krigler Reviews

In Their Sleep (2010)

Predictably dark tale

[4/10 · 8 January 2011]

Few horror/thriller films can surprise nowadays. I started watching Dans ton sommeil without any foreknowledge and still managed to be always ahead of the story.

The plot is simple, the characters we have seen in countless similar genre movies. There is a twist of some sorts around halfway of the story but it's something at least half a dozen films have employed recently, if not more, indie and mainstream thrillers alike. With all these familiar elements I just can't fathom why the filmmakers bother at all.

Directing is okay, as is cinematography. Acting is great throughout, Anne Parillaud excels as tormented mother Sarah. Arthur Dupont brings out the best of the role he is given. Again - their efforts serve a pedestrian story.

Clearly, there is real talent involved in the making of this film. Like so often, it's the way too predictable script that makes the whole experience less than worthwhile. Even with a blissfully brief running time it's a strain to sit through. Once you figure out what's going on, everything happens just the way you'd expect from a European film of this genre.

Unthinkable (2010)

Torture is justifiable sometimes. Discuss.

[6/10 · 3 June 2010]

"Unthinkable" is an argumentative essay on torture coated in a thriller. Samuel L. Jackson goes Jack Bauer on a Muslim terrorist (who, possibly in the name of political correctness, is a Caucasian American) to "find out where the bomb is". And, of course, "damn it, we're running out of time!" Meanwhile, Carrie Ann Moss plays "the reason character", representing the sane part of the audience, arguing that using torture on them means the terrorists have won. A premise several films and a handful of TV shows have explored in the past few years in detail.

The narrative proceeds in a clear and obvious trajectory, meaning there are no big surprises along the way, every twist and turn are visible far ahead. This is not to say the film is without tension, it's just once the characters are established, the story does not have anywhere to go but the predictable path. What make the movie a worthwhile watch are the performances. Although Jackson basically plays himself - which is always entertaining - Michael Sheen's acting is very sinister and suggestive, while subtle. The rest of the cast are doing a great job too.

Photography and directing are top notch, although that is to be expected from a production this size. Sometimes it's good to hear both sides of an issue, even if it's a grave one like the former US government's endorsement of torture. If it comes in the form of a well-paced, albeit not very surprising narrative, all the better. "Unthinkable" manages not to be too heavy handed and preachy, and that's welcome.

Cut (I) (2010)

Laudable effort fails miserably

[2/10 · 16 March 2010]

A proper script and better sound editing might have saved this effort from going horribly wrong. As for the story, it doesn't deserve describing - nothing happens that we haven't seen a dozen times in other films. People behave in the usual, expected dumb horror film character manner. Events happen that are meant to be scary but, most of the time, are not.

As it is, the "one continuous take" thing is a gimmick, nothing more. It doesn't add to the story or the suspense. The camera operator should get better paying gigs, but the rest of the crew should not be so lucky. Directing is hit and miss - I am sure it was extremely hard work to choreograph the entire 65 minute take, but the acting is so off that it kind of kills all the other aspects of direction. Especially after the mid point does most of the acting degenerate into insanely theatrical territory. In fact, the whole production seems like a stage play, and the performances are uniformly reminiscent of one. Dialogue at first sounds clever but soon becomes annoyingly so, and is most of the time very on-the-nose. And that is only when it can be heard, because at times sound mix is so bad, the soundtrack and noises drown out the actors' voices.

Fight sequences are ridiculous - I am sure it is awfully difficult to stage fighting when there are no cuts, but in this case they would have been better off not showing anything at all. Most of the fighting resembles very drunken bar brawls with old school slapstick fight sounds added.

Music is diabolical - I am not sure if it is meant to be ironic (the fact that the rest of the film seems to be played out straight suggests otherwise) - but the extremely loud eruptions of staccato effects are not scary at all. If anything, they are distracting and terribly irritating. There is zero tension.

I can only recommend this film to hardcore horror fans. The single take approach may be of some interest to film students or professionals, but content-wise "Cut" is a waste of time and talent. At least they spared some money on editing.

The Method (2005)

Excellent premise marred by lazy characterization

[5/10 · 26 February 2010]

The absurdity and grotesque one-upmanship of an executive job interview is sometimes perfectly captured in El Metodo, with an anti-capitalist demonstration used as an invisible backdrop with subtle symbolism. Directing is handled with confidence, and there is some memorable acting, although towards the end the ugly head of melodramatic overacting rears, destroying the atmosphere.

Also demolishing is the flawed characterization. One huge problem of the basic concept is that people interviewing for a high level managerial position have very rarely got anything to lose. Failure only gets the applicants back to other well paid, plush jobs. Such is a case with these people too; apart from their dignity and self-respect, there is nothing much at stake. Bigger problem is that even those they could easily keep were it not for their conveniently convoluted behaviour. From the writer's perspective it's simply a matter of bad characterization choices and some silly plotting. The competing interviewees behave with enormous stupidity sometimes to conveniently fit the dramatic wishes of the storyteller. One of the protagonists, a woman is rendered a victim about halfway through the film, a weak character unable to resist the sexual advances of a fellow male participant. This completely stupid and unrealistic plot development alone almost makes everything that follows implausible and shallow. (I mean, who in the world has sex in his mind during a supposedly important job interview? Come on, even the most macho males can control their animal urges - if they can't, there's no way they get to an executive position.) It's a pity the filmmakers could not muster up more courage to let the situation play itself out without sensationalist, melodramatic actions and resort to such cheap moves. What started out very well and tense, derails because of increasingly melodramatic plot solutions from the midpoint on.

It's a pity also that apart from a nicely symbolic final image and some subtly added subtext the storytellers did not make more of the anti-capitalist protests apparently going on simultaneously. It's a device completely wasted.

All in all, a film worth watching once for some nice psychodrama elements, but ultimately a terribly missed opportunity. For a similar premise, but a much more thrilling story watch "The Killing Room".

Kill Theory (2009)

Interesting premise ruined by soap opera-ish character relations

[5/10 · 29 November 2009]

A welcome new take on the slasher genre, Kill Theory starts out quite well, but soon deteriorates into TV teen-soap territory because of the ill thought out character relationships.

The titular kill theory of the villain only works because the characters are pretty shallow and have a common backstory straight out of a bad Gossip Girl story strand. It would have been much more interesting if the group dynamic at least resembled one from the real world where friends do not necessarily hold old grudges and girls might not viciously fight over guys who seemingly do not even deserve it. This way the plot becomes repetitive and predictable quite soon.

It's sad that instead of really working the new angle, the filmmakers only used it as a hook to dress up the same old same old. Acting is solid throughout, apart from one spectacularly bad choice. The actor playing the "put upon fat guy with strong complexes and deep resentment waiting to surface" plays just that with all the cliché choices one might associate with the cliché role, plus overacts so badly that he completely kills all the scenes he is in. He should go back to acting school or look up "restraint" in the dictionary. (To be fair to him, the director might also be to blame; how could he let the guy screw up so disastrously is beyond belief - are they close friends or relatives?) All in all, a film that one might pass the time with but nothing memorable.

Horsemen (2009)

Shallow and pretentious

[2/10 · 30 September 2009]

Somewhere at the core of Horsemen there is a good idea and a riveting premise. The execution, however, is all style and too little substance. There may have been a great screenplay at the beginning of the development of this project, but if there was, it got into the wrong hands along the way. The end product is a mess, like Frankenstein's monster, as if it were pieced together from material from past, better films.

Every single "serial killer on the loose" movie cliché is lined up, making Horsemen a tribute to these flicks or a "best of" compilation at best and a sad copy at worst. There is a neat twist almost half way through that cannot be described without spoiling the central premise, the only truly interesting part in the film, but in the end nothing remotely remarkable is done with it.

I am very sure that the people at Platinum Dunes are very good at what they do and they consciously aim their releases at a specific genre audience and most of their films are a success in that respect (I liked the raw energy of the Friday the 13th remake) but Horsemen is a failure of diabolical proportions. Dennis Quaid looks like he's sleepwalking through his role and his character is ridiculously clichéd. The rest of the cast cannot really do anything with their roles either, their characters being sketches at most – there is not one credible personality in this film's universe.

Photography is great, though: the film looks slick – just like an episode of CSI. The similarities do not end there; there are even a couple of those CGI zooms into wounds accompanied by a metallic sound. In fact, the whole film reminds me of an episode of a Bruckheimer TV procedural, only somewhat more gruesome.

Thankfully brief, Horsemen clocks in at a mere 80 minutes, but there isn't a single memorable moment in the entire experience. The "message" or "controlling idea" in the end ultimately turns out to be pretentious and very shallow. This idea could have been worth a much better execution – no pun intended.

Shuttle (2008)

Atmospheric but overlong and lacking originality

[5/10 · 30 September 2009]

Interesting from the start, though far from riveting, the plot of Shuttle very slowly builds to an incredibly unsatisfactory ending. The premise is all right; people embark on an airport shuttle towards downtown only to discover that they are at the mercy of a psychopath who kidnaps them. What ensues, however, is a pretty by-the-number thriller where there is not one development, plot point or reversal that is unpredictable or surprising in the least. Even a supposedly midpoint twist is totally foreseeable only by the way the main characters are introduced at the beginning. From then on it's merely a long cat and mouse game that loses interest quickly.

Audiences of this type of genre fare are trained to expect a major twist at the end; no such luck here. There is a conclusion but it is neither truly shocking nor original. And to claim that the filmmakers wanted to make any kind of statement about the world and a sad phenomenon with this ending would be easily negated by referring to the sheer exploitative nature of everything that precedes it.

The length is way too indulgent for this material; at least twenty minutes could easily be cut without compromising this story. Shuttle is not without merits though. Acting is surprisingly accomplished throughout, particularly by the two girls, especially in light of the weakness of the material they have to work with. Their backstory, undoubtedly aimed at deepening their characters, is incredibly clichéd and poorly conceived. Directing is top notch, low-budget film-making at its best; again, too bad there is no properly developed screenplay to provide a solid foundation.

The Hills Run Red (2009 Video)

What Scream did to slasher movies...

[6/10 · 30 May 2009]

...The Hills Run Red does for torture porn flicks. This horror subgenre has been going downhill for a while now, rapidly losing any kind of semblance of a subtext or deeper meaning and only giving its viewers what a lot of them no doubt crave: meaningless and increasingly graphic gore. That the genre got to the point of self-reflexivity may be a good sign - perhaps the dumb torture porn wave is ready to disappear from the mainstream (though the fact that this film is straight-to-DVD might not get it the recognition it deserves). This is not Haneke territory, though - nor it should be -, nevertheless The Hills Run Red provides a nice sarcastic commentary on the shock- and blood-craze of recent mainstream horror cinema. Its philosophy, albeit none too deep, provides a refreshing change of course from similar films. (And dare I say makes its point just as powerfully as the so-called "auteurs" do with their not much subtler films about violence, who get a nice stab in the movie - not literally, though.) Directing is skillful for the most part, however, the level of acting gradually becomes way over the top and hysterical, which is a shame. I wonder when horror directors learn that this kind of bad stage acting style just kills the atmosphere. Crazy psychos can be much more threatening when they are subdued and quiet. All in all, Hills Run Red is a surprisingly solid horror film with more brain than most flicks in its genre. It is taut and its brevity is welcome as well. My only problem is that the plot twist in the second act is totally spoiled by the preview material. It's a huge shame, because it works tremendously in the film but of course only if one goes in unsuspecting.

Donkey Punch (2008)

What a waste of talent

[4/10 · 8 May 2009]

Donkey Punch is more than competently directed, almost every aspect of it is superbly executed - save for the tiny matter called screenplay. The plot is so tired words cannot begin to describe it. There is not one event that cannot be foreseen from miles ahead by anyone who has seen more than two thriller movies in recent years.

The director is obviously very talented, and even the acting is above average compared to this type of fare (I'm looking at you My Bloody Valentine 3D with your silent movie-type overacting) but the plot is such a bore and there is a distinct lack of suspense throughout that instead of generating thrills it almost put me to sleep.

Any real chance of characterization sinks as soon as the characters begin to do awfully predictable and silly things, just for the sake of packing a punch to the audience - which in turn fails because everyone can see them coming.

And to think that British public funding is going to such stinking waste of material and talent is beyond comprehension. I am all for subsidizing mainstream films but Donkey Punch is a knockoff of dozens of movies we have seen, most of them better written.

Just a touch of originality would have elevated Donkey Punch to at least an average level, as it is now it is just not worth the time and investment. On the plus side: the soundtrack is awesome.

The Hurt Locker (2008)

The work of a master filmmaker

[10/10 · 18 March 2009]

The Hurt Locker is a serious character study and a taut, suspenseful action thriller at once.

The subject matter itself - the work of a bomb expert, possibly one of the most nerve-racking jobs on the planet - yields most of the suspense but Bigelow manages to squeeze out every bit of tension of the premise.

This film to me was very apolitical - though set in Iraq, it is distinguished from most of the Iraq-themed war films in that it concentrates much more on the job itself than the political environment. Iraq seemed more like a backdrop - any other war would do, The Hurt Locker does not preach about this one specifically.

The story is deeply emotional, depicting a thoroughly disturbed individual's life in hell. Jeremy Renner gives an incredibly powerful performance as an EOD officer completely hooked on adrenaline stemming from his everyday close shaves with death.

All aspects of film-making are top-notch, from the brilliantly subversive screenplay through vivid cinematography, masterful directing and perfectly paced editing.

In its storytelling the filmmakers wisely break with traditional Hollywood narrative techniques. There is no clear antagonist, no rising action, no obvious character development and no climax. And yet the film manages to be more interesting, tense and suspenseful than any Hollywood action thriller I've seen in years while making a powerful, yet subtle statement about the insane addiction that is war. Kudos for everyone involved for making this film without compromising.

This is pure quality, cinematic storytelling at its best, a thinking man's actioner.

Frame of Mind (2009)

Bland and clichéd

[1/10 · 23 February 2009]

Frame of Mind is a by the numbers conspiracy thriller with not one twist you cannot see from miles ahead if you have seen one conspiracy thriller in your life. (If you haven't, do yourself a favour and don't make it your first one.) One episode of '24' has ten times more "surprising" reveals and the level of intelligence is comparable too. This film is insulting to the viewer on many levels.

Every character, every plot point is like coming from a box labelled "conspiracy thriller clichés" down to the James Bond-type moustachioed, "sophisticated" villain (it turns out he has grandkids - wow, he is human too!). Writing is so lazy, it's like the whole story was penned for a high school creative writing assignment. The first 45 minutes are basically spent on establishing stuff one already knows going in (for instance from reading the synopsis on the DVD box). Lots of unnecessary verbal exposition is going on and many scenes are there seemingly for the reason to hit home the fact that the hero and his wife love each other. Their cutesy scenes being lovey-dovey are stomach churning. You can hear better honed dialogues on an afternoon Hallmark movie.

The most frustratingly bad aspect of the story is the fact that if the conspirators weren't reacting to the threat of disclosure, most probably they would never be in any danger of getting caught, as everyone would just let it die. As soon as they start pulling strings to intimidate people, they confirm all the suspicions. They are incredibly stupid, which begs the question how they can keep deceiving the whole world.

Acting is abominable throughout - then again, the actors have nothing to work with. The ridiculous effort to cash in on Chris Noth's Sex and the City fame by putting his face on all artwork is a blatant deceit - he is a secondary character at best. The film is obviously a vanity project for Carl T. Evans, actor, co-writer and producer of this silly film, but he fails in every role.

Tech credits are good, lensing is especially great. Editing is fine too, as is sound. It's just a pity these are supporting an inferior product.

G.P.S. (2007)

Wasted opportunity

[2/10 · 22 February 2009]

I love no-budget thrillers and applaud every young filmmaker who opts for the genre route, resisting the too easy art-house choice. Indie thrillers sometime make such gems as The Following, Brick, Primer or to some extent Fermat's Room. In some cases, though, independent genre films turn out to be complete turd, like GPS.

What enrages me in this case is the fact that the makers of this film have obviously talent. Photography is excellent, also the editing is inspired. Music is also good, but it's used way too much, and becomes amateurish after a while. Acting is more miss than hit - I give more credit to the actors and chalk it up for the inept directing and rubbish screenplay. The director obviously has talent too in staging action, blocking the scenes, choreographing but he apparently knows zilch about instructing actors. And he should definitely stay away from trying to write a screenplay.

Putting so much talent and apparently a good deal of money into such a turgid story is a waste on so many levels that it frustrates me as a viewer. The screenplay completely lacks originality and gets stupider from scene to scene until such a ridiculously convoluted climax that it is mind-boggling. Every bad C-category slasher/thriller cliché is present from the masked stalker (really.... it is so tired it cannot be less menacing) to the characters becoming suspicious of each other, to the worst offence of all: the talking killer in the end, who explains everything at length while holding the other characters at gunpoint. And the resolution... let's just say it puts the most far-fetched soap operas to shame with its utterly non-sensical, melodramatic "reveal". What's worse, it's played completely straight, without a hint of irony (even with irony it would be lame, without it it's an embarrassment to everyone who has been connected to this fateful production).

Owing to the zero characterization and completely predictable, silly plotting, there is little to hang on to for a viewer, thus any unfolding events generate less suspense than a shrug or a disbelieving groan. It's a pity, because the GPS gimmick sounded original, and there is even a neat visual - though seemingly dated - trickery tracking the protags' route in the woods.

Let's hope these obviously talented filmmakers find a job working on others' films. Or find a good screenwriter asap. The world needs great indie genre films, but not uninspired knockoffs of already bad B-movies.

Night Train (I) (2009)

Though atmospheric, ultimately disappoints

[4/10 · 17 January 2009]

I'm a fan of low budget film-making and I am convinced that from the truly talented filmmakers monetary limitations bring out the best in terms of creativity.

Night Train is basically a chamber piece. The whole story takes place within the compartments of a long train riding relentlessly through the darkness on Christmas eve. All the exterior shots are rather cheap looking CGI of the passenger train going ahead in the snow blizzard which in itself is not distracting, on the contrary - the darkness outside increases the gloomy, disturbing atmosphere inside the train. The set design is problematic though. The interior of the train makes it look like we're in the past, early in the last century. I was under the impression that that was the case - even the way people dress in the movie fueled this conviction - but then around 40 minutes into the film one of the characters uses a cell phone.

Although the tech credits are okay, by the look of the inside of the train I could see the film was shot somewhere in Eastern Europe and firing up IMDb I saw I was right. So it's not the dodgy CGI but the unnecessarily confusing set design what gives away the low budget of the film.

Plotwise it's all seen it all before. Many people refer to Shallow Grave in the threads here - yes, the setup recalls that movie, but then halfway through the story it takes a turn into a far more mysterious direction. Problem is, up until that time the plot is very predictable and goes through the usual motions (albeit in fast forward, given the time constraints) as characters debate what to do with the dead body and the loot, begin to act suspiciously to each other and to outsiders then ultimately turn on each other. This mechanical plot takes over from characterization, so after the twist in the midpoint when events become less predictable it's hard to really care because the characters remain thin and uninteresting.

Acting is okay, Danny Glover gives a low-key performance that suits the purposes of the film, while Zahn apparently tries to bring out the best of his clichéd role. Leelee Sobielski is quite convincing at first with her deadpan reactions and attitude but later gives a kind of performance which is borderline comic - I am not sure if this was intentional.

The unfortunate set design and some grave credibility issues (I am no expert of US police procedure but the way a detective handles the situation later on in the film seems quite ridiculous, plus even on Christmas it is hard to imagine only a handful of people would take a train that has a dozen carriages, a working bar and kitchen but no other staff than two attendants) make this a slightly worse than average movie.

Baghead (2008)

Unpretentious and fun

[8/10 · 6 January 2009]

Baghead is a true gem, a tribute to indie film-making at its best. I may be partial to no and lo budget film-making, on the other hand I have very little patience for regular art-house talkfests where nothing really happens. The filmmakers here find the perfect balance of indie talking heads type non-plot and a suspenseful genre piece, which is a rare feat.

Directing is okay, although the hand-held camera-work can be exhausting sometimes. The actors are great and the relationship drama between the four characters is interesting and at times funny enough to hold the viewers' interest. I loved the fact that there is no true horror soundtrack, so the scares and tension work without the usual "boo" staccato sound effects and unnerving suspense music. This is something extremely difficult to achieve, so kudos for that.

At 80 minutes the story does not wear out its welcome. Baghead is a definite recommend for anyone hungry for something different from the usual Hollywood fare.

Surveillance (I) (2008)

derivative and frustratingly dumb

[1/10 · 2 January 2009]

Based on some early reviews I was really looking forward to seeing this movie. I was ultimately very disappointed.

Starting on a positive note, Surveillance is very expertly shot, and is beautiful to look at. However, on almost every other account it fails miserably. The first two acts are simply boring and annoying, mostly because of the quote-unquote "weird" characters. The people populating this story on paper might have looked interesting, seeing them acted out, however, just goes to show how incredibly difficult it is to create really interesting dramatic characters. These people act and behave like no human being would, just for the sake of being weird or unusual. The plot also progresses in a very leisurely manner. Then the third act comes, where events go from boring to completely nonsensical. The obligatory twist is just dumb beyond belief.

Then the acting - geez, I don't think any of the actors should put this one in their resume. Bill Pulman, bringing his best "constipated De Niro" impersonation, is the worst offender. In the last act he overacts on a disastrous level, to a point where one wishes a meteor would fall from the sky and put him out of his misery. It has to be the most cringe-worthy, embarrassing episode of his career. But the rest of the cast also do their best to follow his lead. When will Hollywood learn that psychotic killers do not necessarily behave and talk like Jim Carrey on PCP? I've seen worse films in 2008 but given the talent involved I didn't think Surveillance would be such a painful experience to sit through. Avoid this stinker.

Gå med fred Jamil - Ma salama Jamil (2008)

Raw, powerful but somewhat thin in characterization

[7/10 · 8 April 2008]

"Ma Salama Jamil" is a powerful "issue-film" in the vein of "In the Valley of Elah" in a way that it takes a very relevant current problem and attempts to inspect it from many angles - all in the disguise of an edgy thriller. Set in the Muslim community of Copenhagen, it relates the one-day journey of a young Sunni man, Jamil, who kisses good-bye to his small son and wife and goes to murder someone. He does this out of duty, as the murdered man had once killed Jamil's mother. His act triggers a spiral of ruthless violence and ultimately leads to unspeakable tragedy. The plot is basically it - very simple, straightforward and quite predictable. Everything: plotting, characterization and dialogue are secondary to theme and issue. The message is clear: religious antagonisms (in this case Sunni against Shia) are meaningless and violence breeds more violence. This is a theme worth exploring and it has to be expressed, but after a while its repetition gets somewhat annoying as the writers and director hit it home with the subtlety of a suicide bomb. (This is one aspect in which it is very similar to "Elah".) And yet the film works superbly. Despite its predictability, tension is still very high right until the end. Omar Shargawi is an incredibly gifted director and his DoP is similarly skilled. The film looks stunning. Acting is also top notch from Vin Diesel-lookalike Dar Salim in the titular role to the director himself in a small but important role. Shargawi prefers tight shots and quick cuts and hand-held photography reminiscent of Paul Greengrass' work. It heightens drama and adds urgency, on the other hand, gives little sense of where we are. The first indication that the story takes place in a European metropolis comes some 55 minutes into the film with a wide shot of a Copenhagen street. Similarly, we get very little sense of life in a Muslim community in a European city. Beyond the Sunni - Shia antagonism and the violence/revenge theme there is no real feel for how these people really live. As there are hints at an endlessly fascinating community, I felt disappointed it was not explored further. All in all, a great film, a superb debut for Shargawi which could have perhaps profited from deeper characterization and going beyond its main themes. I am looking forward to the writer/director's next project.

London (I) (2005)

Pointless

[1/10 · 5 December 2007]

A movie about pain, angst and agony that manages to cause all that to its viewers is called a masterpiece - if it happens for the right reasons. In the case of London I felt pain because I hated the way this film wasted one and a half hours from my life. I have read many similar scripts (God knows I have even written one myself) but thankfully they have never been made into a movie. Unfortunately, this one has.

For one thing: watching people party is about as much fun as watching paint dry. Listening to people speaking complete nonsense the way wasted people do is only fun if you are one of them. I guess the writer/director of this movie has been to many similar situations depicted in "London". I guess he enjoyed these. But he should never have made them into a movie. I can't fathom what financiers saw in this one. If torture porn is for people to get off on others' physical suffering, this one might be characterized as "mental torture porn". Only difference is, the viewers of "Saw" and "Hostel" don't suffer. Watching "London", I did.

The Woodsman (2004)

subtle and powerful

[7/10 · 22 October 2007]

Excellently acted with low-key but even-handed, strong directing, The Woodsman is a subtle, slow-moving pic. The screenplay is elegantly written, character-driven, grows on the viewer. It never bore me, which is saying a lot among today's drama fare.

All the leads give convincing performances, there's no melodrama here, no overacting. Even Mos Def's portrayal of the burnt out cop is remarkably subtle and strong. Kudos for all the principals to make the film overwhelming and gripping despite the slow burning storyline.

There are a few particularly disturbing - though none too graphic - scenes involving child molesting. Superb directing ensures these are never tasteless or gratuitous. My only disappointment is with the culmination scene. Though shocking and made my skin crawl, the consequence of it is played out in a disappointingly underwhelming fashion. Then again, these kinds of stories are almost impossibly hard to finish satisfactorily.

But for the ending this would be a perfect little independent drama about the depths of human soul. As it is, it's a great film.

The Page Turner (2006)

Very European - and unfortunately, pretty dull

[3/10 · 24 April 2007]

I was really looking forward to watching this film as I heard from the head of a major film board that this was one of the best screenplays he had ever read. Well, The Page Turner is a better than average European movie. But it is not a good movie. To call it a thriller is a massive overstatement. It just doesn't thrill. It's much more of a character study. In the end - it is flawed for that as well. There seems to be a tendency nowadays among European filmmakers to take high concept ideas and develop them in a slow, on the surface more realistic fashion (another such case that springs to mind is Srdan Golubovic's Klopka). However, most probably to differentiate themselves from the Hollywood way of narrative, they steer clear of extreme situations (save for the core idea) and keep it very low key. The result is quite tedious. I feel this is the case with the Page Turner as well. Everyone knows the big Hollywood thrillers where there is a character who turns out to have masterminded an evil plot to achieve something. This plot hinges on so many coincidences and unforeseeable events that if you fail to suspend your disbelief as a viewer, you will feel the whole story is stupid. That's what I felt about the main character's plan in the Page Turner. Her plan to avenge a misfired entrance exam to the conservatory as a child depends so much on reactions from other characters and circumstances that develop throughout the story that there is no way she could have predicted and planned the whole thing this way. In an effort to avoid melodrama and serious plot contrivances, the filmmakers achieved exactly the opposite. It's a big disappointment and another missed opportunity.

The Killing Floor (2007)

Bland and uninteresting

[1/10 · 23 March 2007]

These days good thrillers are increasingly hard to come by. It takes extra effort and a lot of thinking on the writers' part to come up with something original that the audience hasn't seen before countless times. When TV shows like Prison Break tire out the viewers with their seemingly endless double twists and reversals you need to invent something truly clever to justify making a feature film. With "The Killing Floor", the producers obviously just went for the cheap thrills, trusting that there is an endless appetite for the genre. It's hard to imagine anything more boring and uninspiring than this pic. Poor characterization, twists we saw a thousand times, inane dialogue and wooden acting - you name it. If you have seen more than 5 thrillers and you have an IQ higher than an average coffee mug you'll see through the long list of weak red herrings and figure out what's going on quite early on. Everything is set up and foreshadowed with the subtlety of an 18 wheeler, so if you are not half asleep while watching, there will be few surprises along the way. (In fact, I was half asleep and still there were none.) Prepare for pathetic "boo moments", scares characterized by sudden bursts of loud music and very stupid actions by the hero. Many times all he should do is ask a couple of really obvious questions from the other characters to shed light on a particular matter. But here everyone does and says things to suit the storyteller's intentions. I only watched it till the end because I am a true fan of thrillers and I was kind of expecting a massive surprise revelation at the end that would make it worthwhile. No such luck. As I said, if you are conscious enough to hear and grasp the dialogue and your mind is capable of processing the images flickering on the screen, you will know what's going on long before the protagonist. Knowing the Hollywood system, there might have been an interesting idea at the core of this film. If there was, it got lost along the way, and the result is the saddest of all generic misfires: a thriller that fails to thrill.

Inside Man (2006)

an entertaining heist flick

[8/10 · 3 March 2006]

Note: I stay away from describing the plot in any detail because it would be very hard to do so without spoiling elements of it. "Inside Man" starts out as a no holds barred, high octane action-thriller, and by its midpoint fully transforms into a breezy, tongue-in-cheek heist movie, reminiscent of The Sting. I felt it to be a little over-plotted, but that comes with the genre - the expected twists and turns are all here, thankfully mostly in non-expected ways. Contrivances abound, and we don't really learn the background of the heist (ie. how the robbers learned about their target) but the story and the overall atmosphere more than make up for this. The meticulously designed plot also compensates for the lack of real 3D characterization - save for Denzel Washington's ambitious policeman hero, who at least achieves a level of humanity throughout the story. The character interaction between him and his sidekick (Chiwetel Ejiofor of "Serenity" fame) and the frustrated captain played by Willem Defoe is great with some sparkling dialog. Clive Owen is okay, most of the time convincing as the criminal mastermind, although he spends most of the film wearing a mask. I'd say this film is harmless fun, not your usual Spike Lee fare, which goes to prove his versatility. There is a hint in the back-story at some heavy issues of the past, but it's nothing more than a macguffin that only achieves some slight significance in the resolution of the movie. There is a neat structural trickery in the use of flash-forward scenes, hinting toward the aftermath of the heist without giving away the real ending. It's used sparingly and cleverly. I can highly recommend this movie, it is never boring for a moment, what's more, I was enjoying it so much that as events were progressing toward the climax, I was wishing it would go on. And that's very rare for me in the movies nowadays.