THE ALIBI is a smooth, elegant, neo-noir expertly shot by guys who did pre-cog scenes in MINORITY REPORT. It is very reminiscent of Frank Tashlin's work. Tashlin was the Warner Bros. cartoonist who ended up doing vehicles for Jerry Lewis and Doris Day. While his cartoons were strongly influenced by live action cinema, his live action features had a distinctive cartoonish element.
Te same can be said for THE ALIBI which works as a very tightly knit yarn and feels as precise as a special effects sequence. This precision makes the film flow smoothly and the directors deliver Hollywood entertainment at its best.
The cast is top-notch and the attached talent is the major asset of this production.
The only major shortcoming of this feature is the complete absence of emotions and character depth. The only character fully developed is the main character and it is a shame because other characters are too flat so the story fails to emotionally resonate. The screenplay feels like the first draft and it seems that it was just a couple rewrites away from being fully developed.
This is why THE ALIBI is just a well made programmer while it seems that deep inside it possessed a much bigger potential.
