A 16-year old daughter of a widowed Californian (John Cho - a name I didn't recognise though I see he's been in a number of 'Star Trek' films amongst other work) mysteriously goes missing for no apparent reason, she and her father having enjoyed a cordial, mutually respectful relationship. Having got nowhere on searching her computer files as much as he could gain access to, he has no alternative but to involve the police, with Debra Messing (whom I don't recall having seen outside 'Will & Grace' and wouldn't have recognised here had I not known) coming on the case as Chief Detective.
The story goes into some gripping stuff, never getting boring at all and both Cho and Messing deliver what's required with all the conviction that they should. I only wish I was as adept with operating the computer as the Cho character is. (No misspellings of course!) Red-herrings and dead-ends abound until, well advanced into the film, there's a jaw-dropping twist which I think you'd have to be truly psychic to have seen coming.
Director is Annesh Chaganty, whose first full-length feature this appears to be, and it's a promising start.
I have no complaints at all with the film up to the conclusion, but have to say that I could have done without the fairy-tale ending designed to send the audience out with a happy-happy feeling, everything neatly tied up and explained. In fact from and including that aforementioned major twist, the end of the story does strain credibility somewhat, though it doesn't spoil the memory of what led up to it. I do prefer my endings more ambiguous and challenging, leaving me with something to ponder on, though maybe I'm in a minority.
All in all, I found it a rewarding film and pleased that, although initially undecided whether to make the effort or not, I did venture to go..........7.
( IMDb..................7.9 / Rott. Toms...................7.4)
This one does look good, and I do like me some John Cho.
ReplyDeleteHe's a very fine actor, Bob, and a 'find' for me. You won't be disappointed by him nor the film.
DeleteAnd while I missed it in the theater I caught it over the weekend and really loved it.The twist was a good one, and I liked the idea behind the way it was shot, though, like you, I was stunned he was so good at the spelling parts and made no mistakes,
DeleteSo long ago that I've just had to refresh my memory of this one, Bob, and even then it's more than a bit foggy. But pleased that your catching up on it turned out to be favourable.
DeleteThis surprises me, not for Cho, but bc of Messing. And I didn't buy the premise that the cops would put the dad to work to gather evidence, though I suspect that Messing is in on whatever "it" is. Of course, I just saw the preview . and while your review is positive, the film just seems like a role that Liam Neeson would have played 9,301 times.
ReplyDeleteYes, I suppose the story does have that Neeson-like air of father's- earnest-desperation-to-find-daughter about it, B. What makes this film different is the amount of time spent showing computer screen, something I'm sure will become increasingly frequent over time. And it ratchets the tension up very successfully when one might have expected it to slacken off. Also, you're not quite right about Messing wanting to use Cho to gather evidence. She warns him, repeatedly I think, to keep a distance and let the cops do their job without interference. No, I think this film is one notch higher than the usual Liam Neeson fayre - though with my reservation about the ending which, it's true, could have come straight out of Neeson's own rule book on how to bring off a crowd-pleasing conclusion.
DeleteFor a moment I thought this was a Star Trek movie.
ReplyDeleteNo, it was much better, Dr Spo.
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