So having watched this I can't help but feel that this could have been so much more. The story is engaging enough (if a little obvious) and does offer some suspense. However it's badly let down by poor performances, poor production and some obvious plot twists. I was particularly let down by Michael Douglas' performance. It has him going through the motions for much of the film. Jesse Metcalf is completely unconvincing as the lead character. You don't feel his character is in any way authentic and simply don't care about him. Some of the other minor performances are heavily stereotyped and particularly bad to the point where they ruin important scenes (the overly camp witness who owns the Jack Russell, the anti social computer geeks who help uncover the doctored photographic evidence). If you were like me you were just waiting for Corey (Joel Moore) to be killed meaning the conviction of CJ would be inevitable (yaaawn). Lets not get into the poor camera work and appalling mucic score played throughout. The film even employs a poor "deus ex machina" to rescue the hapless Ella (Amber Tamblyn) from being killed, after she discovers the truth. While we are on that scene....... when she's hiding from the car behind the concrete pillar you just want to scream "RUN STRAIGHT AHEAD.....IDIOT".
I don't want to sound too negative as the film is still watchable and the final plot twist does give some satisfaction. Keep your expectations low and try not to imagine how good this film could have been.....
I don't want to sound too negative as the film is still watchable and the final plot twist does give some satisfaction. Keep your expectations low and try not to imagine how good this film could have been.....