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Directed by: E. Elias Merhige Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Ben Kingsley, Carrie-Anne Moss It's very rare these days to see a movie that seems to keep the entire theater quiet and glued to the screen for its length. Suspect Zero seemed to do just that; it is a captivating movie that will keep your interest from start to finish and is definitely one of the better movies not this summer. The story revolves around FBI Agent Thomas Mackelway (played by Aaron Eckheart) who's been recently reassigned to the New Mexico field office for disciplinary reasons. On his first day back on the job, he is assigned to murder case which features a body which has been strangely disfigured. The strangeness of the case causes the FBI to send his old partner, agent Fran Kulock (played by Carrie-Anne Moss, without any weird metal things on her back) to keep an eye on Mackelway. Eventually they trace the murder back to the psychotic Benjamin O'Ryan (played by Ben Kingsley); O'Ryan has a talent for using something called "remote viewing" to basically psychically connect with his targets (Picture Professor X, except he kills people and is psycho. And he walks). More murders start to occur; eventually one of these murders strikes Mackelway close to home, forcing him to go over the edge to attempt to catch him; all the while though, he is uncertain exactly what O'Ryan's role in the whole matter truly is. Eckhart turns in a fine performance; he truly sells the whole "agent over the edge" thing. O'Ryan also does a great job of portraying a complex character; somehow he manages to be sympathetic while remaining scary. Carrie-Anne Moss is not anywhere as strong as the other stars of the movie, but she is at least better than she was in the Matrix (plus this role seems to fit her better than EXTREME ACTION HERO). Remote viewing is an interesting concept, and the movie does a good job of helping the viewer to experience it. The cinematography was great; interesting camera angles and well-done flashback/forward sequences blended in seamlessly with real time in the movie. The movie had a great atmosphere and the location shots were great. Unfortunately, at times, the sound track seemed to be a bit out of place. It certainly was a distraction at times. Also, the story is a tad predictable and, other than the remote viewing twist, doesn't exactly feature anything new (but it does what some other movies tried to do before better). There also were some moments in the movie that just felt unrealistic (once you remember it's a movie and everything isn't supposed to be authentic though you'll be fine). This movie seems to have been lost in the shuffle of all the other summer blockbusters this year. Yet it definitely is one of the better films of the season. If you have already seen Collateral, then check this movie out. Hurry though, because I don't think it's going to stay in the theatres long (or I guess you could wait for DVD). RATING: 4.0 PROS: A disturbing, captivating story; good cinematography CONS: Nothing new. Not a lot of suprises; disbelief must be suspended. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0324127/
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Aug 28, 2004 13:30
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| # ? Apr 24, 2024 23:30 |
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The only reason it kept me quiet was because I was so drat BORED! Now, I loved Se7en, so I was hoping that this movie would be good. How wrong I was. This was the first movie I have ever walked out of, and I can take a lot of poo poo. I've sat through some bad movies, but this one takes the cake. I can't even talk about this movie anymore...it disgusts me to no avail. Avoid it at all costs, unless you enjoy sleeping in the theater. .5/5, only because a negative score isn't available.
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Aug 28, 2004 16:12
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Wow, this movie was bad. It seemed they just threw together a bunch of random "weird" stuff, and it didnt really get you into it. I didnt care about the main character, and his acts and the acts of the rest of his department was just so cliche. Alot of the stuff didnt make sense, like when he and the guy in the 18 wheeler crash, about 10 seconds apart. But when the camera shows them, they are right next to eachother on opposite sides of the road. WTF? Boring movie, good concept. 2/5
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Aug 29, 2004 22:54
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I went into this movie knowing only two things: it was a psychological thriller and it starred Ben Kingsley. This movie further confirms Kingsley's status as a cinema god. He's one of the finest actors out there. This movie was awesome. The cinematography was superb, the music and sound were perfect, the story was original and compelling... This was a seriously great film and enjoyable on many levels. The attention to atmosphere and the way the film makes you imagine the worst while only showing you bits and pieces was masterful. I can't say enough good things about this movie. 5/5.5
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Aug 30, 2004 08:29
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The infamous E Elias Merhige comes back with another very weird movie. If you're looking for Seven part 2 go see some crap like SAW because this film is alot more sophisticated than Seven. I cant really say any more without giving stuff away but ill say that the remote viewing sequences are very cool and the people who thought it was dull didnt understand what was really going on in the film. This is the best hollywood film of the year by far. 5/5
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Aug 31, 2004 21:43
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It was alright. There were a couple times I decided to watch the audience to see if something interesting was happening in the theater, but it was balanced out by some really well shot sequences and interesting characters. The ending was pretty cool for ditching hollywood protocol. That crash thing was weird. The truck is actually behind the SUV, even though the SUV crashes about 6 seconds before the truck. rating: 3/5
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Sep 3, 2004 20:53
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The writer and director had poor control over the development and consistency of this film. It could have been an inovative and enjoyable flick if only the film had some cohesion. An otherwise great idea resulted in a horrible movie primarily because of pitiful execution in many areas. See this movie only if want to witness a spectacular failure of a great concept. 1/5
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Sep 12, 2004 03:06
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