A high-profile criminal lawyer finds his bid for the governorship in jeopardy when an ambitious rookie journalist begins suspecting him of tampering with evidence in order to secure his many convictions in director Peter Hyams' remake of the 1956 Fritz Lang classic. Mark Hunter (Michael Douglas) has a reputation for putting criminals behind bars, and with elections approaching he seems a shoo-in for governor. But just how clean is the district attorney's record when held up to scrutiny? When
hungry reporter C.J. Nicholas (Jesse Metcalfe) frames himself as a murder suspect in hopes of catching Hunter in the act, the two fierce rivals become caught up in a treacherous game of cat and mouse. But Assistant DA Ella Crystal (Amber Tamblyn) has no idea about her boyfriend C.J.'s latest assignment, and as the evidence against both men begins to pile up she starts to suspect that she's in mortal danger -- and she's right. Now, as Ella discovers irrefutable proof of both C.J.'s innocence and her boss' shady dealings, the fate of two men rests in the hands of one woman whose life could be taken at any second. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
There's little in this pointless rehash to distract audiences from the pleasure of watching Tamblyn, a fine young actress whose direct, grownup stare belies her baby features.
Despite excellent stunt work and a too-brief appearance by Orlando Jones as an unflappable cop, the movie -- unlike Mr. Douglas's hairdo -- never rises above mediocrity.
Peter Hyams' movie is defined by stock characters, and totally caught up in pedestrian notions of 'thrills' rather than the sort of intellectual chess moves that would make this sort of story robust and satisfying.
Hyams takes a perfectly good story and kills it with logic loopholes, inconsistent character behavior, horrendous, headache-inducing cutting, and a number of brainless chase scenes.
Conscientiously creepy, but with a finale just too rushed to correlate with what preceded before. Though Metcalfe isn't bad, in commanding viewer attention as well as he does his tool in Desperate's random bulked for booty, housewife gardens.
Conscientiously creepy, but with a finale just too rushed to correlate with what preceded before. Though Metcalfe isn't bad, in commanding viewer attention as well as he does his tool in Desperate's random bulked for booty, housewife gardens.
While the original is perhaps not a faultless classic, it certainly offers more excitement and competence than the star of John Tucker Must Die and the director of A Sound of Thunder can offer.
There's fun to be had in a rickety Coney Island rollercoaster manner, and it's not terrible late at night on the couch with a bag of warm popcorn, though it is just too silly and slight for all its bluster.
I've got no problem with movies that stack up twists like crazy straws. Hyam's script, however, depends on us being dumber than every character in the film-you'd have to reach protozoan levels just to resist wanting to strangle everyone in it.
Brilliant narrative despite the few plot holes. Enjoyable to watch.
September 13, 2011
Sophie Burgess
Super Reviewer
Not as bad as I heard it would be. And nobody plays a villain better than Michael Douglas. Gaps? Yes. A little far fetched? Yes. If for nothing else, see this for Michael Douglas.
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