User reviews

Kristoffer Tabori's "Pursued", suffers from the screen play written by Maggie April. Mr. Tabori, an excellent actor, who has turned his attention to directing, seems to be out of his element with this movie. Thrillers that are based on revolutionary technology don't seem to translate well to the screen, as it's the case with "Pursued".

In fact, Mr. Tabori gets an over the top performance from Christian Slater, as the evil Vincent Palmer, who like all villains, seems to be miles ahead of everyone else in the story. On the other hand, Gil Bellows, who is the victim of Palmer, seems to be completely impotent to do anything, or even go to the police with the troubles he is facing. The problem seems to be exacerbated by Mr. Bellows' take on the character, as he makes him even weaker.

The result is an uneven film, that showed possibilities, but in the end, doesn't fulfill them. For a film that deals in cutting edge technology, one would think that Ben Keats, the genius behind the new program that will revolutionize cyberspace tracking, would have been aware of the spies out there, especially the scumbag that is making his life impossible, and invested in the best anti-spy software money could buy. The only point the film makes is how prevalent industrial spying is in the hands of people like the repulsive Vincent Palmer.

Vincent Palmer (Christian Slater) is a deranged headhunter preying upon unsuspecting, talented CEOs. Vincent refuses to take "no" for an answer until his victims agree to leave their present jobs and accept multi-million-dollar offers that no one can refuse.

There were two good character profiles locked in conflict in the struggle between the hyperkinetic Vincent and Ben Keats (Gil Bellows). The two characters were so different that the contrast in the rapacious Vincent and the honest Ben made for a good melodrama set in corporate America. The integrity of Ben was a breath of fresh air in today's cutthroat executive world.

Director Kristoffer Tabori provided good pacing throughout the film. There was also a clever idea in the new industry headed by Ben and his boss (Michael Clarke Duncan) called Viztrak. Their invention is a serum intended for children in the ability to use satellite technology to track a lost child anywhere in the world. It was unfortunate that the Viztrak concept was not used more extensively in this action film.

Still, this was an entertaining and suspenseful low-budget film highlighted by the contrast of two men with completely different personality profiles and outlooks on life. Their struggle made for compelling drama.

I like Christian Slater, I'm a fan. And I understand he may want to try out a bad-guy role like his co-star John Travolta in Broken Arrow, but this movie makes Slater annoying. Everywhere you turn - he's there with that grating voice and midwestern accent and pushy personality.

The movie is contrived and predictable. Yes, Slater did a good job of acting because his character evoked the desired emotions as the pursuer. But the pursuee scientist Ben Keats is a genius in the lab, but is so dumb outside as to be impossible. Never thinks to call the police. His wife is equally as dumb to believe obvious contrived stories of their chance meetings.

So about 1/3 of the way into the movie I stopped caring and just watched to see if the movie really was as predicable as I thought. I am so good, unfortunately, so I wasted 1 hour. Thank you, the movie is only 95 minutes.

The movie has its interesting points, but the writers left a lot of bad gaps in the plot. Ben Keats is a character who is too laid back, has no spine, and is apparently not very intelligent. It becomes quite an unbelievable story given that he is supposed to be one of the best management people in the United States.

The pace of the movie is quite slow, the twists are not unexpected, and basically its a movie about someone who is a complete pushover playing opposite a great Christian Slater role. He's comparable to his role in Very Bad Things, only the supporting cast is not even comparable.

This movie really has no redeeming qualities, and I somewhat wish I could just have the two hours of my life back that I lost. It's not Bellows' fault, the character is just terribly written.

"Pursued" is a good mystery\thriller with some silly moments. Christian Slater stars as Vincent Palmer, a headhunter who recruits up-and-comers in the technology business. He does whatever it takes. This is the probably the first time Christian Slater plays a psycho. He plays it convincingly. He does such a excellent job, you root for him. Anytime Vincent is on-screen (which is most of the time)the movie has a lot of energy. The other main character is Ben Keats, played by Gil Bellows. Unfortunately, Ben is a two dimensional character who is a little too laid back. There are a couple of plot missteps like Ben getting a speech about secret cameras that could be in a pen and then the next scene is Ben getting a pen and he doesn't check for a camera. It's like he forgot the whole speech. The climax is exciting but a tad goofy. In the end: It's worth seeing for a great, hyped up performance by Christian Slater and a lot of other tension filled moments.

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Oh my god!...this movie is terrible. The plot is silly, the goofs are very easy to find, the editing sucks, and everything is predictable. Is sad to see cool actors like Slater and Duncan Clark doing that kind of crap. The character played by Gil Bellows is probably the most stupid genius in movie history... a computer expert who can't find a way to show everybody what's happening to him. And the idea of a liquid tracking system is too much. The wife just can't believe in her husband, the boss looks strong like a bull but is terminally ill, and the security expert follows the car of a maniac without any precaution. Don't waste 2 hours of your life in this movie, really...

I enjoyed the movie, but with some reservations. I've been a Slater fan for years and liked this role for him. My problem with this is the way the main characters (Gil Bellows) had such difficulty in coming to grips with industrial sabotage. This guy is a computer genius and works in electronics but it took almost half the movie to realize that he was bugged. This even after he was given warnings by a corporate surveillance expert. The way he let his wife and child interact with Slater's character was totally out of this world. Maybe I speak only for myself but if someone harasses me and mine, I'm not cordial and I will not allow my family to associate with them either. That's not anti-social, it's logical to protect their own family. The action was OK if anti-climatic and was very predictable. One area I didn't understand was the first CEO that was introduced and the murder of his wife. He was so worried about being arrested that he didn't seem irritated at Slater over the murder. Is this normal behavior or not? It kinda sets the setting for the whole movie. I did like what he told the lead when he confronted him, "sign with him or kill him." I guess it worked out that way. Overall not a bad movie.

Very cheesy representation of a creep who couldn't let things go when he had an opportunity not accepted. Usually Christian Slater is great just not in this. He's weird, aggressive & the type that requires a restraining order or worse wink wink you'll know what I mean if you manage to sit through this boring movie maybe good for a rainy day or not much else to watch, that's about it otherwise don't watch it!

Ever since Heathers, made when Christian Slater was a bubblegum pop idol, he's specialized in quirky roles. They can be quirky psychotic like Heathers or quirky lovable as Kuffs. In Pursued Slater falls firmly on the psychotic side.

Parts like these allow actors to pull out all the stops and Slater does it with gusto. He's on some kind of anti-psychotic drugs and I'd hate to see him when he's not taking the meds. He's a corporate recruiter who gets hired by companies to find the best executives. Sometimes they're an easy sell and sometimes not. But one thing though, Slater never takes no for an answer.

His latest project Gil Bellows has a stubborn streak of loyalty to the company he works for and its president Michael Clarke Duncan. He does not believe that Slater has resorted to murder in the past to obtain his objective. He then gets good and sufficient reason to believe it. Slater does not like to lose at anything, he sees corporate head hunting as a blood sport and wants his trophy every time.

If you're a fan of Christian Slater this film should not be missed. Director Kristoffer Tabori had a loose rein on Slater throughout this production and he ran with it.

It's overacting to the max, but the part calls for it.

This movie was acted well and very realistic. Although the headhunter role was a bit over zealous, that is what makes it an entertaining movie. The character Ben was acted very well. Ben was an average guy who did what most people would: he was polite at the beginning and tolerated the headhunter up to a point. However, when he finally did have enough and took action he ended up in trouble with the law, which is also realistic. Contrary to most Hollywood movies in which people go around killing or beating people up without consequence or having to answer for their actions; this movie presented a very realistic perspective. What would one do if one were pursued by a headhunter who wouldn't take "No" for an answer and wasn't breaking any laws? Although to some extent a court restraining order may have resolved the issue – then it wouldn't have been much of a movie. This movie gave a credible and plausible story and is believable.

I 'pursued' this movie with low expectations but was presently surprised.

It is a fast paced thriller with a good flow. The pursuer will do any thing to get the pursued recruited. Good acting from every one in general with specially good one from Ben in the movie.

One question is why the wife is so immature to not trust her husband and find it good when a stranger keeps giving free gifts. Also, the police can be brought on if some one is stalked the way it is sown in the movie.

Its a neat movie which slowly goes into the violent aspect without being totally unreal. Good editing is of of the strong points. Over all, if you are looking for a movie which would give mild thrill without testing your brain too much and yet be slick and cool, its very much perfect.

In a word, Pursued is terrible.

It pushes itself as a high-grade techno-thriller, but falls so far short of the mark on all fronts it should be an embarrassment to the solid cast that participated in it.

The acting is poor, but more likely than not the result of the fact that the characters in this movie are one dimensional.

Gil Bellows plays Ben Keats, a technology genius on the verge of marketing a state of the art tracking system.

Christian Slater plays an "all or nothing" recruiter trying to get Ben to switch jobs.

I'd go into detail about what was wrong with this movie, but I can't bring myself to waste another minute on it.

The only Pursued had going for it was the concept of the tracking system Ben had developed. That might have been kinda cool.

Unfortunately they wrapped it in a really shallow and predictable stalker story with no rhyme or reason.

The depiction of the technology is mid 80s and terrible. The only techno-component with any credibility is a couple of cameos by Google.

The character Ben Keats is pathetic and one dimensional. Christian Slater's recruiter is not believable, and his sole purpose in life appears to be destroying the lives of the people he's recruiting. Not totally beyond reality, but his portrayal pushes it over the edge.

1/10 - do not waste two hours of your life on this.

I am going to disagree with every other person who seems to have commented on this film. The worst thing about it is Christian Slater, who plays what I like to think of as a "Garden Variety Hollywood Psycho". Think Bettlejuice with a better complexion in an Armani suit or Hannibal Lecter on a diet of espresso rather than Fava beans. Slater's character Vincent chews the scenery shamelessly and seems to have the omniscient information that these psychos always seem to have. I do agree that Gil Bellows is largely an empty cipher in the center of the movie, he's basically playing the same troubled weak guy he played in Ally McBeal. The only time he comes to life is when he's attacking Slater's character.

As Bellow's wife Estella Warren does her usual decent job, playing a woman confused by her husband's behavior, although the smart woman she seems to be would have seen through Vincent in about 5 minutes. She also needs to work on that anxious look she perfected in Planet of the Apes and uses as her predominant expression throughout most of this film. Still this movie does establish one thing. If Angelina Jolie has the finest lower lip in Hollywood, Estella warren definitely has the mosy sensuous upper lip. There is one scene where Warren comforts her PlanetOTA co-star Michael Clark Duncan, who plays, of all things, a venture capitalist.

Unfortunately all this scene did for me was to think what a great General Thade (another classic Hollywood Psycho) Christian Slater could have been.

The continuity in this film seems odd. Key scenes of exposition, especially between the husband and wife, are missing. The wife appears to change her opinions about her husband and what is going on without ever having a scene where she realizes that Vincent is dangerous and her husband isn't crazy. There are also scenes of high tension with no payoffs. I especially would have liked a scene that wraps up how the situation with Vincent was resolved and whether the crooked cop got taken down. All we get is Vincent dies and Billy, er Benji's company becomes a success with no explanation how or why. I suspect that the filmmakers were trying to make the standard 90 minute film and cut out too much in their effort to meet this demand.

To conclude, if you like Hollywood Psychos and their near invincibility you will probably enjoy this film. If on the other hand you are bothered by bad editing and odd inexplicable motivations on the part of major characters you should probably save your money. On the other hand this is still a better movie than Stra Wars I or the Fantastic 4.

(Spoiler Alert) Like a hungry leopard totally focused on his pray we see at the beginning of the film "Pursued" corporate recruiter Vincent Plamer, Christian Slater, zero in on his helpless victim business executive John Blakely, Kevin McNulty,and get him to join the firm that he's being employed by. Blakely was forced to quit his family business, and let it go bankrupt, by Plamer blackmailing him in his wife's death whom he murdered.

Now working for Seattle high-tech giant Resdat who's CEO William Carey, Andrew Stevens, gives Palmer a million dollars and instructions to tear top executive Ben Keats, Gil Bellows,away from the up and coming chemical company Viztrak. The company is about to release a low-jack-type formula that when ingested can track down lost children missing persons pets or escaped criminals anywhere on earth.

Plamer at first tries to get Bellows to quit Viztrak and take over the management of Carey's company by offering millions in salary and stock options. Still Bellows want's nothing to do with Carey or his firm Resdat feeling obligated and being loyal to the owner of Viztrak Franklin, Michael Clark Duncan, who he looks up to as a father figure and well as his good friend and employer.

It's when he feels that money can't reel Bellows in that Plamer turns obsessive pestering and harassing not only Ben Bellows but his wife Emily, Estella Warren, and even his young daughter Alison, Conchita Campball, night and day on the phone! I started to wonder just how much Plamer's monthly cell-phone bill was? in the thousands?

Plamer also goes as far as trying to split up the workers at the Viztrak firm by planting rumors that Bellows was leaving it for Resdat. Plamer even plants bugs in Bellows home office and even car to get all the info he can on him driving the poor man almost out of his mind.

Getting the confidential information, by having a bug planted in his home on Viztark's CEO Franklin's inoperable brain tumor Plamer sneaks into his mansion and shoots him to death leaving a suicide note, and gun in Fanklin's hand, blaming Bellows actions of leaving his company for driving him to kill himself.

At Franklin's funeral Plamer shows up inciting Bellows, who instinctively knew that he was behind Franklin's murder not suicide, to attack him. Which put the hysterical Bellows in the county jail and right where Plamer wanted him; to sign on the dotted line and join Carey's company Resdat if Bellows wants him to drop all charges.

The ending of the movie "Pursued" is a bit of a let-down with Bellows and his friend and corporate fraud expert Robert Langford, Scott Hyland, tricking Plamer into drinking the Viztrak formula and thus be able to track down his movements in order to trap him in committing a felony. That would put Plamer away from pestering people like Bellows, and is family, once in for all.

It was hard to believe that Palmer could have gotten away with his sleazy activities all this time and not once be set up and caught by the local police and those he was victimizing. You also also why Bellows never went to the police to report him in the first place? Plamer himself was so boastful about his underhanded actions, including the murder of John Blakely's wife, that all it would have taken was for the police to check up on his past criminal adventures that he so openly bragged about! Plamer even bragged about his crimes when he was pressuring Bellows in jail, where the walls have ears, in order to get him to join the chemical firm Resdat or end up behind bars himself.

This movie is such a big bore. I failed to understand why would a director drag such a story and pictured a real life drama in the most unrealistic way. From the beginning to start Mr. Slater is apparently attempted to be projected as a terrorizing opponent to the good corporate culture. It is so sick that the sequence of story dragged and ended up with couple of killings (Are the cops gone mute ?) which has no effect to the society. Oh I forgot to remember that the story began with a killing. Sick. A total bore. Please do not pursue to watch this movie. It is sicker than what you expect. Stay away and spend your time somewhat more useful. I am sorry. Have a good one.

A movie that was doomed to fail from the start with its script and direction. Felt bad for the actors, and I felt bad for myself for watching it.

Christian Slater leads this cast in a superb performance he plays a head hunter that will stop at nothing to get what he wants. In the world of hi tech technology a man in charge of a small company is pursued by a hot shot from a higher up company, This is a game were know one wins. Estella warren plays and average role as the mother and wife and Michael Clarke Duncan plays his role for a good amount of time, any longer and for that reason could have ruined the movie for me. The twist was just what i was looking for, Not realistic and not over the top but believable is in which all movies should end with. If you enjoy a good thriller of if you are a fan of b grade films then you have picked the right movie. This is one for the collection.

This is another instance of a third-rate Canadian production that is typically seen on a weekday afternoon on a local TV channel. Pursued is a made-for-TV level movie that suffers from poor casting, clichéd plotting, and indifferent directing. The greatest flaw in Pursued is the casting of Christian Slater - who was halfway to movie jail in 2004 - as the psychotic headhunter who will stop at nothing to recruit a rising young executive. His over-the-top performance, coupled with the weak acting of Gil Bellows as Slater's victim, torpedoes this turkey.

These kinds of Canadian low-budget movies are crippled by a perfect storm of factors. The first is the casting of unknown and generally inferior actors in key roles. The presumptive lead - Bellows as the tech executive Slater's character is desperately trying to recruit no matter what (absurd on every level) - has no business playing the lead in any project. His flaccid performance dooms the film just as Slater's familiar crazed villain is cause for groans throughout.

Secondly, the screenplay seems to have been pieced together by production executives trying to fulfill a series of target audience demands by the financiers or network that shot Pursued in Canada because of government financial incentives.

Sadly, Canada continues to remain a place where film creatives stay and die.

So I quit watching. I just wanted to reach thru the screen and beat the hell out of CS's character. Longer I watched, madder I got so I shut it off. I normally adore Christian Slater, but this one is a hard nope.

I saw this movie in a blockbuster sale and picked it up for a couple of quid, I am a huge Christian Slater Fan but the last time I did this I picked up the god awful 'Run for the Money' (Hard Cash) so I wasn't expecting much..

As a Slater fan 'Pursued' in excellent, he steals every scene that he is in and plays the corporate psycho to perfection. The first 80% of this film is a delight and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

It is also nice to see Michael Clarke Duncan in a normal acting role, he is so often used as just a big strong enforcer type and yet 'Green Mile' showed so much more, here he gets the opportunity to just act. As does Estelle Warren who is usually just used as a the sexy blonde.

Gil Bellows is slightly disappointing and this is partly why I didn't enjoy the ending but I have seen a hundred movies worse than this and if you are stuck for a flick on a rainy day then this is definitely one to watch.