Seen: August 10th, 2007
Format: DVD
Rating: 5
Confession time. I only watched this film because I thing Jolene Blalock is pretty hot. That's it. I managed to miss the theatrical release, but it didn't take long to show up on DVD.
This is not surprising.
The film was actually made back in 2003, not getting it's release until April 2007. It sat on the shelf for almost four years. When all the previews are for straight to DVD release, thing do not bode well.
That's a shame really, because this isn't a bad little film. It's definitely got it's problems, but it's got some redeeming features as well.
The best thing here is the plot. It's one of the most twisted I've seen in several years. It's starts out a little like Rashomon and quickly escalated past "who said what" to "what the hell is going on"? And while it takes you for a ride, it's never completely implausible. Far out? Sure, but still possible.
Characters are a little less well developed though. They tend to be caricatures to a large degree, and even the veteran cast can't quite pull them back.
The cast is a good one. There's great veteran actors and some, at the time, relative newcomers. They generally do the bset with what they've got. LL Cool J in particular gives it a nice shot. He's a bit over-eager at times, but you've gotta give him an E for effort. Blalock is probably the worst of the bunch, but her character is so enigmatic that I don't think she could find anything to really grab on to.
The only other thing of note is that this film is shot way too dark. It's moody enough without struggling to figure out what's happening on screen.
Your call. It's hardly terrible, but no one will remember it in 5 minutes.
Side Note: I've just discovered via IMDB that Jolene Blalock is part of a currently filming sequel to Starship Troopers. I hated that film because of the way it butchered the novel. Sigh.
The Good: Convoluted who did what
The Bad: Too Dark
The Ugly: Not knowing your enemy
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