Mirrors (2008)

An ex-cop and his family are the target of an evil force that is using mirrors as a gateway into their home.

Director:

Alexandre Aja

Writers:

Alexandre Aja (screenplay), Grégory Levasseur (screenplay) (as Gregory Levasseur)

Stars:

Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton, Amy Smart

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kiefer Sutherland	...	Ben Carson
Paula Patton	...	Amy Carson
Cameron Boyce	...	Michael Carson
Erica Gluck	...	Daisy Carson
Amy Smart	...	Angela Carson
Mary Beth Peil	...	Anna Esseker
John Shrapnel	...	Lorenzo Sapelli
Jason Flemyng	...	Larry Byrne
Tim Ahern	...	Dr. Morris
Julian Glover	...	Robert Esseker
Josh Cole	...	Gary Lewis
Ezra Buzzington	...	Terrence Berry
Aida Doina	...	Rosa (as Doina Aida Stan)
Ioana Abur	...	Front Desk Sister
Darren Kent	...	Jimmy Esseker

Storyline

In New York, the former NYPD detective Ben Carson is hired to work as night watch of the remains of the Mayflower Department Store that was partially destroyed by fire many years ago. Ben became alcoholic and was retired from the police force after killing a man in a shooting. His marriage was also destroyed and now he is living in the apartment of his younger sister Angie. However he has not been drinking for three months and sees the employment as a chance to rebuild his life. When he goes to the rounds in his first night, he finds that the mirrors are impeccably clean and his colleague explains that the former night watch was obsessed with the mirrors. After a couple of nights, Ben sees weird images in the mirrors, but due to the lack of credibility of his past, his ex-wife Amy believes he has hallucinations as a side effect of his medication. When Angie is found brutally murdered in her bathtub, Ben discovers that there is an evil force in the mirror that is chasing him and ...

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Plot Keywords:

mirror | medication | fire | evil | estranged wife | 

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Taglines:

... gnulegeipS redej retnih treual neuarG saD (German, backwards: The evil lurks behind every reflection ...)

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, disturbing images, language and brief nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Australia] Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA Romania Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 August 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Into the Mirror

Filming Locations:

Romania

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,161,074, 17 August 2008, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$30,691,439

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$77,488,607

Company Credits

Production Co:

Regency Enterprises, New Regency Pictures, Luna Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min 112 min (unrated)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shot in Romania, most of it was filmed in Nicolae Ceausescu's unfinished Academy of Sciences building in Bucharest.

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Goofs

Ben returns to deal with the large mirror and fires a volley at the mirror from what looks like a Glock pistol. After the second volley, the pistol is empty. But, there are clicking sounds. A Glock, as with most semiauto pistols, wouldn't click after the last round in a magazine is fired. The slide would be locked back and the firing mechanism would be inoperable. The camera then shows a front shot of the pistol with the slide forward. You can see the breech end of the barrel in place in the ejection port. In the next scene, the slide on Ben's pistol is locked to the rear.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Gary Lewis: [after opening window and seeing that it doesn't lead anywhere] Oh fuck!

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Crazy Credits

After the end of the credits, the title appears, but backwards.

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Connections

Features Cop Land (1997)

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Soundtracks

Asturias
Composed by Isaac Albéniz (as Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz i Pascual)
Arranged by Javier Navarrete

User Reviews

Boo!

These days, at over $10 per movie ticket, the question I most ask when I go to these review boards is...was it worth it? The answer to that question depends upon how effectively the movie brings its genre across to the audience...the interesting plots, the action sequences, the drama. Yes, perhaps I've seen the movie's take on these things before, but to me the movie's worth is defined by the movies own merits, not necessarily the merits of what preceded it...

We have I think all seen variants of what Mirrors is about, yet I still recommend it. I found it to be atmospheric and suspenseful (with some gore, one effect in particular will probably make your jaw twitch for the remainder of the movie), although the suspense wears off once certain things are revealed about 3/4 of the way through the movie. The atmosphere remains intact however, and the ending of the movie delivers an unexpected twist that brings the movie full circle. While I'm not likely to see it a second time, I found a single viewing to be a worthy investment of my time and my $10.50....