Well where to begin? If this film wouldn't have so much flaws. It would be average at best. I mean the cinematography isn't breathtaking or great as some other reviews described. The shots where pretty simple and nothing really original was done to take it to a higher level. The story is pretty standard, just because it was thickened a bit with an insight of the personal lives of the main characters doesn't make it a better story, on the contrary.
From the beginning one could tell that there wasn't much budget to make this film. The film begins with a cheap looking title sequence, that is, if your used to the wonderful designed (Hollywood) titles at the beginning of films. Okay this is one thing that can easily be overlooked though. Than the film starts with the finding of an arm that has been cut off. And this arm unfortunately looked too plastic. It just didn't look real. And then when the unnecessary voice-over kicked in, I knew it would be a long sit. And I was right.
What bothered me the most was that there wasn't any balance in this film. Was it trying to be a (black) comedy of some sort? A family drama? A crime thriller? It tried to be all of it at the same time and failed miserably. One of the worst mistakes stories/films can make is not able to make any choice at all. This was one of those stories.
SOME SPOILERS AHEAD For example: the character of Cem Yilmaz brought numerous times too much of his comic acting in his role as if the director just let him do what he always does and play some sort of a comical character. This comical effect was made even greater by the suddenness of it. Like at one point the characters being at a stakeout one moment and tension is being build up and another moment the characters are in some sort of a 'A-team' cowboy shootout. Where the 'bad'guys are spraying Uzi machine guns around. Another moment where one could tell that Cem Yilmaz was definitely miscast was when his character was dying and people in the theater actually started laughing as if he where going to say or do something funny in the process of it.
Another thing that really annoyed me was the pace of the film. I mean, why did the film had to drag on for an hour more if the plot was already revealed after 90 minutes or so. But no, instead of wrapping it up, they choose to let it drag and drag as if the ending would be such a surprise.
All the insights in the personal lives also seemed unnecessary it just seemed too forced or too much. And the whole rookie part could've better been left out. In the end his character seemed to insignificant. Insignificant also was the voice over which had absolutely no function and made the film even more cliché.
MORE SPOILERS AHEAD Other things that really bothered were plot holes like: Cem Yilmaz' character who goes to his ex with plans of (maybe) killing her and then when he sits on the couch right in front of her, he gently, but very clearly pulls out a gun and holds it next to him and she (acts) as if she doesn't see the gun... YEAH RIGHT. And then all of a sudden when he is about to pull the trigger, the electricity is cut off. (oh what a coincidence). Or another thing: they go to a doctor to get some information and ask the guy a couple of questions. The doctor answers that he absolutely cannot give them any information, it's supposedly classified. So then they ask, 'okay then give us the address of the previous doctor that can give us all the information we want'. And of course the address is given. Then when they enter the home of the other doctor the guy sits on a couch with his hand under a pillow. Was he sitting there on that exact spot for a week or so waiting for people? And then he pulls out a gun from underneath the pillow and kills himself. Then next to him they find a PC with an application open which has the all the information on it to solve the whole case. Or one more thing: a very clear footprint and tire mark side by side at the crime seen, which belongs to a billionaire who himself try to get rid of a body. As if he doesn't have people that does his dirty jobs? These things occurred throughout the whole film.
The only decent performance was from Sener Sen and Cetin Tekindor. As one would expect.
I'm sorry but I absolutely cannot recommend this film to anyone. Especially those who have seen TV shows like Law and Order and CSI. Because even those TV shows are better written. Or better yet just watch Mystic River, Zodiac, Seven, Lovely Bones or even The Chaser if you want to see a film with similar themes but far better executed.
From the beginning one could tell that there wasn't much budget to make this film. The film begins with a cheap looking title sequence, that is, if your used to the wonderful designed (Hollywood) titles at the beginning of films. Okay this is one thing that can easily be overlooked though. Than the film starts with the finding of an arm that has been cut off. And this arm unfortunately looked too plastic. It just didn't look real. And then when the unnecessary voice-over kicked in, I knew it would be a long sit. And I was right.
What bothered me the most was that there wasn't any balance in this film. Was it trying to be a (black) comedy of some sort? A family drama? A crime thriller? It tried to be all of it at the same time and failed miserably. One of the worst mistakes stories/films can make is not able to make any choice at all. This was one of those stories.
SOME SPOILERS AHEAD For example: the character of Cem Yilmaz brought numerous times too much of his comic acting in his role as if the director just let him do what he always does and play some sort of a comical character. This comical effect was made even greater by the suddenness of it. Like at one point the characters being at a stakeout one moment and tension is being build up and another moment the characters are in some sort of a 'A-team' cowboy shootout. Where the 'bad'guys are spraying Uzi machine guns around. Another moment where one could tell that Cem Yilmaz was definitely miscast was when his character was dying and people in the theater actually started laughing as if he where going to say or do something funny in the process of it.
Another thing that really annoyed me was the pace of the film. I mean, why did the film had to drag on for an hour more if the plot was already revealed after 90 minutes or so. But no, instead of wrapping it up, they choose to let it drag and drag as if the ending would be such a surprise.
All the insights in the personal lives also seemed unnecessary it just seemed too forced or too much. And the whole rookie part could've better been left out. In the end his character seemed to insignificant. Insignificant also was the voice over which had absolutely no function and made the film even more cliché.
MORE SPOILERS AHEAD Other things that really bothered were plot holes like: Cem Yilmaz' character who goes to his ex with plans of (maybe) killing her and then when he sits on the couch right in front of her, he gently, but very clearly pulls out a gun and holds it next to him and she (acts) as if she doesn't see the gun... YEAH RIGHT. And then all of a sudden when he is about to pull the trigger, the electricity is cut off. (oh what a coincidence). Or another thing: they go to a doctor to get some information and ask the guy a couple of questions. The doctor answers that he absolutely cannot give them any information, it's supposedly classified. So then they ask, 'okay then give us the address of the previous doctor that can give us all the information we want'. And of course the address is given. Then when they enter the home of the other doctor the guy sits on a couch with his hand under a pillow. Was he sitting there on that exact spot for a week or so waiting for people? And then he pulls out a gun from underneath the pillow and kills himself. Then next to him they find a PC with an application open which has the all the information on it to solve the whole case. Or one more thing: a very clear footprint and tire mark side by side at the crime seen, which belongs to a billionaire who himself try to get rid of a body. As if he doesn't have people that does his dirty jobs? These things occurred throughout the whole film.
The only decent performance was from Sener Sen and Cetin Tekindor. As one would expect.
I'm sorry but I absolutely cannot recommend this film to anyone. Especially those who have seen TV shows like Law and Order and CSI. Because even those TV shows are better written. Or better yet just watch Mystic River, Zodiac, Seven, Lovely Bones or even The Chaser if you want to see a film with similar themes but far better executed.