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Reviews10
vincent-100's rating
A fast-paced, moody, complicated story with rich characters and some great acting, particularly from Lukas Haas. The directing is good, but the editing is patchy and sloppy. When Brandon and Emily meet, for example, her lips are not moving at all when some of her lines are uttered. This kind of sloppiness is inexcusable and otherwise spoils a good production.
The plot is however contrived beyond credibility, as are the characters and their motivations. I say contrived because the plot is entirely too sophisticated for a bunch of kids to play it out convincingly. Brendan's strength and cunning are enviable, but you cannot help but doubt that a teenager could even conceive of and then embark on the mission Brendan undertakes. We are, after all, watching school kids act out this elaborate plot while they play each other and and scheme in a most adult way.
The language used by the cast is also annoying at times, drenched as it were in the local slang which makes it incomprehensible. Some of the dialogue is very good, for example when Brendan confronts Trueman. And some of the dialogue is very bad, for example the opening lines: "How're things?" "Status quo". Dumb line.
But if all the bad is ignored, and you add 5 years to the age of all the characters in your mind's eye, it's an entertaining intricate plot of revenge that amuses to the end.
The plot is however contrived beyond credibility, as are the characters and their motivations. I say contrived because the plot is entirely too sophisticated for a bunch of kids to play it out convincingly. Brendan's strength and cunning are enviable, but you cannot help but doubt that a teenager could even conceive of and then embark on the mission Brendan undertakes. We are, after all, watching school kids act out this elaborate plot while they play each other and and scheme in a most adult way.
The language used by the cast is also annoying at times, drenched as it were in the local slang which makes it incomprehensible. Some of the dialogue is very good, for example when Brendan confronts Trueman. And some of the dialogue is very bad, for example the opening lines: "How're things?" "Status quo". Dumb line.
But if all the bad is ignored, and you add 5 years to the age of all the characters in your mind's eye, it's an entertaining intricate plot of revenge that amuses to the end.
I appreciate the quality of the cast, and the fact that the topic is hot and current. And the acting is excellent. But what a boring movie. Maybe I just don't get, but nothing seems to happen. The numerous stories which are supposed to be linked jump around constantly. You need to be very quick to follow the complicated political plot, and the director assumes you're completely knowledgeable about Hezbollah, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and all things Middle East. None of this is explained but it all forms an essential part of the story. The movie does not root you to your seat, and you can leave it running while you make something to drink. All you'll miss is subtitled Arabic conversation about baseball and bobsleighs. OK, so I've bashed this title, but I don't believe that 90% of the people who watch it will be entertained. Even if you could follow what was going on (I pieced it together at the end), it's long and drawn-out and ultimately ends on a very flat note. A waste of time.