Unthinkable (2010)

A psychological thriller centered around a black-ops interrogator and an F.B.I. Agent who press a suspect terrorist into divulging the location of three nuclear weapons set to detonate in the U.S.

Director:

Gregor Jordan

Writer:

Peter Woodward

Stars:

Samuel L. Jackson, Carrie-Anne Moss, Michael Sheen

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Henry Harold 'H' Humphries
Carrie-Anne Moss	...	Agent Helen Brody
Michael Sheen	...	Steven Arthur Younger
Stephen Root	...	Charles Thompson
Lora Kojovic	...	Rina Humphries
Martin Donovan	...	Assistant Director Jack Saunders
Gil Bellows	...	Agent Vincent
Vincent Laresca	...	Agent Leandro
Brandon Routh	...	Agent D.J. Jackson
Joshua Harto	...	Agent Phillips
Holmes Osborne	...	General Paulson
Michael Rose	...	Colonel Kerkmejian
Randy Oglesby	...	Mr. Bradley
Benito Martinez	...	Alvarez
Sasha Roiz	...	Interrogator Lubitchich

Storyline

A convert to Islam sends the U.S. government a tape showing him in three nondescript storage rooms, each of which may contain a nuclear bomb set to detonate in less than a week. Helen Brody, an FBI agent in L.A., is tasked with finding the bombs while a CIA "consultant," known as H, interrogates the suspect who has allowed himself to be caught. The suspect, whose wife and children have left him and disappeared, seems to know exactly what the interrogation will entail. Even as H ratchets up the pressure, using torture over Brody's objection, the suspect doesn't crack. Should H do the unthinkable, and will Brody acquiesce? Is any Constitutional principle worth possible loss of life?

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Plot Keywords:

torture | interrogation | muslim | electric shock | torture device | 

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Taglines:

Right and Wrong no longer exist

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong bloody violence, torture and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian Ukrainian

Release Date:

26 May 2010 (Belgium)

Also Known As:

El día del juicio final

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lleju Productions, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, Kimmel International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

[All trivia items for this title are spoilers.]

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Goofs

Finally they found the bomb location, and army running towards bomb pointing guns at it,, what are they planning,, the bomb will raise its hand and surrender..

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Quotes

[first lines]
Steven Arthur Younger: [into video camera] My name is Steven Arthur Younger. I am an American citizen.

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Alternate Versions

Extended version features an alternate ending where a team of FBI agents approach one of the bombs in a building. An FBI agent disarms the bomb, the team celebrates, and the camera pans to another bomb that's hidden. The bomb counts down to the time of its detonation and the film ends.

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Connections

References 24 (2001)

User Reviews

Once is quite enough.

The title of this movie could also serve as it's 1-word review. It is well worth watching if you are serious about films. But it very strong stuff that poses some serious questions about a subject that I don't like to think about; torture in the pursuit saving lives.

Samuel L. Jackson plays a shadowy U.S. Government operative who will go to any lengths to get info from a terrorist & his plot to blow up millions of people on our home soil. Michael Sheen (who memorably played David Frost in "Frost/Nixon") is that terrorist. Carrie-Anne Moss is an FBI agent caught in the middle of their deadly cat & mouse.

The movie's biggest strength is that we believe that Jackson's "H" is capable of doing ANYTHING to save innocent lives including the "unthinkable". Jackson, in words & action, really sells the role. This is some the best work he has ever done. Sheen shows why he is one of the most sought after actors today. Moss is strong as the movie's moral center -- a center that shows some very serious signs of disintegrating.

The tension is non-stop. The script is often heavy-handed, but for good reason. The direction is crisp & the editing sharp.

How this went straight to video echoes the question why last year's best picture Oscar winner got such poor distribution.

BE WARNED: the numerous torture scenes are very tough to take. They almost cross over into torture-porn (which I hate). I'm sure --I hope-- the filmmakers had plenty of debate about how far to take the violence. My usual disgust with such scenes was balanced by the way they drive home the debate of a very troubling issue.

I'm not ready to see this movie again anytime soon but I'm glad I saw it once.