Frame of Mind

Aside from a few OK performances, most of this film just kept me thinking, "how did this get made?".

With all the great story ideas, amazing actors, directors, writers, etc. in the world, how could something so bland get A) financed and B) legit actors like Chris Noth and Barbara Barrie to act in it? Most of the other actors - I can understand taking part in something like this as I assume they really need a role in whatever they can get. To be fair, the acting is not the real problem though. Even Arija Bareikis, who is normally a decent enough actress, has the depth of an empty manila envelope in this thing. That's partly the script/character to blame, though. The main problems are that the casting is mostly wrong, (David Dinkins...really???), the sound is barely there (sound is essential to creating a mood in a film like this, guys!), the script, (seems like a first draft that no-one edited and it's waaaaay too expository), and the directing (was there a director on set?). Sorry to say that lead actor, Carl Evans, is to blame as he was at the helm - or so we are to assume from his credits.

It seems like Eavans came into a load of cash and just blew it on this thing without planning it out correctly. So sad.

Looking at the other reviews about this film, I wonder if I saw the same picture they did. This is not a great movie, but it is certainly not as bad as some would have you believe. The technical aspects of this picture were top notch. There are some holes in the plot but overall this is a decent picture dealing with a compelling subject.

I am always suspect of motive when a reviewer denigrates an Actor/writer/director and dismisses the picture as a "Vanity" film. Are they jealousy? There have been some truly wonderful "Vanity" films like Citizen Kane, Slingblade, One-Eyed Jacks....not that this is a wonderful film, but you never know how something is going to turn out until it's finished. I liked it. Kudos to Carl T. Evans for trying. Nobody sets out to make a bad film and this is NOT a bad picture. See it and make up your own mind.

Frame of Mind is a by the numbers conspiracy thriller with not one twist you cannot see from miles ahead if you have seen one conspiracy thriller in your life. (If you haven't, do yourself a favour and don't make it your first one.) One episode of '24' has ten times more "surprising" reveals and the level of intelligence is comparable too. This film is insulting to the viewer on many levels.

Every character, every plot point is like coming from a box labelled "conspiracy thriller clichés" down to the James Bond-type moustachioed, "sophisticated" villain (it turns out he has grandkids - wow, he is human too!). Writing is so lazy, it's like the whole story was penned for a high school creative writing assignment. The first 45 minutes are basically spent on establishing stuff one already knows going in (for instance from reading the synopsis on the DVD box). Lots of unnecessary verbal exposition is going on and many scenes are there seemingly for the reason to hit home the fact that the hero and his wife love each other. Their cutesy scenes being lovey-dovey are stomach churning. You can hear better honed dialogues on an afternoon Hallmark movie.

The most frustratingly bad aspect of the story is the fact that if the conspirators weren't reacting to the threat of disclosure, most probably they would never be in any danger of getting caught, as everyone would just let it die. As soon as they start pulling strings to intimidate people, they confirm all the suspicions. They are incredibly stupid, which begs the question how they can keep deceiving the whole world.

Acting is abominable throughout - then again, the actors have nothing to work with. The ridiculous effort to cash in on Chris Noth's Sex and the City fame by putting his face on all artwork is a blatant deceit - he is a secondary character at best. The film is obviously a vanity project for Carl T. Evans, actor, co-writer and producer of this silly film, but he fails in every role.

Tech credits are good, lensing is especially great. Editing is fine too, as is sound. It's just a pity these are supporting an inferior product.

Notwithstanding the credibility of the whole JFK assassination conspiracy theory, if you just take this as a standard cop thriller, you should be moderately entertained as detective inadvertently discovers unexposed photo frames which may prove the existence of another shooter on the grassy knoll.

Evans is sufficiently relaxed as he eases into the unfolding intrigue, clues starting to mount that the CIA may be somehow involved in the assassination. Veterans Barrie and LoBianco appear in small but significant supporting roles, whilst SITC alumni Noth co-stars as an academic and conspiracy theorist Evan's befriends as he tries to unravel the dangerous riddle. And then in some truly bizarre casting, KISS drummer Peter Criss appears in a minor incidental cameo as a desk cop.

Evans (who also directs) manages to compose a reasonably taut and coherent mystery despite some obvious budgetary limitations and occasional plot lapses that threaten to overblow the production scale. Limited action and virtually no on-screen violence stifles what could've been, instead we're left with a largely existential threat that rarely seems real to the scale of its source material. Sufficient tension holds the interest, but the high profile storyline needed the higher production values to really succeed.

Rather surprised by the downside comments I read in these reviews, but then I think one's evaluation has a lot to do with whatever credibility one may have towards the idea of conspiracy in the JFK assassination. After all, if the Warren Report was a gross cover-up, what does that say about a lot of things? Americans are very resistant to the notion that the system they live in may be one of lies, corruption, and cover-up at the highest level. Popping a huge bubble can have serious consequences. If you think little of talk of conspiracy, whether the JFK assassination or other notable events, you may do well to spare yourself this film, which is likely to appear a b-level production, confusing with mediocre acting, or downright terrible. If on the other hand you lie on the other end of the spectrum as I do (note I state other end), I suggest you see it and by all means avoid reading any synopsis in advance. You will enjoy it more without spoilers. So being biased towards conspiracy I found the film very entertaining, credible, and well-casted. Well written and I could not guess how it turned out.