I'm still in shock at the high ratings this film is getting, but I guess it shouldn't surprise me.
It's awesome for the black-and-white hit-me-over-the-head crowd. All the expected cutaways, shots, and edits are here. Girl abducted...shot of bicycle turned over. Another girl abducted...shot of rose on pavement. Characters who say exactly what you want them to say...all the time. No surprises, suspense, or plot twists need apply. Just a vehicle for the self-righteous to vent their anger. What a bore.
Kevin Kline tries earnestly to float this picture past the point of credibility, but as good as his performance is --- it's the only really believably rendered thing in the picture --- it isn't good enough. The direction and production values are incredibly amateurish. I couldn't figure out why I was basically unmoved with the heinous acts that occur at the start of the picture and finally realized...they were just too dead on. There were no nuances beside what you might find in a substandard TV movie.
This is an important subject and it doesn't deserve the pop culture "Traffic"-style treatment that the drug trade got in THAT overrated mess. But this makes even that look original and interesting by comparison. Look, all movies manipulate your emotions, but this one is almost masturbatory by comparison.
It's awesome for the black-and-white hit-me-over-the-head crowd. All the expected cutaways, shots, and edits are here. Girl abducted...shot of bicycle turned over. Another girl abducted...shot of rose on pavement. Characters who say exactly what you want them to say...all the time. No surprises, suspense, or plot twists need apply. Just a vehicle for the self-righteous to vent their anger. What a bore.
Kevin Kline tries earnestly to float this picture past the point of credibility, but as good as his performance is --- it's the only really believably rendered thing in the picture --- it isn't good enough. The direction and production values are incredibly amateurish. I couldn't figure out why I was basically unmoved with the heinous acts that occur at the start of the picture and finally realized...they were just too dead on. There were no nuances beside what you might find in a substandard TV movie.
This is an important subject and it doesn't deserve the pop culture "Traffic"-style treatment that the drug trade got in THAT overrated mess. But this makes even that look original and interesting by comparison. Look, all movies manipulate your emotions, but this one is almost masturbatory by comparison.