The Deaths of Ian Stone
A guy keeps waking up into different versions of his life, after being killed in some kind of gruesome way. But then he realizes he's being chased.
Story
Ian Stone (Mike Vogel) feels like something is going wrong in his life. The clock stops during the hockey game after he tries to score the winning goal, and he confesses to his girlfriend Jenny (Christina Cole) that he is losing his mind. Then, on his way home, he sees a body on a train track and when he tries to help, the body comes to life and holds him until a train runs over him. Suddenly, Ian wakes up and he's in an office, late with an assignment. His co-worker Jenny wonders what's wrong with him. He then goes home to a different girlfriend, Media (Jaime Murray), who ends up stabbing him through his stomach and watching him bleed. Ian wakes up again, this time in a taxi, and he's driving Jenny to her house. Over and over, Ian experiences a different life and a different ghastly death, with Jenny the only connecting factor. Ian slowly begins to piece together that he's being chased and has to protect Jenny--and for some reason, he can't be truly killed. Well, not just yet.
Acting
Vogel is a decent all-American guy who plays a likable character the audience can root for. As Ian, the actor is multifaceted, turning from a naïve kid to a streetwise punk, from a successful exec to a messed-up drug addict, from a frightened guy to a hero, and so on. Cole's Jenny is rather one note--it doesn't seem like the actress has much range. Murray as the femme fatale is delightful and looks a lot like something out of the The Matrix. But ultimately, this is Vogel's calling card and should be a nice addition to his resume.
Direction
Director Dario Piana knows how to heighten the tension as Ian Stone tries to figure out what is happening, and along with the script by Brendan Hood, they provide enough intrigue to make people care and wonder why the clocks stop in each of Ian's lives and what significance it plays in each of them. Ian's retains more of his memory the more times he dies and is reborn, so to speak, and when he starts to figure out the puzzle, Deaths of Ian Stone becomes more disturbing. Piana casts the shadowy Harvesters, creatures who wander in and out of Ian's weird predicament, as shadows in the window or as whispery figures around a dark corner; they are definitely nightmare-inducing and provide more than a few jumps.
Bottom Line
Hollywood.com rated this film 3 stars.