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Living & Dying

Living & Dying

Movie · 2007 · 9 people

Jon Keeyes wrote and directed Living & Dying, a 2007 American action thriller of roughly 90 minutes. It opened in Turkish cinemas as Ölümle Dans on 30 March 2007 and reached DVD in the United States on 25 December 2007.

The story follows three robbers who flee a botched bank job and take cover in a roadside diner. The real danger, however, is already inside: two hardened killers who happen to be among the customers seize control and take everyone hostage. The thieves are left in a position they never anticipated, with the police they had been running from becoming their only hope of survival. Filming took place in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas.

The cast includes Edward Furlong, Michael Madsen, Bai Ling and Arnold Vosloo. Co-produced with the involvement of Elif Dağdeviren, the film drew attention in Turkey chiefly because Tamer Karadağlı, Yelda Reynaud and Deniz Akkaya appear in supporting roles. Turkish critics were unpersuaded: Ali Ercivan dismissed it in a harsh notice as a television movie that had wandered onto the big screen.

DirectorJon Keeyes

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Cast

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Michael Madsen Michael Madsen Actor · died at 67 Tamer Karadağlı Tamer Karadağlı Actor · 59 years old Edward Furlong Bai Ling Arnold Vosloo Małgorzata Kożuchowska Jordana Spiro Trent Haaga Monica Bîrlădeanu

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Through different eyes

Action & Thriller Fan Puts pace, tension and set pieces first; little patience for slow drama.

The setup is genuinely good: robbers hiding out in a roadside diner run into two killers far more dangerous than themselves, and the police they were fleeing suddenly become their only hope. That twist is enough material for a tight, single-location hostage thriller. But the harsh response from Turkish critics was not unfounded; the result feels more like a TV movie than a cinema release.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

A thriller built around characters trapped in a single location is a classic model, and in the right hands it could have produced a lean, sharp film. The problem lies less in the premise than in the writing and directing discipline needed to carry it. Ali Ercivan's description of it as a television movie that had wandered onto the big screen sums up the overall impression well. Familiar genre names such as Edward Furlong, Michael Madsen, Bai Ling and Arnold Vosloo are on board, but recognisable faces alone do not generate character depth or suspense. For Turkish viewers the curiosity is seeing local actors in an American genre film; beyond that it is a run-of-the-mill entry in the genre.

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

The film is interesting less for its cinematic merit than as a glimpse of the Turkish film business's mid-2000s eagerness to take part in international projects. Playing in Turkish cinemas while going straight to DVD in the United States reveals who its real audience was. Casting Tamer Karadağlı, Yelda Reynaud and Deniz Akkaya in supporting roles also reflects a period when simply seeing local stars in an international production carried marketing value of its own. It is a small but instructive case for anyone thinking about co-production models; the story itself makes no claim to social depth.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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