Kudos to whoever cut the trailer for this film, because they made it seem really quite riveting. Having seen it, though, it was like the worst case scenario of someone directing their own writing without the benefit of a third party's eye for catching sloppy dialogue and silly plot devices.
The first 75 minutes of this film's hour-and-a-half running time comprise a painfully dull mosaic of exposition made up of conversations about and references to something other than what's happening on the screen. The reward for suffering through this hodgepodge of contrived dialogue and manufactured "plot twists" is a predictably goofy ending that tries too hard to be impactful and, instead, ends up as empty as the rest of the movie.
I understand Neve Campbell being in this film, but what talented performers like William H. Macy and Donald Sutherland were doing within 50 miles of this stinker is beyond me. If I must claim a silver lining, it's John Ritter's sporadic appearances. He is one of the best actors in film today, and it's sad he's not given deeper roles.
The only people I'd recommend this to is aspiring screen writers. Hopefully they'll gain confidence in their own work upon seeing the nonsense that passes off as a "dramatic thriller" today.
The first 75 minutes of this film's hour-and-a-half running time comprise a painfully dull mosaic of exposition made up of conversations about and references to something other than what's happening on the screen. The reward for suffering through this hodgepodge of contrived dialogue and manufactured "plot twists" is a predictably goofy ending that tries too hard to be impactful and, instead, ends up as empty as the rest of the movie.
I understand Neve Campbell being in this film, but what talented performers like William H. Macy and Donald Sutherland were doing within 50 miles of this stinker is beyond me. If I must claim a silver lining, it's John Ritter's sporadic appearances. He is one of the best actors in film today, and it's sad he's not given deeper roles.
The only people I'd recommend this to is aspiring screen writers. Hopefully they'll gain confidence in their own work upon seeing the nonsense that passes off as a "dramatic thriller" today.