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Reviews2
stephen-124's rating
The poster has 3 guys standing over a body in the pouring rain. It didn't rain once in the film. And yet Cape Town's extreme weather could really have added to the film - as an oppressive layer like the occasional mist rolling over the mountains tried to hint at.
Some of the set up shots were better than the general scenes they were meant to intro. But too self-conscious at the same time.
The main character looked permanently sweaty - odd for "cold" harbor - while the rest of the cast didn't. But he and the Specialist character stood out with their performances from the rest of the cast.
The dialogue felt like someone wrote it in a vacuum, or after being in isolation for twenty years and no idea of how people talk naturally.
The one or two action scenes were OK and mildly entertaining- basically no one was using the written dialogue so it was great.
The editing (or lack of coverage during shooting) caused things to jump around and there was a lack of flow.
The overall plot was worthy of a film but not this script. This had the potential to really showcase SA crime (abalone) worthy of the big screen, and the mafia type groups involved. It is a pity that an opportunity was missed for a top notch SA thriller.
Some of the set up shots were better than the general scenes they were meant to intro. But too self-conscious at the same time.
The main character looked permanently sweaty - odd for "cold" harbor - while the rest of the cast didn't. But he and the Specialist character stood out with their performances from the rest of the cast.
The dialogue felt like someone wrote it in a vacuum, or after being in isolation for twenty years and no idea of how people talk naturally.
The one or two action scenes were OK and mildly entertaining- basically no one was using the written dialogue so it was great.
The editing (or lack of coverage during shooting) caused things to jump around and there was a lack of flow.
The overall plot was worthy of a film but not this script. This had the potential to really showcase SA crime (abalone) worthy of the big screen, and the mafia type groups involved. It is a pity that an opportunity was missed for a top notch SA thriller.
Stephen Dorff (Jake) takes us through an interesting and amusing narrative of a small-time director trying to make a childhood dream come true. Having written the story, Phil Joanou, obviously had a clear idea of how he wanted the visuals to work with not only the narration style but with the story and characters. These all come together to create some comic scenarios as well as visual feasts for the eyes. It's the kind of movie that is interesting to look at as well as understand, and maybe the visual effects could have been taken to the extreme, but nevertheless a successful piece of directing. As a U2 fan I was a bit apprehensive about the part that the band would play, but was pleasantly surprised to find them as important as all the other minor characters in the story. And therefore I didn't expect them to be anything other than themselves. Joanou obviously loves what he does. With work like this let's hope we can expect great things to come.