Law Abiding Citizen

English (A) Cast: Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler, Colm Meaney Director: F Gary Gray

In India it’s the ‘aam admi’ and in the United States it’s the citizen. The connection: both want justice to prevail. An engineer named Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) has faith that the judicial system will bring to book the killers of his wife and daughter. But, when the ambitious prosecutor Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) cuts a deal with one of the criminals, Clyde is forced to teach the whole system a lesson.

Ten years after the trial, Clyde strikes back by tempering with the lethal injection administered to one of the criminals on death row. And after brutally killing the real culprit he turns himself in. The story takes a new turn when Clyde enters prison. Will the system listen to his theory of justice? To know the answer you have to see this film as Clyde gives a number of options to Nick to turn over a new leaf.

For some the film would be ludicrous thriller but it has some real shocks and surprising turns. The social commentary drama questions the viewers’ sense of justice without much preaching. Foxx is decent as a mentally tortured victim of his own doings; Butler is also convincing as a regretful social activist.

“Law Abiding Citizen” runs smooth with its simple nonstop action sequences and intense acting.

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Couples Retreat

English (A) Cast: Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell

Director: Peter Billingsley

In this romcom flick we have Dave (Vince Vaughn), a seemingly happy man with wife Ronnie (Malin Akerman) who is asked by good friend Jason (Jason Bateman) and Cynthia (Kristen Bell) to save their broken relationship by going together on a holiday to a resort called ‘Couples Retreat’.

Jason and Chynthia also invite equally dissatisfied couple Joey (Jon Favreau) and his unhappy wife Lucy (Kristin Davis) and also newly divorced Shane (Faizon Love) and lively girlfriend Trudy (Kali Hawk). However, the couples are in for a surprise when they are told that ‘Marital Advice’ was one of the item on the menu besides therapy sessions, yoga, and fasting. Soon they begin to wonder: Have they come to the right place to know what is wrong about their relationships?

This film is about ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed’ and family affairs which can be both fun and tedious. Fun, for its pleasant on-screen real buddies poking clean jibes at one another; and tedious for the lack of enthusiasm in the editing room. As a team the eight actors shared a comedic rapport. Among the cast, hunky Carlos Ponce is a scene-stealer as Salvadore, the yoga instructor.

Even though there are times when the editing falls, the script deserves praises for bringing some fresh ideas. Co-written by Vaughn and Favreau, “Couples Retreat” remains their archaic trademark push-and-tell story style. The good news, however, is that this vacation comedy has some substance besides Oscar winner A R Rahman’s music.

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The Spy Next Door

English (U) Director: Brian Levant Cast: Jackie Chan, Billy Ray Cyrus

Bob Ho (Jackie Chan) is an undercover CIA agent whose dream is to settle down with his beautiful neighbour Gillian (Valletta) after retirement. Bob’s main mission, therefore, is to get the approval of the divorced mom’s three kids who all think that he is some boring Chinese small time trader. So, to understand the kids, Bob offers to babysit them when Gillian visits her sick relative.

However, when a Russian terrorist comes after some secret files which one of the kids had accidentally downloaded from the internet, Bob’s priority shifts towards saving the kids and eventually the agency’s reputation.

This film is similar to ‘The Pacifier’ in which Vin Diesel plays a spy-babysitter. So, there’s not much to expect.

‘The Spy Next Door’ is a typical Jackie Chan action-comedy flick with some not so compelling romantic equation.   The only vitalising scenes are the Russian villains who deliver some accented funny jokes. Among the kids, Alina Foley is a big reliever – cute and adorable. Despite repetitions and flaws, it is a good show by Jackie Chan.

Robert L Sungte, Deccan Herald

Paranormal Activity

 

English(A)

Cast: Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat

Director: Oren Peli

There are only a few horror flicks that will go down your spine and stay there for a long time and watching ‘Paranomal Activity’, which tells a couple’s date with an unknown force is a thrilling experience.

When Micah starts filming Katie in their house in San Diego they soon find out that there is some dormant force hovering around Katie while they are asleep. At first they seek the help of a psychic who tells them to seek the help of a demonist. But, Micah wants to do it his way. So, he records all the events in their bedroom,  only to anger the supernatural being.
Director Oren Peli’s minimalist film with a few characters emerges as a very strong thriller-horror movie. While most films in the genre employ gore and blood, ‘Paranormal Activity’ brings back the classic style in the likes of ‘The Blair Witch Project’, with sound and simple visual settings.

The filming is done with a hand-held video camera. This brings a sense of reality and it is not until the end that one stops looking for movements in the house. Everything in the setting, how simple they look, has their part to create a fearful atmosphere.

The day scenes are like any normal day. However, the night scenes get real spooky with wide angle shots showing possible playing fields for the force to move around in the couple’s bedroom, their doorway, and part of the hallway.

‘Paranormal Activity’ is as real as it can be. It is difficult to trace the dividing line between reality and fiction. This makes it a rare film which will give you both goosebumps and nightmares!

Review by Robert L Sungte (Decccan Herald)