Thursday 31 March 2011

The Black Veil



My friends and loyal readers will recall that I had a review published in a local newspaper back in February (see <Busybody>  for a reminder) for a play I'd seen at Worthing's Connaught Theatre. At the time I told you that I'd keep you in the loop for any future published articles.

The Black Veil should have been a further triumph but due to a cruel twist of fate, the paper I approached was already out of space and subsequently the article went nowhere. 

Not wanting to let my experience or hard work go to waste, here is my review for your delectation:

A  night  of  chills  and  revelations  was  enjoyed  at  the  Connaught  Theatre  during  the  premiere  of  John  Goodrum's  The  Black  Veil. 
Adapted  from  a  short  story  by  Charles  Dickens,  the  play  opens  in  the  19th  century  home  of  a  bumbling  young  doctor  (Nick  Murphy). He  opens  his  door  to  an   unannounced  late  night  visitor  in  the  form  of  an  elderly  lady  (Jen  Holt)  who  is  shrouded  in  mystery  and  a  black  veil.  The  lady  requests  the  doctor's  assistance  in  the  case  of  her  grandson.  She  remains  tight  lipped  about  his  condition  and  despite  the  doctor  insisting  that  he  should  visit  the  patient  that  evening,  she  doesn't  allow  him  to  assess  the  situation  until  the  following  morning.  The  doctor  complies  with  what's  been  asked  of  him  and  arrives  to  find  the  lady  has  not  told  him  the  full  truth.  The  doctor  is  then  enlisted  to  help  with  the  woman's  sinister  plans  and  revelations  abound  as  the  mystery  begins  to  unravel.  

The  Black  Veil  put  a  sparse  set  and  an  eerie  mix  of  sounds  and  music  to  good  effect  and  the  cast  made  a  shining  debut  in  the  first  night  of  the  play.  Jen  Holt  in  particular  held  my  attention,  despite  being  hidden  under  a  heavy  veil  for  most  of  the  performance,   while  the  audience  in  the  packed  theatre  seemed  as  unsettled  as  I  was  with  the  introduction  of  imposing  villain,  Luke  (Nick  Barclay).  The  play  also  had  unexpected  moments  of  comedy  which  cleverly  lightened  the  more  tense  scenes.

There you have it. I hope you enjoyed the review and should you find that The Black Veil is showing anywhere near you, I hope you will venture to the theatre to see it.

Tuesday 29 March 2011

The Eagle



The Eagle is a strange one for me to peg. I'd only seen the trailer once and wasn't particularly fussed about seeing the film either way. But as I've said before, I always feel I should get the most out of my Cineworld membership and so I try to see as many films as I can, that are as diverse as Cineworld allows.


So I went to see The Eagle. I wanted to see Limitless again, if just for the sight of Bradley Cooper in his tiny black shorts, but my cinema buddy wanted to see The Eagle over Limitless so we went with The Eagle.


The film is set around 140 AD, the Roman's have invaded Britain and set up their stronghold in the south. Roman Centurion Marcus Aquila decides to undertake a journey to the savage north to retrieve 'The Eagle', an artifact lost by his father when he commanded the Ninth Legion of the Roman Army and brought disgrace to the family name. Aquila, determined to bring back 'The Eagle' and restore his family's reputation, sets out on this journey with only his British slave Esca to help him navigate the treacherous north.


Despite the film not really being my cup of tea I was pleasantly surprised by The Eagle. For one, the acting's not half bad. Channing Tatum, who I expected to just stand around with his shirt off looking pretty, actually pitched in with the fighting, getting as mucky as everyone else, and looking pretty beaten up and really quite sickly in some scenes. Hats off to him for at least getting in on the action. Jamie Bell, who I've never really taken to, was similarly watchable and both were convincing enough in their roles. 


What I will say is that the film really does try. It tries, and I would say succeeds, at not being a Gladiator rip off, it stands apart and tells a different story entirely. The only similarity being the 'swords and sandles' description which the film unfortunately can't escape being saddled with. It is what it is. But for me the similarities end there. It also tries to be as historically accurate as it can be, with depictions of how and why Hadrian's Wall was built, the inhabitants of the north during that time, how Romans built their fortresses etc. 


Despite it's efforts I still found the film to be a little dull in places but as I said, it's not really my cup of tea. I don't mean to be vague, I also don't want to sound as if I'd given up on The Eagle before I walked into the cinema but some films, no matter how much you want to like them, don't work for whatever reason. For me, I felt that The Eagle worked better than I expected it to, but that doesn't mean I loved it.


If you're a guy, or particularly like your swords to be wielded by men in skirts and sandles, then you'll probably really enjoy The Eagle. If you're a girl, chances are you'd rather re-watch Dear John or Step Up. 6 out of 10. 



Viewing Date - 29th March 2011
UK Release Date - 25th March 2011

Cast Overview:
Channing Tatum ~ Marcus Aquila
Jamie Bell ~ Esca
Donald Southerland ~ Uncle Aquila
Mark Strong ~ Guern
Tahar Rahim ~ Seal Prince
Denis O'Hare ~ Lutorius
Douglas Henshall ~ Cradoc

Director ~ Kevin MacDonald 
Writer(s) ~ Jeremy Brock (Screenplay) and Rosemary Sutcliff (Novel)

Wednesday 23 March 2011

Limitless


For those of you who know me, you will know that writing this review is the first real test of my ability to remain professional in the face of undoubted favoritism. Can I be objective about a film when I openly lust after the male lead? This test will be applied again when Source Code comes out on the 1st April. Only that will be an even bigger test than this, seeing as my love for Jakey goes above and beyond my love of anyone else.

But for now we're talking about my love of Bradley, err, what I meant to say is that we're talking about Limitless.

Limitless is based on the novel The Dark Fields by Alan Glynn. This is a well known book but one which I was not aware of until the first rumblings about the movie adaptation were being discussed back in the early part of 2008. At this time Shia LaBeouf was attached to star, but then he broke his hand in the infamous car crash/DUI of the summer of 2008 and The Dark Fields movie had to find itself a new star. Enter Bradley Cooper. Fresh from the success of The Hangover and The A Team, Cooper took on the lead role of Eddie Morra and also bagged himself a producer credit on the film. He's also responsible for the addition of Robert De Niro to the cast as he pitched the film to De Niro himself.

The story is told from Eddie's perspective, a struggling writer who is given an experimental drug which allows him to access 100% of his brain. This allows him to finish his book in 4 days, a book he's been trying to write for years. It also allows him to absorb information at an alarming rate, he learns languages and instruments in a matter of days and figures out very quickly how to play the stock market. But his body can only handle so much and eventually he starts to feel the ill effects of the drug and has to make a life altering decision.

I can't vouch for whether the film is loyal to the book as I haven't read the book. However, I can say that the direction of film, while impressive in the way it puts you in Eddie's mindset, also enduces a certain amount of queasyness with it's fast fowarding through time and upside downside angles. I can also say that having now seen the movie I have a hard time picturing Shia LaBeouf in this role. I'm not sure whether that's thanks to Bradley making it his own or just the fact that the script demands an older actor? I'm not sure if the script was re-worked for Bradley when Shia dropped out but with an 11 year age gap between them it's not as if they vie for similar roles.

Leaving my bias at the door I must say that I thought Bradley did a really great job. Eddie is not the most likable character and yet through the use of the Cooper charm he becomes someone that you root for, hoping that things end well for him. He really does carry this movie, even with support from De Niro this is Bradley's film and kudos to him for holding the audience's attention for the duration whilst also holding his own against an acting heavyweight. 

It's not going to win any awards but Limitless is entertaining and well acted. 8 out of 10.



Viewing Date - 23rd March 2011
UK Release Date - 23rd March 2011

Cast Overview:
Bradley Cooper ~ Eddie Morra
Robert De Niro ~ Carl Van Loon
Abbie Cornish ~ Lindy
Anna Friel ~ Melissa
Johnny Whitworth ~ Vern

Director ~ Neil Burger
Writer(s) ~ Leslie Dixon (Screenplay) and Alan Glynn (Novel)


Wednesday 16 March 2011

Fair Game



Before you ask, this is not the dodgy 90's movie with Cindy Crawford and one of the Baldwins. This is a new Drama/Thriller based on the true story of a CIA Agent who was outed by the press in Washington in the early noughties.


I hadn't seen anything about it other than an interview in the metro with the real CIA Agent - Valerie Plame - on who's book the film is based. My reason for going is slightly more complicated. One of my friends asked me what films were out which were suitable to take her mum to. I suggested this - although I knew very little about it I figured it would be suitable - or The Adjustment Bureau, which I had already seen and would recommend for anyone.


In the end her mum went with this but decided 20 minutes into the film that she'd rather watch Hall Pass. A film I did not suggest or recommend as I thought it wouldn't be suitable or any good. I decided to stick with Fair Game and was later told that my assumptions about Hall Pass were both correct.


As mentioned above, Fair Game is based on the true story of CIA Agent Valerie Plame, who was outed by the press in 2003. The film sheds light on why this happened to Valerie - her husband, diplomat Joseph Wilson, was sent to Niger on behalf of the CIA to investigate claims that Saddam Hussein was purchasing and shipping bomb making supplies. Wilson found no evidence of this and said as much in a story he sold to the New York Times. This subsequently upset the US Government as it made their invasion of Iraq look un-necessary (which it probably was). To make Wilson pay, they drag his wife's name and reputation through the papers. The film tells us what became of her life, her job and her family in the fall out. 


It's not the most riveting film, I will concede to my friend's mum on that fact. But it's also not a bad film. It's an interesting story, if you like political expositions and films that allow you to look behind the scenes at the US Government. I don't really get my kicks from such movies and so it didn't really appeal to me in that sense. It was well acted by both Naomi Watts and Sean Penn and the direction and writing were both adequate for the story at hand. 


If you like your 'Drama/Thrillers' to be more drama than thriller and you enjoy political films I think you'll enjoy this. For anyone else taking their mum to the cinema I'd stick with The Adjustment Bureau. 6 out of 10.




Viewing Date - 15th March 2011
UK Release Date - 11th March 2011

Cast Overview:
Naomi Watts ~ Valerie Plame
Sean Penn ~ Joseph Wilson
Khaled El Nabawy ~ Hamed 
Ty Burrell ~ Fred
Sam Shepard ~ Sam Plame
Bruce McGill ~ Jim Pavitt
Brooke Smith ~ Diana
Michael Kelly ~ Jack
Noah Emmerich ~ Bill

Director ~ Doug Liman
Writer(s) ~ Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth (Screenplay), Joseph Wilson (Book The Politics of Truth) and Valerie Plame (Book Fair Game)


Saturday 12 March 2011

Battle: Los Angeles



I had a really busy day on Friday. Had loads to do and never really felt like I was getting anywhere. By the end of the day I was so stressed out and hadn't managed to do even half of what I needed to do. So when my cinema buddy suggested seeing a film, the choices being Battle: Los Angeles, Fair Game or Hall Pass, I jumped at the chance to escape for a few hours.


I let my buddy pick and it turns out he went with the most mind numbing of the three which was great for me as it meant that I could give my brain a break for a few hours. 


If you've seen the trailer for Battle: Los Angeles you'll know that it's a creature feature in which a group of US Marines are attempting to safeguard Los Angeles defences against an alien invasion. Along the way they pick up civilians and lose members of the troupe but they retain their gung-ho attitude to rid the world of the hostile creatures. 


I think that may be the shortest synopsis I've ever written but there really isn't a lot to say about the plot of this film. It's your typical aliens-invade-the-world film but as usual we only get to see the devastation of America (in this instance, specifically Los Angeles). Unlike it's predecessors however, Battle: Los Angeles has several quite major voids. It lacks the human elements of films like Signs and Independence Day, it lacks the irony of The Faculty, the comedy of movies like Critters and Men In Black and it has no real horror like Aliens, Predator or The Thing. Which kind of leaves it as a war film with aliens. And as such, it's just really quite boring. 


There's not enough time spent getting to know the characters before the aliens arrive and after they've arrived it's all about the battle. There's little to no script, and what is there is laughably bad or cheesy, which leads me to wonder just how much the actors all got paid as I can't see what else made them want to make this movie. It's annoying because there's good actors here, Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Noel Fisher, Michael Pena, Bridget Moynahan, they could all do so much better than this movie.


The direction is shaky from start to finish. I know this is meant to instill a sense of the 'battle' but it just caused me to have a headache and not be able to focus on what was going on. There wasn't ever a decent shot of any of the aliens, which is fine for keeping the audience in suspense for around half the movie, but you should at least have an idea of what they look like by the end. When the credits rolled I could no more have told you what the aliens looked like than I could from just having watched the trailer at the beginning of the film.


It's not the worst film this year but it's not far behind. 5 out of 10.




Viewing Date - 11th March 2011
UK Release Date - 11th March 2011

Cast Overview:
Aaron Eckhart ~ Staff Sgt Nantz
Ramon Rodriguez ~ 2nd Lt Martinez
Cory Hardrict ~ Cpl Lockett
Gino Anthony Pesi ~ Cpl Stavrou
Ne-Yo ~ Cpl Harris
Noel Fisher ~ Pfc Lenihan
Michelle Rodriguez ~ TSgt Santos
Neil Brown Jr ~ LCpl Guerrero
Bridget Moynahan ~ Michele
Michael Pena ~ Joe Rincon
Bryce Cass ~ Hector Rincon

Director ~ Jonathan Liebesman
Writer ~ Christopher Bertolini


Thursday 10 March 2011

Don’t Ask What’s In It

My two loyal readers will recall that I recently used my blog as a springboard for another writer to showcase one of their short stories. This was great for them as it gave them confidence to write more and allow others to see their work. It was also great for me as the number of my viewers went up considerably! So much so, that I am pleased to announce that I am doing it again!
This time I'm handing over to Marlon...


Don’t Ask What’s In It

Marlon Malady:  The lone voice of reason in an insane world
  “I wonder where the meat comes from?” I ask my girlfriend, Porschia.
  “What?” she asks, with that “Oh, here we go again,” look on her face.
  “I wonder where the meat comes from?” I repeat.
  “You know where it comes from,” she retorts.  “Cows, pigs and sheep. Now come on.”
  Usually I would let this go, but as my mathematical mind spins through the detail I find I can’t.
  “No, I mean where does it all come from?” I continue.
  “Why is this so important now?” Porschia asks. “Come on, I want to get back to watch TV Burp.”
  Because think about it for a sec,” I begin. “How many pieces of meat must be sold here in a week?”
  “I don’t know,” says Porschia as she swivels her weight on one leg in quiet exasperation.  “A thousand?”
  “I would think probably more like ten thousand bearing in mind the shoppers that come through that door.” I retort, gleefully.
  “So?” she asks.
  “Well, there are four supermarkets in this area alone.  If they all sell about ten thousand chops a week, that makes forty thousand chops a week. That would be over two million a year in this area alone. Factor in other supermarkets across the country and there simply wouldn’t be enough meat to go round.”
  Porschia furrows her brow and picks up a big piece of rump.
  “What’s that then?” she asks pointing at the picture of a guy, between thirty and forty-five, wearing an Arran sweater, ruddy-faced and smiling as the slight stubble on his chin catches the sunlight as he poses outdoors.  Next to the picture it states that “All our meat is sourced from local farmers”.
  “That doesn’t mean anything,” I reply. “He looks like some kind of farmer model.”
  “Farmer model?” she asks.
  “Yeah, you know,” I come back at her. “Some guy who gets paid to look like a farmer should look.”
  She looks at me like I’ve gone completely Tonto but I’ve got the bit between my teeth now and I am not about to let go. As we stand there on the brink of an argument a young guy of twenty walks by, his defeated stoop and pale complexion seeming even more defeated in his harshly coloured supermarket uniform.  I dart forward and stand in front of him.
  “Excuse me!” I shout.  He has fear in his eyes as I stop him in the aisle.  I see Porschia role her eyes and shake her head as I press on.  “Where does all the meat come from?”
  “All our meat is sourced from local farmers.” he mumbles back.
  “Really?” I question him. “Surely there aren’t that many local farms around here.  This is more of an industrial area is it not?”
  “I don’t know, I just work here.” he says.  
  “Leave it, Marlon.” Porschia comments.  People are now starting to look at us but I really feel like making my point now.
  “Can I speak to your supervisor, please?” I ask the young man.
  “Okay.” he says and wanders off, relieved that no more difficult questions are about to be propelled his way.  A few minutes later a stodgy middle-aged man comes our way in a pretend butchers outfit.
  “Can I help you, Sir?” he asks as if the twenty year old hadn’t briefed him.
  “Where does all the meat come from?” I ask, yet again.
  “All our meat is sourced from local farmers.” he states cheerfully.  It’s becoming apparent that something’s up from the uniform way that they answer. I’m not happy.
  “Can I speak to your manager, please?” I say, dryly.
  “Oh my God!  MARLON!” shouts Porschia.
  One second, honey,” I say before continuing, “I want to know where the meat comes from and I want to know now.”
  “Can I help you, Sir?” a voice comes back. I turn and a tall thin man looking like a modern Clark Gable glares back through eyes so dark you would swear they were black.
  “I want to know where the meat comes from?” I say.
  “Really?” he responds.
  “Really.” I retort.
  “Come with me, please.” he says.  I turn and flash a satisfied smile at Porschia as we walk into the back of the store. As the elegantly suited manager strides purposefully through the backroom I find I am, as always, taken aback by just how damn big these places are.  Huge aircraft hangars piled high from floor to ceiling with everything from spices to floor cleaner.  Through the aisles we wander to an elevator with one of those grilled doors you expect to see in old hotels.  He pulls it back and gestures us inside. The manager presses a button and we go down what feels like five or six floors underground. The concrete above feels quite oppressive now as we trundle ever downward. Part of me expects to see some kind of underground bunker complete with missiles and a maniac stroking a white cat.
  The lift stops.
  The manager pulls back the grill and Porschia and I walk out to a sight that will haunt me till I die. In a space the length of three football fields are cages; hundreds and hundreds of cages and inside are people.
  “You asked.” said Clark Gable, glibly.
  Porschia and I wander over. Most people simply sit there, a defeated look on their faces; some are eating, a couple some way back are having sex, but nobody cares.  Most people are just staring at a number of big-screen TV’s watching some standardized American import.
  “This is barbaric.” says Porschia. I want to agree but all I can do is stare at the human spectacle before me.
  “It’s survival,” the manager remarks. “Supplies are diminishing, grazing land is decreasing. It is natural in such circumstances to make the best use of the resources we do have.”
  “Where do they come from?” I ask. “Are they homeless…drunks…strays?”
  “We don’t feed our customers any old crap,” says the manager with a chuckle as we stare at a section of the community simply forgotten by family and friends, “And we certainly don’t go looking for it.”
  “Where does it come from then?” asks Porschia.
  “Usually,” the manager continues, “It comes to us!”
  There’s a huge clank behind us as three walls of a cage seal magnetically attaching us to the other poor saps here.  Instinctively we run forward and grab the bars.  The electric shock jolts us back and throws us both hard to the concrete floor.
  “There are always some idiots who have to ask questions,” begins the manager, “Always someone who has to pry that little bit more.  As long as human curiosity drives people to ask questions there’ll never be a shortage of fresh meat.”
  “You can’t get away with this!” I shout. “Human meat doesn’t taste like lamb or pork or beef!”
  “You’re right,” the manager replies with a smile. “Human meat is virtually tasteless. We add the flavours to it, to make it taste the way it does.  That’s the joke you see.  It isn’t that all our meat is sourced locally…it’s that all our meat is SAUCED locally. Goodbye.”
  Porschia and I scream at him defiantly as he leaves, but both of us realize it’s a futile gesture.  I shout at those already here why they didn’t warn us and one man with sunken eyes and death in his voice looks at me and says “The more people that come, the longer some of us might live.”
  Porschia starts screaming at me that it’s all my fault and I’m a stupid bastard; as I look around at faces void of hope I find it hard to disagree with her.
  That’s what I would’ve wanted my last column to be. That’s the story I would’ve told, but I can’t.  Instead I’m stuck in this cage without hope of parole. The only destiny that awaits me is an appointment with a cleaver. Porschia used to cry every day, but after the first couple of months we realised how much of a waste of energy that was. Every other week new faces come in; every other week old faces go.  The big screen TV’s show CSI, NCIS and Lost, mixed with a blend of VH1 and the Box. We don’t know what’s going on in the outside world and clearly no one knows what’s going on in here.  
  It’s not all bad news though.  We’re six months in now, and Porschia and I have been asked if we want to take part in a breeding program as they’re preparing for the next year’s lambing season. We weren’t thrilled at first but at least we’d survive a little bit longer, although it won’t be much of a life for the kids.
  But that isn’t the worst part, that isn’t the thing that keeps me awake at night or affects my appetite. No, the worst thing is…WE’RE BOTH VEGETARIANS!
  “I wonder where the meat comes from?” said Norman Russell.
  “Who cares!” yelled his wife. “Just pick up ten chops and get a move on!  It’s our Come Dine With Me night, tonight!” 
  Norman picked up the chops and threw them on the trolley and moved on in delicious oblivion.
So there you have it. A creepy tale to accompany your weekly shop. The whole time I was reading this I was thinking, "I'm really glad I eat more Quorn than meat these days." Until next time readers, I will leave you with the old Crimewatch farewell, "Don't have nightmares, do sleep well" but if your neighbours don't come back from their trip to the supermarket, you might want to call the cops! 

Sunday 6 March 2011

Unknown


I had planned to go to the cinema today with one of my friends, although neither of us knew what we should see. She wanted to see I Am Number Four but as you know, I've already seen that, and as it was pants I'm not in a hurry to see it again. So I suggested seeing Unknown. I'd seen the trailer a couple of times and thought it looked quite good. It was only when I put my idea forward that my friend told me she quite likes Liam Neeson, and as such she was quite happy to see this too.


How were we to know that going into the unknown would be almost as bad as re-visiting I Am Number Four?


We join the film during a flight to Berlin for Dr Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) and his wife Liz (January Jones). He's going to a conference there and she's come along for the ride to keep him company. Discovering on arrival at the hotel that his briefcase has been left behind at the airport, Dr Harris takes a taxi back to the airport to pick up his case but never makes it. His taxi is involved in an accident and crashes into a river. Dr Harris is pulled from the sinking car by his taxi driver Gina (Diane Kruger), but his injuries leave him in a coma. When he awakes four days later he goes back to hotel and finds that someone is impersonating him. Worst of all, is that his wife seems to be in on the act.


The first half of Unknown had me on the edge of my seat as the mystery unravelled, but I found the second half slipped into a rather unbelievable and slightly drawn out absurdity. I can't really go in to the reasons for the shift in the film's trajectory without giving away too much of the plot. Similarly I can't tell you why Martin has a doppelganger or what his objective is without giving the ending away. I will simply say that the first half of the film is good. If the second half had lived up to the expectations set by the first half, it would have been a well made, well acted thriller. But as I have already said, it did not. The film goes from being intriguing and mysterious to being almost comical with it's silly one liners and bad plot twists.


It made me long for the days when thrillers were just that and kept you enthralled all the way to the satisfying ending. A rather inadequate thriller which left the thrills in the first half and retained nothing original for the hour that followed. 6 out of 10.



Viewing Date - 6th March 2011
UK Release Date - 4th March 2011

Cast Overview:
Liam Neeson ~ Dr Martin Harris
Diane Kruger ~ Gina
January Jones ~ Elizabeth Harris
Aiden Quinn ~ Martin B
Bruno Ganz ~ Ernst Jurgen
Frank Langella ~ Rodney Cole
Sebastian Koch ~ Professor Bressler

Director ~ Jaume Collet-Serra
Writer(s) ~ Oliver Butcher (Screenplay), Stephen Cornwell (Screenplay) and Didier Van Cauwelaert (Novel) 


The Adjustment Bureau


If you've read my reasons for doing this blog, you'll know the last thing I want to do is steal from another review. The very last thing I EVER want to do is steal from an Empire review. So obviously I won't. What I will say is that they categorised this film so perfectly that I at least have to tell you what they said. So to paraphrase with the utmost respect, Empire's Helen O'Hara who said that The Adjustment Bureau is "Inception for romantics". She nailed it. And that is why I want to be one of them!

I knew very little about The Adjustment Bureau going in, I'd just seen the posters on the bus shelters around Brighton. I hadn't seen the trailer and I hadn't read anything about it (not even Empire's four star review). If, like me, you haven't done any research on the film please allow me to elaborate.

The Adjustment Bureau opens on the campaign trail of New York Congressman David Norris (Matt Damon). We see him flying high in the polls and then bottoming out when pictures surface of his bar fighting, prank pulling past. While practicing his 'down but not out' speech for the announcement of his lost election he meets Elise (Emily Blunt) who inspires him to tell the truth to the public as she thinks they'll reciprocate more to an honest man. He does this and although the election is lost, David's popularity soars. A few weeks pass and David meets Elise again, by chance, and she gives him her number. Moments later David is kidnapped by a bunch of trilby wearing men who tell him he must never see Elise again as doing so would be going against 'The Plan'. 

Does David fight for who he believes is the person he's meant to be with, or go along with the design in store for his future? You'll have to see the film to find out. What I will tell you is that this is a nail biting, tense thriller which also has a believable love story running alongside it. You wouldn't think those two genres would go together but they work surprisingly well when teamed up. Without the love story I'm not sure what you'd root for here. With it, and I know this sounds cheesy, the film has heart. It makes you so passionate about the outcome of the film that you'll never have been happier to see a love story spliced with a thriller.

*Spoiler Alert!* About two thirds of the way in I was thinking, "if these two don't end up together then this has been a really shit film!". I'm sure my score mixed with aforementioned comment will give away the ending, hence the spoiler alert!

I was half hoping after Matt Damon's performance in Hereafter that this film would be a dud, or at least that he would be. The half of me that was hoping he'd be good was not disappointed. His performance here was just as good (though not as emotional as Hereafter - but then the movie is totally different) and I find, for the second time this year, that I am swiftly becoming a Matt Damon fan. Something I've never been and never thought I'd be. Emily Blunt was her usual marvellous self showing her vulnerable and quirky sides and making the audience fall in love with her, as she does so frequently with ease. The supporting cast from Terrence Stamp to Anthony Mackie are also faultless and allow the audience to have some feeling towards the bureau rather than have them be a faceless organisation. 

A film that will have you on the edge of your seat while also falling a little bit in love. 8 out of 10.


Viewing Date - 5th March 2011
UK Release Date - 4th March 2011

Cast Overview:

Matt Damon ~ David Norris
Emily Blunt ~ Elise Sallas
Anthony Mackie ~ Harry Mitchell
John Slattery ~ Richardson
Terence Stamp ~ Thompson

Director ~ George Nolfi
Writer(s) ~ George Nolfi (Screenplay) and Philip K Dick (Short Story)