Unter Kontrolle

The FBI agents Elizabeth Anderson (Julia Ormond) and Sam Hallaway (Bill Pullman) come to a police station in the middle of the desert to interview the three survivors of a massacre of a serial-killer that they are hunting. The girl Stephanie (Ryan Simpkins); the junkie Bobbi Prescott (Pell James) and the abusive patrol officer Jack Bennett (Kent Harper) are placed in separate rooms and their hearings are recorded through cameras under the surveillance of Agent Sam. Each one tells part of the gore event; when three bodies are found in a motel, the solution of the case seems to be near to be resolved.

"Surveillance" is a weird thriller that uses the idea of "Rashomon", with three persons telling different views of a tragic event. I personally disclosed the plot point based on the weird behavior of Sam Hallaway, but anyway the surprising twist gives a totally different sequence to the result of the investigation. After the uncomfortable "Boxing Helena", Jennifer Lynch returns with another sick and violent story and bizarre characters. I liked this movie but it is recommended for very specific audiences. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Sob Controle" ("Under Control")

A pair of serial killers is on the loose, and their latest hotspot is Nebraska. When the FBI investigates, they find that all the witnesses have conflicting stories and are leaving out parts that make them look bad.

Jennifer Lynch is not her father, and it is not fair to her for everyone to compare them. However, for those who are concerned, this is not on the level of David Lynch (but few things are). In its own right, it's a very entertaining and suspenseful film, and it might keep you guessing until the end. For the first half, we are only given a small part of the story, and it works well... I just had to know the rest.

Bill Pullman is fantastic as always (though he's beginning to show his age). I can't see anyone else in the role. Julia Ormond is not familiar to me, but she is also excellent. Cheri Oteri and French Stewart did a great job in serious, and in Stewart's case menacing, roles... a nice adjustment from their past.

I haven't seen anyone compare this film to the crimes of Charles Starkweather (which inspired "Natural Born Killers"), which strikes me as odd. Two killers driving through Nebraska? Seems like a connection... but then, maybe I'm just crazy.

This film is worth seeing and a fine piece of work. It may not be remembered in a few years (it has already begun to fade quickly), but hopefully word of mouth keeps the attention on it for a while.

A good thriller is my favorite genre and I was hooked into this film within the first few seconds and stayed involved for the entire ride. It kept me guessing throughout. The contrast between eerie cop shop and stark, beautiful prairies is a stylish treat for the eyes. The performances are believable and compelling. Well cast, without exception. The little girl is surprisingly good. Her even performance made me wonder about what had happened to her and drew me into the story. When she wasn't on screen, I worried about her safety. The ending is a clever, eerie choice. I was taken completely by surprise and I usually predict a telegraphed ending a mile away. In this case, any other choice would be a cop-out (pardon the pun). I was glad that the director resisted the temptation for a blood-fest. It could have gone much further in that vein. Instead the tension relied upon intelligent visual storytelling. Kudos to everyone involved. I thoroughly enjoyed this film.

I'm usually happy to spoiler away in reviews - this time I shall be very careful not to spoiler.

I hadn't realised that the tendency to make disturbing movies is hereditary, but Jennifer Lynch's Surveillance is every bit as disturbing as anything Dad David has made. It starts with a moderately familiar scenario - two FBI agents arrive at a small police station (4 officers, one captain, one dispatcher) in the back of beyond to tape video interviews with the survivors of some sort of incident: the nature of what happened is revealed during the interviews. To say any more is to spoiler, so I'll shut up about the plot.

But I will say that "disturbing" is the best word to describe almost all of what follows. And not just one lot of disturbing, but several. The film is gripping, visceral, and features some stunning performances, notably from Bill Pullman who is not someone who I would normally have put high on my list of those I expect to surprise me performance-wise.

Not an easy film in many ways, but definitely worth catching.

One thing is for sure, "Surveillance" is different. Different in structure, different in presentation. It is re-watchable, if for no other reason than to see if the script holds up to analysis. Generally I tend to avoid films with a lot of flashbacks, but in this case, the three points of view presented are intriguing. Acting and character development are acceptable. The film has strong violence and some perverted sexual situations, but hey, this is not supposed to be family entertainment. It is what it is, and what it is, is different. I found it to be entertaining because the unique presentation held interest. Give "Surveillence" a try if you are looking for something beyond the obvious. - MERK