kind of loved how much talking they do–to each other, over each other, and at each other. When it comes to independent movies like this with a sparse cast and limited number of locations to work with I appreciate greatly how the filmmakers leaned in to what they could do best with–I imagine–little funds to make it happen. So, if you like films more focused on character than pointless gore or violence give Murder Bury Win a chance!

9 out of 10 Bloody Good Board Games

UPDATE 4/29/21: New interview with the director of Murder Bury Win, Michael Lovan–Enjoy!