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Cinema Voyage - Akito Hirata, Filmhunter

State of Play is a cleverly scripted thriller directed by The Last King of Scotland's Kevin Macdonald which was based on an award winning BBC thriller of the same name. Starring Ben Affleck and Russell Crowe, casting wise it may be hard to believe that Affleck and Crowe were college buddies due to not only their character's personality differences but also their 8 year age gap! Despite this, Crowe suits the role of Cal McAffrey and the grunginess and attitude that his role is accompanied by.

As Cal is covering a drug related shooting, news breaks that a female colleague of his old college buddy Congressman Stephen Collins has met a cruel fate at a train station and reporters capture Stephen reacting emotionally at a press conference. Speculation soon gives way to the fact that Stephen and his head researcher Sonia Baker (Maria Thayer) were having an affair and before long, the media is surrounding the Collins' residence in order to get the official scoop.

Unable to go home because of the reporters and his wife Anne's (Robin Wright Penn) refusal, Stephen arrives unannounced on Cal's doorstep. It is clear that the two are no longer close due to an incident which occurred in the past, although they manage to put aside their feelings in order to try to defuse the media frenzy surrounding that of the Congressman.

As Cal investigates further into his drug shooting story, he finds a connection to Sonia Baker and pushes Cal for further information. The pair were working together on a case investigating a company by the name of PointCorp in relation to defense budgets and spending and which if there was to be a prosecution, PointCorp would stand to lose millions if not billions of dollars. To make the story interesting, Cal is not working the PointCorp angle alone. Assigned to assist him is Washington Post blogger and first time print reporter Della Frye (Rachel McAdams). The pair, despite their rocky start to the relationship, find that they are able to work together effectively in order to get to the truth.

Cal of course finds himself torn between getting to the truth and helping out his friends although his Editor, Cameron Lynne (Helen Mirren), would prefer if he could cut to the chase quicker in order to sell some newspapers. Mirren is of course very effective as a newspaper editor, showing the brazenness and quick thinking that her job requires. In fact all roles are portrayed effectively except maybe that of Jason Bateman who seemed a bit out of place as PR man and rat, Dominic Foy.

Part drama and thriller with political and corporate plotlines, the story had enough going on to keep me interested with even a surprise or two at the end.

Those who have viewed the original television series will no doubt be dismayed by the series being condensed into a 2 hour movie and I am guessing that a bit of the back story and side stories were lost in the cut. Overall as a stand alone piece, it did not detract disastrously.

Voyage Review: 4/5

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Thriller

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Review - The Horsemen

May 24th 2009 02:30

Not to be confused with Omar Sharif's 1971 movie of the same name, The Horsemen stars Dennis Quaid as Detective Aiden Breslin (Vantage Point, Smart People) heading up a series of murder investigations based on biblical prophecies.

In the book of Revelations, it is said that Jesus takes the first four of seven seals off a scroll. As each of the seals are removed, a horse appears, the last with Death as the rider. These horsemen (War, Famine, Pestilence and Death) are known as The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. An interesting premise for a horror/thriller but unfortunately the concept falls flat due to an undeveloped script penned by Doom writer, Dave Callaham.

Quaid carries the film for the most part as grieving widower trying desperately to balance his worklife with that of his homelife and his two estranged sons, Alex and Sean (Lou Taylor Pucci and Liam Jones).

A break finally comes in the investigation when Kristen (Ziyi Zhang), the adopted daughter of one of the victims confesses to an involvement in the murders. Whilst she does not give any real information which can assist their case, she instead offers cryptically and sexually charged messages to that of Aiden, who she connects with immediately. The casting of Ziyi Zhang (Memoirs of a Geisha, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) does not work at all and the film loses whatever impetus it has managed to gain in the prior scenes.

The overall movie had a CSI feel to it - going from murder scene to the autopsy room leaving little time for any character development other than small glimpses into Aiden and his family.
Also the connection between that of Kristen and the other so named horsemen involved is not explored effectively and frustratingly so, you anticipate the film's direction even before the Detective does.

Swedish Music Director Jonas Akerlund (first movie feature Spun - 2002) for the most part plays it safe. The dark world in which the movie inhabits is also not nearly dark enough to make the exploration into the subculture of suspension and sadomasochism even remotely interesting.

The proclaimed scribblings on the wall "Come and See" are indeed a warning to wait this out until it appears at a dvd store near you!

Voyage Review: 2.5/5

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Thriller

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Review - The International

May 1st 2009 04:08

I penned my interest to see this film back in January and I must admit I came away feeling a bit empty after the experience.

Starring Clive Owen as Interpol Agent Louis Salinger and Naomi Watts as US Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman, both are working hand in hand to investigate the goings on behind international banking. Taking international law into their own hands at times, they uncover arms trading plots, murder and involvement in terrorism - not the usual goings on behind your local Commonwealth Bank admittedly!

With an almost 2 hour running time, the movie starts in the middle of an ongoing investigation. Louis, ex Scotland Yard, had similar involvement with bank investigations in his previous working career and we hear snippets regarding his background along the way. His character is presented as a loner and it does not allow us to learn anything more about him other than what we are presented with on screen.

Eleanor is married with children, although we only see this part of her life briefly and are meant to somehow conjure up a three dimensional character from it all. There is oddly no real relationship between that of Louis and Eleanor - despite an odd face touching scene where he announces that she must burn her bridges with him in order for them to succeed. Her character has no real purpose in the movie and it would play out the same regardless of her involvement. She appears and disappears leaving Louis to bring down the shady bankers by himself.

Directed by Tom Tykwer, it is a long way removed from the arthouse fare he is usually connected with. I am a fan of his body of work which include Heaven, Run Lola Run and Perfume: The Story of a Murderer and this film certainly did not reach the directorial heights shown in these movies.

Good thrillers are rare to find and whilst this would not appear on my top list of thrillers recently viewed, it was cemented in enough realism to believe that these types of goings on could occur. For fans of action movies, the film does provide the audience with a creative shootout in the Guggenheim Museum but this scene stands somewhat apart from the rest of the movie. Admittedly the final scenes failed to live up to my expectations but I did enjoy the scenic shots from some stunning locations - Turkey, Germany, Italy and France to name a few.

Banking, it seems is not all about dollars and cents. If you are looking to enter the world of finance here is a tip - if you control the debt - you control everything!

Voyage Review: 3/5

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Thriller

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Review - Killshot

April 6th 2009 11:21

Killshot seemed to fly under the radar with minimal release in the US and elsewhere. Directed by John Madden (Shakespeare in Love, Mrs Brown), Killshot stars comeback king Mickey Rourke and was filmed prior to his award nominated role in The Wrestler. Well deserving of the king title, Mickey it seems, now has 9 films either just announced, in filming, in pre-production or post-production.

Based on a novel by Elmore Leonard, Killshot stars Diane Lane (Nights in Rodanthe), Thomas Jane (The Punisher), Rosario Dawson (Death Proof) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock From The Sun). Numerous reports surround this film but they all confirm that production was seriously delayed and the overall film was heavily edited including the removal of an entire supporting role by Johnny Knoxville.
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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Thriller

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Review - The Square

March 20th 2009 10:28

If you're having a bad day then I suggest you watch Nash Edgerton's The Square. Written by his brother and actor Joel Edgerton and Matthew Dabner, The Square is a tale about everyday people pushed to extreme situations.

Set in the outer suburbs of Sydney, the film revolves around Ray (David Roberts). He manages a construction site for a honeymoon resort under the watchful eye of (Bill Hunter) and ironically is also stuck in a failed marriage with Martha (Lucy Bell).
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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Thriller

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Review - Surveillance

March 17th 2009 02:58

Surveillance opens with a bang and is Jennifer Lynch's first film since her hiatus from Boxing Helena 15 years ago starring Sherilyn Fenn. It is night and disjointed images and sounds are thrust upon us including images of a masked person. The audience are then forced to bear witness to what can only be described as a number of horrific killings complete with shot gun fire and a cat and mouse car chase. Cut to the next morning, we are introduced to two FBI agents, Elizabeth Anderson (Julia Ormond) and Sam Hallaway (Bill Pullman), who are investigating the serial kills occurring across the country. It is clear that they have more than just a professional relationship early on in the piece. Arriving at their small town destination, they are greeted with indignation by local police led by Captain Billings (Michael Ironside) who are annoyed the FBI is swooping in to pick up their investigation.

Their agents' charge is to investigate three survivors involved in an incident which resulted in a number of fatalities including the death of a fellow police officer, Jim Conrad, played by 3rd Rock's French Stewart. The survivors are interrogated separately under the suspicious watch of Sam from the main control room and each interrogation results in a flashback of their story, giving us a very clever and effective plot line development. Jack Bennett (Kent Harper) was Jim's partner and was injured on the scene. Bobbi Prescott (Pell James) was witness to the death of her boyfriend. Stephanie (with a strong performance by Ryan Simpkins) witnessed the death of her whole family.
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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Thriller

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Review - Valkyrie

March 8th 2009 10:38

Bryan Singer in my opinion was very brave taking on Valkyrie as he did. Hitting his high in 1995 with The Usual Suspects and with the box office success of X-Men and X-Men 2 continuing his legacy, his career is well and truly guaranteed.

Billed with Tom Cruise as lead actor is problematic in itself. Maintaining controversy wherever he goes, his spotted career is not necessarily enough to guarantee bums on seats. The secondary cast however reads as a whos who of interesting character actors including Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Terence Stamp and Eddie Izzard.
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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Thriller

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Review - In The Electric Mist

March 1st 2009 05:43

Fresh from the Berlin International Film Festival, In The Electric Mist looks set to bypass the cinema and go straight to dvd. This will no doubt be disappointing for the French director, Bertrand Tavernier and the eclectic cast which includes Tommy Lee Jones, John Goodman, Peter Sarsgaard, Kelly McDonald and Mary Steenburgen.

Based on the Dave Robicheaux detective novels by James Lee Burke, this film is largely based on his novel entitled In The Electric Mist With The Confederate Dead. The premise is good - noirish overtones, dead bodies, local mobsters, a fearless detective, a confederate ghost, atmospheric bayou - but the end result fails to impress.
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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Thriller

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Review - Transsiberian

February 5th 2009 07:42

Transsiberian initially appealed to me because I had once considered catching the infamous train from Beijing through to Moscow. A nightmarish 30 hour train journey in China put me off wanting to catch trains for quite a long time - but that is another story altogether.

Transsiberian stars a mismatched Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer as an American couple, Roy and Jessie, who are looking to travel to Moscow from China after participating in mission work in Beijing. Roy, a self confessed train spotter is keen to take the train and manages to convince his amateur photographer wife that the journey would be good thing for them to do as a couple. Jessie, a reformed party girl and alcoholic married kind hearted Roy despite their differences. At one point she says "Kill off all my demons, Roy, and my angels might die, too." highlighting the strain that is apparent in their marriage.
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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Thriller

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