I walked into two films completely blindly the weekend I saw these. I had never heard of Surveillance and yet there it was and I saw on the poster that Bill Pullman starred and I have always enjoyed him in various roles although his roles have gradually diminished over the years. Surveillance clearly came from a certain amount of dark deranged ideas clearly developed by quirky, creepy, film maker David Lynch...errr wait a minute? Clearly the film making daughter of legendary (and acquired taste) director David Lynch caught some of her father's dark, brooding humor and style as Surveillance reeks of that same style. Surveillance has a dash of mystery and suspense, some real twists and turns and despite feeling a little bit predictable the big shocker at the end was still indeed a shocker. For those of you who have seen it and are reading this it was when the little girl pulled the Agent aside that I clued in like a light switch coming on. Nearly the entire film takes place in the tiny little police office with stories being told that flash to the outside world. However some of the character are downright ludicrous and the story is a little out there to follow at times.
As mentioned Bill Pullman plays a lead character as an FBI agent investigating a grisly murder in a small town with his female partner. Pullman is his usual self when playing more serious roles. He puts on this straight face and delivers lines in a mono-toned voice but somehow does have this charisma on screen that I think makes him watchable. However, his performance towards the end of the film works much better than his early part. Julia Ormond plays his partner and as usual I found her quite empty. Ormond just seems completely emotionless and when she does show any real emotion it feels forced and put on. She looks like an aging woman who doesn't want to be aging and tries to act accordingly. Her and Pullman's chemistry as partners is okay and does get better towards the end but it isn't enough to hold the film together. French Stewart and Kent Harper are ridiculously over the top partners that are so incredibly off the wall, hilarious evil, and absurdly inappropriate. Their characters are almost fun and yet they are so incredibly over the top it is hardly tolerable. They would have made better killers than cops. Pell James is the drug addict who ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. She does well and shows more emotion than most of them in the film but she doesn't really shine. Literally the definition of a diamond in the rough is ten year old Ryan Simpkins who plays the terrorized little girl. She is terrific and really does some amazing things with her dramatic moments in the film.
I have absolutely no doubt that Surveillance will likely become some sort of cult classic. Jennifer Lynch just may be on the same track as her Dad with her film making style. Reviewers are calling it "visceral" and "disturbing" and there is no doubt that both of those adjectives are very true BUT the cast is a weak point and not believable for the most part. It feels like a potentially great dark movie but somehow falters by being overblown in every way. Still for the offbeat quirky movie lovers they will likely be blown away by this zany off the wall dark, dark, dark!!! comedy/mystery/thriller. Worth checking out but be forewarned about the pratfalls. 6/10
As mentioned Bill Pullman plays a lead character as an FBI agent investigating a grisly murder in a small town with his female partner. Pullman is his usual self when playing more serious roles. He puts on this straight face and delivers lines in a mono-toned voice but somehow does have this charisma on screen that I think makes him watchable. However, his performance towards the end of the film works much better than his early part. Julia Ormond plays his partner and as usual I found her quite empty. Ormond just seems completely emotionless and when she does show any real emotion it feels forced and put on. She looks like an aging woman who doesn't want to be aging and tries to act accordingly. Her and Pullman's chemistry as partners is okay and does get better towards the end but it isn't enough to hold the film together. French Stewart and Kent Harper are ridiculously over the top partners that are so incredibly off the wall, hilarious evil, and absurdly inappropriate. Their characters are almost fun and yet they are so incredibly over the top it is hardly tolerable. They would have made better killers than cops. Pell James is the drug addict who ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. She does well and shows more emotion than most of them in the film but she doesn't really shine. Literally the definition of a diamond in the rough is ten year old Ryan Simpkins who plays the terrorized little girl. She is terrific and really does some amazing things with her dramatic moments in the film.
I have absolutely no doubt that Surveillance will likely become some sort of cult classic. Jennifer Lynch just may be on the same track as her Dad with her film making style. Reviewers are calling it "visceral" and "disturbing" and there is no doubt that both of those adjectives are very true BUT the cast is a weak point and not believable for the most part. It feels like a potentially great dark movie but somehow falters by being overblown in every way. Still for the offbeat quirky movie lovers they will likely be blown away by this zany off the wall dark, dark, dark!!! comedy/mystery/thriller. Worth checking out but be forewarned about the pratfalls. 6/10