Surveillance (2008)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Jennifer Chambers Lynch

Writers:

Kent Harper (writer)
Jennifer Chambers Lynch (writer)

Release Date:

17 July 2008 (Portugal)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

An FBI agent tracks a serial killer with the help of three of his would-be victims - all of whom have wildly different stories to tell. |

Plot Keywords:

Serial Killer | FBI Agent | Extreme Violence | Little Girl | Blood

Awards:

3 wins

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Julia Ormond	...	Elizabeth Anderson
Bill Pullman	...	Sam Hallaway
Pell James	...	Bobbi Prescott
Ryan Simpkins	...	Stephanie
French Stewart	...	Jim Conrad
Kent Harper	...	Jack Bennet
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Caroline Aaron	...	Secretary
Kyle Briere	...	Curtis
Hugh Dillon	...	Dad
Gill Gayle	...	Degrasso
Daryl Haney	...	Drug Dealer
Michael Ironside	...	Captain Billings
Shannon Jardine	...	Elaine Meyer
Mac Miller	...	Johnny
Charlie Newmark	...	Officer Wright
Cheri Oteri	...	Mom
Anita Smith	...	Tina
Josh Strait	...	Keith
Kent Wolkowski	...	David

Also Known As:

Unter Kontrolle (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong bloody violence, pervasive language, some drug use and a scene of aberrant sexuality.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:18 | Ireland:16 | Finland:K-15 | Netherlands:16 | USA:R | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Germany:18 | New Zealand:R18 | Mexico:B15

Filming Locations:

Canada Saskatchewan Production Studios, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Company:

Lago Film

Trivia:

Director Jennifer Chambers Lynch's first film in 15 years.

Quotes:

Sam Hallaway: There's only one way to unfold a note, so to speak, without tearing the paper.

Frustratingly Average

This is far better than Director Jennifer Lynch's debut "Boxing Helena" Yet it still fails to excel in any of the genre's it explores. A good cast acquit themselves well with cinematography which is both easy on the eye when it needs to be, and visceral when required. Exactly what role father and executive Producer played is a mystery but the trade mark off-beat quirky David Lynch style ingredients do not fire on all cylinders.

As a straightforward murder/mystery with a twist it is fine. As a thriller it lacks pace, and as a torture/horror piece it fails despite some graphic, gory moments. The Coen brothers in "No Country For Old Men" understand that it is the threat of violence which can be so unsettling. Here, it is neither under stated enough for aesthetes, nor consistently gory enough for "carnage" fans.

At just over 90 minutes the story stays within its welcome. Told in flashback to "surveillance " cameras, the device works and is well constructed. The plot twist works insofar as it delivers a dramatic "gear change" to the story, but it also raises numerous loose ends which tend to irritate , rather than delight. Ultimately routine fare, but with enough promise to secure another film offer for Jennifer, I suspect.