Surveillance (2008)
Sub-Genre- Serial Killer/Thriller
In Attendance- Me.
Cast Members of Note- The always cool Bill Pullman, the always hot Julia Ormond, the usually funny Cheri Oteri, and one of the best character actors ever Michael Ironside. (Jennifer Lynch directs, with dad David Lynch producing.)
What's it about?- Two FBI agents, hot on the trail of a roving serial killer, arrive in BFE to find a bunch of murders not being solved by Barney Fife and his inbred deputies. Thankfully one of the FBI agents brought something with him that just might save the day...
Three different witness give three different accounts of a grizzly murder party that they were privy to, and the hunt is on to find the truth. Also, the hunt is apparently still on for southern cops that can actually do their jobs like the big time city slickers do. Rubes.
I won't say anything more here, so as not to spoil things for anyone, but suffice it to say that this is a pretty messed up movie.
The Good- This was a very deftly written, crafted, and acted movie; It's almost as if there were layers being peeled away as it wore on, culminating in an ending that I thought was pretty damn good. The way the film looks different from the POV's of different characters was a clever twist too. Also cool were the touches of David Lynch like scenes and quirkiness. Cool stuff indeed.
It's been a while since I've seen a movie that grabbed me from the start, held on, and left me satisfied at it's conclusion. The subtleties in this movie can't really be appreciated until you've seen it once... I can imagine it makes the second viewing even more interesting.
Bill Pullman was awesome as usual; I really don't think that guy gets the recognition he deserves. Same thing goes for Julia Ormond; she was great playing a no-nonsense FBI agent, which surprised me since she's usually not the tough chick in movies.
The Bad- Again with the stupid people acting like tools... I'm talking about the wild and crazy stoners! Characters stupidity being used as plot devices drive me insane.
The Downright Horrendous- The worst part about this movie was the actions of the two hick cops; Not only did they deserve to be beaten for being shitty cops and people to begin with, but what they did in "Fun" pretty much lead to the deaths of 6 people, and left a kid orphaned. Even the cops at the station were tools except for the Captain... Rubes.
The Gory- This was a messy little movie. Plenty of gun violence and there was blood everywhere... mostly towards the end. The part in the van was my fave.
The Naked- No nudity, but there was an almost hot lesbo scene to watch out for.
Best Line- "I know what you are, and I also know how to perform a cavity search." or "Do you really wanna poke the bear, David?" (They stole our line, Machine!)
What did we learn?- Hick cops are always seriously inept (at least in the movies). Also, Bill Pullman is awesome.
Rating- B+ This movie was solid from start to finish, despite a flaw here or there, and it's worth it alone to see Bill Pullman in action. Definitely check this out when you can.
Final Thoughts- Ryan Simkins deserves a good nod for her performance. Not bad at all for a 9 year old kid.
