Drug dealers and gangs are two things that typically go hand
in hand. Usually one relies on the other, or at least that's how it's portrayed
in various films and shows. Whether or not they're sympathetic is another
question entirely, but in general they all have one goal in mind and that's to
make money. It's never been known to be a clean or a nice business to be a part
of and yet plenty of people par take in it all the time because how loaded they
get from it. But what happens when someone finally wakes up and realizes that
this life is no longer for them? Well this is what happens to someone who at
first looks like an ordinary man, only to soon understand it can be very
difficult to escape one's past. That is the story that takes place here and it
is certainly one interesting film to watch solely for the purpose of execution.
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| Hi,....Frank Castle isn't home right now, please come back in 2004 |
As a narrative, it's strongest point is displaying just how
insane someone's problems can get. Not long after the film begins, the plot
begins to tail spin and continues to do so until the end. To see a story do
that is astonishing because it's amazing how long it lasted. Married man and
architect Casey (Thomas Jane) is living his life with his wife Christine (Paula
Marshall) as normal as can be until an old friend drops by. The acquaintance is
Nick (Aaron Eckhart), a former partner of Casey's past in California. What
Casey's wife doesn't know is that he and Nick were drug dealer's in California.
And when Casey recognizes a certain briefcase, he knows Nick has brought his
"work" with him. To his misfortune from there on, Casey is bombarded
by several associates of Nick while his wife is out on business related travel.
Written and directed by Skip Woods, the script's lesson on
how sometimes leaving the past behind you isn't as easy as one would think is a
significant one. On top of that, seeing how skillful Nick and his pack are at
being criminals is shocking too. To evade the authorities for so long seems
almost impossible, but they somehow do it. However, the fact that Casey hides
his former profession from his wife does not make him entirely a sympathetic character.
There are some redeemable traits like him not hurting anyone he comes across
but considering he still lies is not a good idea either. Woods also includes a
scene where Casey is forcibly raped by Dallas (Paulina Porizkova), a cohort of
Nick's. Like in other movies that have depicted this, these kinds of scenes are
not necessary to show. They add nothing for the viewer except making them
uncomfortable.
Thankfully Skip Woods didn't bother to make this a trend and
include it in all of the later projects he contributed to like Hitman (2007),
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), The A-Team (2010) and A Good Day to Die Hard
(2013). Another thing that was left unresolved was Casey's oh so important
project that he was working on before Nick arrived. It is mentioned a bunch of
times throughout that he's trying to make something that even his wife isn't
aware of, yet it is never revealed what it even is or if it affects the plot.
Oh well. To their credit though the cast act well in their roles. As much as
Casey isn't a role model protagonist, Thomas Jane does his best to give him some
charm. The same goes for Eckhart who's constantly grinning. Even Porizkova as
Dallas is quite convincing. There's also appearances from Michael Jeter and
CSI: Investigation's Gary Dourdan.
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| Nick and Dallas |
Camerawork for this picture wasn't all that noteworthy
however. Covered by Denis Lenoir, the cinematography throughout this feature is
for the most part standard and but nothing out of the ordinary either. Much of
the shots feature the house Casey lives in, which isn't all that big to begin
with. It's just your regular suburban two story house with bland colors and the
typical set of rooms. Lenoir also worked on films like Control (2004) and So
Undercover (2012). Lastly the music for this movie was provided by an artist by
the name of Luna. The music itself is a mix between soundscape type music, rock
and goofy comedy music. Being that this is a black comedy of sorts, they all
fit in their places but they do not give the film itself a signature to it.
It's just a hodgepodge of various kinds of music that work within its context.
Points Earned --> 6:10
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