Sarita Rafferty
There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.
Michael Ledo
David (Aaron Paul) and Claire (Annabelle Wallis) are a young couple very much in love. Claire suddenly disappears and a year later David is still looking for piecing together clues from some old black and white photos Claire took. He finds himself in a mystery that gets deeper and darker the further he looks. Film is interrupted by flashbacks that sometimes served a purpose. David is clearly in over his head and he knows it, but persists.It is a twisty plot. Not much closure. PLOT SPOILER: Zack Whedon's Butch and Sundance ending might have worked better if we knew more of what was going on or got to care about the girl who left and the stupid sap who didn't realize he was being used.Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.
ritera1
The love story and opening scene were charming and all. But there was one ridiculous element after another.They love each other. Then the girl mysteriously disappears. Very sad. But then the boyfriend finds the hidden photos. In the end we find out that she's was some kind of spy who left photographic "insurance" buried in her garden. Granted, electronic copies along with the paper copies and negatives. Negatives? Really?And one copy electronically on a zip drive. I have multiple copies of my stuff on various drives, down to my short films, various photos and my mp3s. But this deadly spy left behind ONE copy. ONE. And what is the photos that are so important. One of the bad guy spy, but not of his face. That is her insurance. And who is this lady brilliant spy? One who leaves behind a volume of photographic leads to her former lives. Not just with her last boyfriend, but the boyfriend before that. And she apparently went on her Los Angeles spy missions on the bus.And I'm lost why the black partner of the lady spy took a year to come back and search for those photos.The very funny element that was when the boyfriend packed his bag, along with a handgun and a hammer. He was then allowed to board a plane with that very bag, as he then had both when he arrived in Canada from Los Angeles. (Nevermind the fact that the car he stole off his attacker and then subsequently used later in the movie would have easily been found via GPS.)I was also lost when the boyfriend was walking in the street of that empty Canadian neighborhood from "something" to that house. He took a big wad of cash off that guy. He couldn't afford a cab?So, in the end, I didn't care what happened to both of them when they tried their Butch and Sundance routine instead of waiting a few minutes for the cops to show up from all the commotion.
Powerspyke
Respectfully, I feel like the negative reviews are somewhat missing what made this movie good. While it is true there were certain aspects of the script that could be considered tropes of the suspense/espionage genres, I feel like it was their presentation that was so refreshingly well done. At its core, this movie was really more of a love story anyway, just wearing the clothes of the genres I mentioned. Its real strength was the candid way it presented each situation. When something "intense" happened in a moment in the film, it felt real, because (due to the subtle cinematography) for a moment you caught yourself realizing "Wait, is this actually happening?" WITH the character. The music didn't cue up and give it away. The shots didn't suddenly become dramatic with a close up on the assailant's face. The angle would sometimes remain wide, letting you be as stunned as David. In fact it remained almost procedural/documentary style momentarily, letting each moment feel real, which was perfect, because David wasn't some trained operative. He was a normal guy, pretty smart, determined, but still generally scared and confused. The music was also quite interesting as well, steering away from big strings and grand gestures and maintaining something more of a personal, atmospheric electronic vibe.Don't get me wrong: I love huge films with romanticized scores and cinematography. But I think the strength here was how this script could have been interpreted 1,000 different ways, but the idea here was to take anything "fantastic" and make it feel very grounded, or even counterpointed by its presentation.Major Spoilers beyond this point: 1-When David find his friend ransacking his apartment, there is no dramatic shift to suddenly cue the audience that his friend is being nefarious. You are just as bewildered as David is until the hammer comes down.2-When David encountered the Russians: yeah, that could be seen as a tired old spy movie plot device. But it didn't feel that way, because like in real life, the moment didn't just suddenly turn dark. You could feel things going sideways, but it was gradual and not overstated. Another instance of the viewer getting to experience the feeling of "Wait, is this really happening?" along with David.3-At the end when Claire is going all Jason Bourne on those guys in the warehouse, the music remains introspective. The action sequences AREN'T filmed like action sequences. The focus is still more on David and his bewilderment and not on suddenly making this into an action film (which it is not). AGAIN you feel like "Is this actually happening? OK yes, this is actually happening..." which is PERFECT. Because that's how he feels. I can't help but think about how many ways this may have been perceived in the script: -Claire enters, dressed semi-tactically, gunning down thugs in the hallway. She Grapples with the interrogator outside of the door, ultimately winning out. She forces David to take cover as they escape.It sounds like a blockbuster all the sudden, but even though those things HAPPEN, it's their execution and consistent aesthetic that I think were so masterfully put together and represented in order to maintain the emotional tone of the film. There are nods to the "shoulder shot/hand-held" cinematography of the original Bourne trilogy, but again, the focus remains on David and the way he is perceiving everything going on, which I think was pretty genius in this case.Yeah OK though, I wish they hadn't ended on a "cliffhanger", but I understand why they did it. It ultimately wasn't about "the ending", it was about their relationship and the kind of man David is, despite his lack of training. But that still stung a little.
rbrb
This movie has an intriguing story idea,namely, girl goes missing and her besotted boyfriend searches for her. The more he looks the greater the spiders web he uncovers. However: far too many unanswered questions in this picture. The way the film is directed is dull as are the main players. What is needed is a director like Alfred Hitchcock and some 'A' list performers. 3/10.
