A non-starter in every way (at the box-office, too), this paranoid political thriller feels like a ‘70s throwback (corrupt wheels of government & world conspiracy inside corrupt wheels of government & world conspiracy) in a bad way; dated and surprise-free. A poor showing for director John Crowley* and writer Steven Knight who manage to make this uncomplicated London terrorist bombing case (enough casualties to be called the Crime of the Century) pointlessly confusing. Former lovers Eric Bana (working up the poshest of accents) and Rebecca Hall hide a past relationship to take on independent wings of the defense without letting the right hand know what the left hand is doing since Hall is handling the ultra-top-secret side of the case. Lying to get the assignment, do they truly imagine their past love life won't be dug up by the British tabloid press covering the Crime of the Century? Plausibility only degrades from there, as Britain’s MI-5 tries to bury their own involvement via hardball tactics & murder. You know something’s gone seriously wrong when actors like Jim Broadbent and Ciarán Hinds (devious boss; untrustworthy partner) can’t work up believable characterizations. Too tame & polished to make fun of, this one’s a yawner. The sort of film slipping star players accept when they’re still on the A-list, but no longer anyone’s first choice. Ouch!
WATCH THIS, NOT THAT/LINK: *Yet working in the far less forgiving genre of Sentimental Education Memory Piece, Crowley scored on BROOKLYN/’15. https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2016/02/brooklyn-2015.html
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