Russell Crowe plays an ex detective (Roy Freeman) who is asked by a man on death row to help him prove he is innocent of murder. Roy agrees and although suffering from dementia, embarks on a long and confusing course to find the real murderer.
I have to say that right from the beginning the first suspect raises his head. And not long afterwards the second one does too. Throughout the film the two suspects in my mind remain suspects until the very end: where they are both revealed as complicit in some convoluted way.
Knowing who the guilty parties are doesn't prevent the film from being quite tense at times, but alas apart from Crowe and Paula Arundel (Susan Avery, who is only in for a few minutes) the quality of acting is pretty poor. I was really sad to see Karen Gillan mangle the accent and speech pattern of an American, and she seemed stiff and tense the entire time. I think she was out of her depth in this role.
However the film meanders on with the plot thickening and the date of execution nearing for the innocent man, and a big surprise comes at the end which I hadn't foreseen, which eventually led to a huge plot twist I had not seen either, a bit like the big reveal in the Sixth Sense. People said they knew, but most lied, most did not have a clue until it was revealed. The same is true of this story because the 'real' truth comes out of left field.
The final scene leaves you with a 'Did he?' or "Didn't he?" conundrum which is great.
All in all a great film, good story, great production, poor acting but worth a rating of 6 for the cinematography and score combined with Crowe and Arundel.
There's a cracking twist at the end.
I have to say that right from the beginning the first suspect raises his head. And not long afterwards the second one does too. Throughout the film the two suspects in my mind remain suspects until the very end: where they are both revealed as complicit in some convoluted way.
Knowing who the guilty parties are doesn't prevent the film from being quite tense at times, but alas apart from Crowe and Paula Arundel (Susan Avery, who is only in for a few minutes) the quality of acting is pretty poor. I was really sad to see Karen Gillan mangle the accent and speech pattern of an American, and she seemed stiff and tense the entire time. I think she was out of her depth in this role.
However the film meanders on with the plot thickening and the date of execution nearing for the innocent man, and a big surprise comes at the end which I hadn't foreseen, which eventually led to a huge plot twist I had not seen either, a bit like the big reveal in the Sixth Sense. People said they knew, but most lied, most did not have a clue until it was revealed. The same is true of this story because the 'real' truth comes out of left field.
The final scene leaves you with a 'Did he?' or "Didn't he?" conundrum which is great.
All in all a great film, good story, great production, poor acting but worth a rating of 6 for the cinematography and score combined with Crowe and Arundel.
There's a cracking twist at the end.