The Independent

This film says too much and shows too little. It's political message is confused between central rationalism of the Washington press and the main character to the point where it's bordering on hypocritical. Her narrative is one pointed towards the ultimate good, an ultimate good which is presented as in conflict with democracy. Whilst the film does well to question the viewer in whether they believe in democracy even when an alternative leader will indisputably be better than those democratically elected, it does nothing to justify democracy as good. Both leads are good, Cox is magnetic as usual, the other main characters provide decent foil though lack substance themselves to the extent that they are forgettable entirely once finished watching. It's plot is formulaic with little to no unpredictability. It fulfils its basic objective of being a film and making sense. It offers little more than that, contributes nothing artistically and asks half baked questions.

Not sure why this is getting so much hate in the reviews on here. It's a clever little political thriller with enough twists to keep you interested. It's well acted - Brian Cox is always great and John Cena shows yet another side to his expanding acting range - he's just getting better and better with everything he's in. (Not sure Peacemaker can be topped for sheer brilliance though).

Jodie Turner Smith starts off a little wooden but grows into the role as the film goes on, though this may well simply be the journey that her character is on, growing in knowledge and confidence over the course of the film.

An enjoyable and diverting movie, great stuff.

I really enjoyed 90% of the movie. It had some powerful acting and an interesting storyline. However, John Cena should never have been cast. I like the guy and think he's incredibly talented in what he's good at but for this part it's a resounding no. The female candidate was also a bit iffy which is a shame to the rest of an outstanding ensemble. It's movies like this that make me really frustrated. It must be clear to the director, other actors, producers, post production etc. That it didn't work but they went ahead with it anyway. When a company knows talent like Jodie Turner-Smith and Brian Cox, how can they accept second rate performances from others? Either do it right or not at all.

The film manages to build slowly but every key event and dialogue is rushed. Totally lacking credibility. Dialogue and scrip are atrocious. By the end you could not care less about any character, strangely all dislikeable, just delight the movie finished. This film does not manage even to be another passe politcal thriller. It feels like a bad B movie.

Rest assured it has nothing to say on politics or current events. John Cena as presidential candidate Sterling is a particular hard to watch. Too long in the gym, not long enough in acting school I would suggest. Jodie Turner-Smith could also work on her likeability factor. Very one dimensional. Avoid.

A driven young journalist digs into an important but mundane matter of underfunded school budgets and finds herself with the corruption scoop of the decade, going right to the heart of the presidential election campaign. Do not worry, I have not spoiled the film. This is all within the first ten or so minutes.

What plays out after is, unfortunately, not the tight, high-stakes, intelligent journalism thriller one might have expected from someone who spent significant time with an inside view of the political world during the Obama campaign, but a sleepy, phoned-in drama where critical plot points come about by people making obvious and out-of-character mistakes, not because they follow from the events or character psychology, but because the plot needs specific things to happen. After a promising start with appearances from actors with an excellent track record in the genre, the film dozes off into half sleep.

Brian Cox does what he can with a character that never gets much development beyond the cliché of the jaded old hand with rough edges (with a signature order of a steak cooked not just rare, but bloody) who grudgingly becomes the mentor of the plucky young talent. Timothy Busfield is wasted in a minor role with very little screen time.

The shining exception is Jodie Turner-Smith in the lead role, who manages to infuse her character with a lot more complexity than the manuscript provides for. Her Eli is simultaneously a hungry and intelligent young journalist with a reckless streak, and green, a little out of her depth, and believably vulnerable. It is just a shame she is stuck in a film that does not repay her efforts.

In the end, The Independent becomes a sleepy and forgettable repetition of plot ideas we have seen before and a reminder that we live in a political climate where truth is once more much stranger than fiction.