Appointed to defend a foreigner accused of planning an elaborate terrorist attack, two British lawyers become increasingly convinced that a government conspiracy is afoot and that their client is merely a scapegoat. Promising a premise as this might be, things are far more complex and convoluted here - something that renders 'Closed Circuit' more thought-provoking than the average conspiracy thriller but also far less intense and involving. With the past romantic history of the two lawyers, which they have to keep secret while working on the case together (why not admit it straight up?) without communicating with one another since part of the trial is being heard in closed court where only one of them is present, the film gets bogged down in so much exposition that there rarely is a chance for any sense of paranoia to develop. Considering the economical runtime (just over 90 minutes), it also often feels like too much time is dedicated to the drama between the lawyers as opposed to the drama that they are meant to be investigating... though the film actually overstays its welcome with an extraneous final scene. Comedy veteran actor Jim Broadbent is also a tad miscast in a role that a more sinister dramatic actor would usually play. Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall are at least solid in the main roles and they manage to carry the film through its less exciting patches. The film also deserves some marks for effectively including CCTV footage at several key points, if not quite as frequently as one might expect based on the very promising promotional posters.
Review of Closed Circuit
