User Reviews

...and you shall see that her story and the movie have many similarities. After the dc madam announced on a national radio show that she planned to reveal bombshells regarding exactly which senior politicians and government officials that have patronized her Washington D.C. based brothel in an upcoming trial and repeatedly saying that she would not commit suicide, they hung her a few days later(ahem, i meant she hung herself). Just another typical case of the government taking out the garbage in order to maintain the status quo.

This is a most excellent thriller, and one that is very realistic in depicting the way things are nowadays. People are suicided(ahem, I mean commit suicide)in order to maintain the status quo for the powers behind the governments. It makes me angry because I'm a very righteous person, and I don't believe the powers that be should have the power to kill anyone that are against them who are for freedom and greater transparency. But now they got devices that can make you have a heart attack and can be operated remotely from long distance. So what can you do? How do you fight against that?

This thriller is full of intrigue and the sober realities of the current police/control states that we now live in. I don't know when, but I'm sure another modern day French Revolution is highly likely and what do you know? History repeats itself.

Look for a hair raising performance by Anne-Marie Duff as the "civil servant".

Cable movies have gotten better throughout the years, but that can be a problem. Especially when a theatrical film plays out like one. Which isn't so bad in the case of CLOSED CIRCUIT, a decent thriller centering on two British defense attorneys for a Middle Eastern man accused of masterminding a terrorist act: the bombing of an outdoor mall is witnessed in the first five minutes from a collage of monitors, a device continued sporadically through the rest of the film.

Eric Bana's Martin Rose has a reason to be paranoid. Not only is the same taxicab driving him around town, but he's breaking rules by working with ex lover Claudia, played by Rebecca Hall, and their past heats up along with the case, inevitably resulting in both their lives being put in jeopardy.

The best scenes are in the build-up: Martin checks up on his client's background as outside elements move in. Meanwhile, the romance with Claudia is standard fare, adding little to this refreshingly short movie that plays the cliché card in every (somewhat predictable) twist and turn. But Eric Bana's intense truth-seeking determination makes CIRCUIT worthwhile.

Greetings again from the darkness. I try to spend very little time re-hashing movies that deliver very little ... I prefer to move on to the next one with a clear head. This one frustrated me because it could have - even should have - been so much more.

Director John Crowley was responsible for the very entertaining Michael Caine film Is Anybody There? and writer Steven Knight penned three scripts that I very much enjoyed: Dirty Pretty Things, Eastern Promises, and Amazing Grace. The cast is very talented with Eric Bana, Jim Broadbent, Ciaran Hinds, and ... well ... also Rebecca Hall and Julia Stiles. So why does it feel so empty?

The movie begins with a horrible act of terrorism - a suicide bomb in London that we view through a grid of 12 closed circuit screens. You would be incorrect if you think there is a payoff for frantically scanning all screens looking for clues. This device is nothing more than a reminder (over and over again) that we are constantly being monitored while in public.

The ensuing trial provides a peek at the British legal system, but the most interesting sub-plot ... the young son of the accused terrorist ... is minimized in favor of the generic romance between two legal defense attorneys (Bana and Hall). Additionally, Ciaran Hinds character is simply too easy to read and Ann-Marie Duff is totally miscast. My favorite moments were the all-too-rare exquisite verbal diatribes from the great Jim Broadbent.

Chalk this one up as a forgettable would-be/should-be political legal thriller that just doesn't thrill. It's of little comfort to know that I was probably being watched on the theatre security cameras as I longed for something worth watching on the screen.

One of last year's highly praised films was Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Any intriguing film with very fine acting but had some of the most dry uninteresting moments of the year. With a good ending saving it, it's action and thrills were VERY subdued.

The producers of Soldier Spy have a new political thriller starring Eric Bana, Rebecca Hall and Julia Stiles. This time around there is no shortage of thrills and intense moments. The action isn't Terminator worthy but is without a doubt they have amped up the excitement.

Martin is a divorced lawyer who is called in to defend the suspect in the biggest terror attack in London and largest murder trial of the century. His co-lawyer is Claudia Simmons- Howe who just happens to be his ex lover and reason for his divorce. As I have zero understanding of British law and court system I am at the mercy of what the movie tells me. The two defending attorney's are not allowed to have contact during the pre trial research which proves to be most difficult as the case unfolds, and not for romantic purposes. Martin was brought in to be the defense because a friend of his who was the defense lawyer appears to have committed suicide. As Martin and Claudia dig deeper they realize that is not the case and their client is not who the prosecution is making him out to be. The defendant's son is the one who holds the key to his fathers innocence and Martin and Claudia are determined to make sure he can exonerate his father.

There is only a handful of problems I had with Closed Circuit and the main one being that the film is way too short. Coming in at just over 90 minutes, the extra time could have been used to develop the backstory a little deeper and explain some things that are taken for granted and left unspoken. Martin has a son himself and it would have been nice to see a little more developed with him.

That said, Closed Circuit is without a doubt a top notch ride of excitement. With questions and wonder around every corner you can't help but keep your eyes locked on the screen.

Well thought out story lines make for a great political thriller that does not try and make a political statement, it just showed what we all know and that is most governments have their corrupt side and will at times do whatever it takes to save face. The film does not come across as a film with a message by any means but the government is the engine at the center of a good story and high powered thrill.

This will not be any award contender by any means but thats not to take away from the entertainment value that the film exudes. It is one well worth your time, no matter how little the time is. Loveyourmovies.com

It's a fine movie. I personally liked the portrayal of the hardships we experience on providing due process when the facts involve terrorism - I don't know why, but people seem to forget they too deserve a fair trial for their actions. It also gives the viewer a glimpse of the mechanisms of a judiciary system. I liked the very fact that this time, the judge is not the bad guy stomping on the truth with his power. He was trying to get the facts and reach a reasonable decision, he was trying to serve justice (weren't they all?). In most movies, the power hungry lunatic killing everyone in the name of his secrets is always the judge. That's a very unfair portrayal. Must judges are pretty out of the so-called loop of power sit on their benches just doing their jobs, giving back to their community. Another thing I liked (a lot): it doesn't have a happy ending. It has a human ending, a plausible one. Something we can relate to (and for some, it even fuels up that "I'll save the world" feeling). I found it a good thriller and was very surprised to see it had little to none promotion. We have some many meh flicks these days... And a movie as nice as this one, is kept in the shadows. Go figure. The acting is delicious - Bana held his own as a Brit! Congrats. And it felt soooooooo good to see the Queen again. Anne-Marie Duff is always a sight to sore eyes on screen (and till this day I secretly wish she was in Game of Thrones or played the very last Doctor on BBC, that would be marvelous). Julia Stiles felt a bit underused here. I wish she was more like Denzel on "The Pelican Brief". Rebecca Hall and Jim Broadbent, as always, impeccable. And did anyone see little Bran here? Isaac H. Wright is Bana's son - the cinematography is AWESOME, the story feels well written and tight, the pacing keeps you on your edge. I enjoyed the flick very much.

Over the last decade or so, there have been more than a few competent thrillers referencing politics and terrorism. There have been some awful ones, as well. Unfortunately, there are far more of the latter.

This film falls into the former category. Hall and Bana work well on screen, and their performances as former lovers is convincing. Julia Stiles has a small role, and she excels in it.

The director lets the scenes play out without the frantic quick cuts that dominate so many films of the last 20 years. The movie does not drag, either. The pacing is fine, a quality many other films don't share.

As for the conclusion, the last few minutes will leave viewers satisfied, I think.

Let me ask you this: What is the most logical and inconspicuous way to close the lid on a damaging legal court battle? Do you:

1. Find legal loopholes? 2. Hire rich barristers? 3. Kill off your high-profile rivals with convenient "accident" after accident until they are all conveniently dead?

Well, it appears that the best course of action is for all your enemies to wind up dead, regardless of how incredibly conspicuous that is and despite all blame being focused directly on you. The plot twists in Closed Circuit should be apparent to lobotomy patients let alone the regular audience. For further insult Closed Circuit underlines and italicises every single plot point to be sure you understand (including an exciting increase in musical tempo to let you know this is important!).

In fact, Closed Circuit does precisely the opposite of what a good spy flick should. It shows it's hand too early. If you're paying attention you can figure out the whole story by the thirty minute mark (if you haven't seen it yet, try and guess the major twist as you watch it. Whatever you're thinking you're probably right.) The foreshadowing is clumsy to the point of formula, and again, underlined and italicised so you know this is foreshadowing!

Other jarring production goofs also diminish the quality of the film. Apparently London has armed police on every corner, outside Chinese restaurants and inside courtrooms too. Has the director ever been to court? On a further note, he makes London look bland and drab with a boring grey palette and fails to distinguish it from any city in the world. There's so much beauty and cultural richness which is simply swept under the rug or ignored altogether. Instead of being a living background to the story the city just feels like "some place in Britain".

Then there's "Spy Sh*t 101" like wiretaps, bugs, plain-clothed agents and corrupting the incorruptible. Oh, and the "Room looks slightly askew so someone must have been here" cliché, completed with a dance of piano to let you know that the character has stumbled upon something important.

Oh well. I guess there's nothing good released this time of year anyway. Tune in for a pirated version if you have the spare time and nothing else to watch.

Well made, well directed, well acted, nice cinematography, a well crafted film but an absolutely stupid and weak story, with little actual or meaningful content. The story makes complete sense, partly because it's simplistic, but only if you're prepared to accept the stupidity of a story in which characters are unbelievable, the government is completely stupid (yes, governments are stupid, but not this stupid), trained assassins are useless most of the time, there is (or would be if the stupid government had its way) a string of dead bodies laying around that would point directly to the government as the culprit(I told you this was a stupid government,even more so than the average stupid government), characters exist in the movie (and then are killed) just to further the story line but have no other purpose (good movies have better ways to further plot development), and the 1/2 million cameras on the streets on London that they point out in the story are completely useful at actually locating anyone. Well, I'll stop here. You know what I think.