Directed by Marcel Langenegger
Apparently this movie uses original filming techniques. Director of photography Dante Spinoff, best known for his work on "L.A. Confidential," used new high end digital cameras which capture details and hues in a way not seen on film before. The film is certainly beautiful to look at and demonstrates that Southern California has a light that you just don't see anywhere else.
Do not be deceived though. This film is a lesson in the fact that the script is a key to making a movie work. If you haven't got a good one, no amount of clever camerawork, good looking leads, blaring jazz music and sultry seduction scenes will save a movie from being bad.
Hugh Jackman and Ewan McGregor star in this movie that desperately wants to be the kind of taught, interesting, New York tale that is almost a genre unto itself. Sadly, the movie quickly loses its way and we soon realize that it has no idea whether it wants to be a Sixth Sense shocking twist thriller or a "Basic Instinct"-style sexual thriller. It fails impressively on both counts.
Jonathan McQuarry (McGregor) is a socially awkward but brilliant accountant who lusts after incredibly gorgeous but ultimately unattainable women. Through a chance encounter he meets a mysterious and charismatic stranger, Wyatt Bose (Jackman). Shortly thereafter, a new world is opened up for "Generic Socially Awkward/Sexually Frustrated Man" where he will be able to fulfill his deepest fantasies through unencumbered sexual en-counters.
If all of this sounds familiar that's because it is. You have met these characters before and you've heard some version of this story before - many times before. Though when you met them previously, it was likely that they were much more interesting.
Amongst his amorous encounters Jonathan soon meets a character that we know only as S, played by Michelle Williams. While we get to know nothing about her, this does little to detract from the story, as it turns out we have met her before as well. The director likely felt that no further development would be necessary for the stereotype of the distant, alluring, damsel in distress. Williams has managed to portray reasonably engaging parts in prior roles, so this emotionally vapid completely forgettable turn is somewhat surprising.
Shortly after meeting S, we decide to switch out of mediocre sexual thriller mode and into a disappearance, who do I trust, surprising twist mode. We are all shocked to learn that the mysterious stranger is not who he seems to be, Jonathan starts being framed for crimes he didn't commit, danger ensues, etc, etc. All of this takes place in a story that, as with so many before it, requires us to believe that nearly anyone is capable of creating a scheme so brilliant that it can predict when and where potential adversaries will be at any given moment.
The movie drags on a bit too. The film attempts to be erotic but it misses the mark completely. The camerawork was good and some of the performances were strong. I got the feeling that McGregor and Jackman were in this for the money because I assumed that they read the script before signing on. But still they are professionals and they do as well as they were able to under the circumstances.
The tried and true technique for moving a story towards its conclusion can be entertaining, but not when the outcome of such a plot device is so patently obvious. Ultimately the film would have been great if it had been done 10 or 15 years ago but now it just looks like a rip-off.
Now showing in Estonia , Latvia and Lithuania
