Movie Reviews (such as they are)

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Surveillance

Okay, so I sort of spoiled this one for myself by reading the synopsis in Sight & Sound a few months ago, back before it had a UK distributor. I think I thought I'd never get to see it, so what did it matter, right?

Surveillance is the latest picture from David Lynch's daughter Jennifer. Yes, she of Boxing Helena fame. Those of you who saw Boxing Helena may have decided to give this a wide berth. I, though, have not seen BH, so I dived straight in.

Basic premise is that two FBI agents are in Hicksville to help the local dumb cops after a series of violent roadside homicides. So far, so formulaic. The Feds are played by Julia Ormond and Bill Pullman. Most of the rest of the cast are more or less nobodies, with the exception of Michael Ironside as local cop chief.

To get to grips fully with the situation at hand, Pullman watches over three simultaneous interviews of survivors: one cop, one young woman, and one girl.

The story then unfolds in flashbacks up until the point that some fresh bodies are found in a nearby motel. There follows the denouement.

I found the movie to be nicely shot and edited. Well played. The problem is, truthfully, the storyline. While not bad, it is incredibly slight. And once you've seen it once, you'd have very little reason to watch it again. Which, of course, is directly the opposite feeling from the one I get when I watch a David Lynch film...

It's a long time since my last review, so I'm out of practice on scoring. Let's say 53 out of 100. And that might be being a bit generous.

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