Crimes of the Past

Pretty good flick all around I have to say. My own taste would lean more on the CIA and Spy facet of the story. However that's because I happen to be more fascinated in that material. At the same time it was good to see a show like this for variation. Without giving away too much plot, I found the conclusion gratifying. Given the spirit of the storyline it paid off by coming full circle for the Josefina character. She gave a fine performance, I might add. And conceptually I felt the ending added credence to the film. That was my sense. Maybe it worked for me or anyone connected to the idea of memory and reflection of apparent. I hope that was vague enough. Actors and actresses were all very good too. Thanks.

The ambitious espionage thriller blends well with an intense family drama and weaves together a good story. Thomas Sparrow (David Rasche) plays a CIA agent in Berlin during the Cold War era who was involved in transferring of money. The assignment goes wrong... And now Sparrow is retired and has come back to Seattle in hopes of reuniting with his daughter Josephine (Elisabeth Rohm), whom he hasn't seen for years. The film is engrossing, and very well acted!Eric Roberts delivers a wonderful performance as Josephine's shrink, who also happens to be a former CIA employee. I saw the Hollywood Reporter Review which mentioned that the more crucial accomplishment to the film was the insight into all of the characters and that it was a densely layered mosaic, and I agreed.

The story of a retired CIA agent and the daughter he abandoned 26 years ago plays more like a family relationship primer than a spy flick. Technically the film is seriously flawed. I could live with the black and white to color transitions representing past and present, but the shaky camera and in focus out of focus shots are nothing but a damn annoyance. The story is way too simplistic for a film involving espionage. The acting, even by usually reliable David Rasche and Eric Roberts, is uninspired, with the little granddaughter stealing every scene she appears in. Unless you are a big fan of the actors, steer clear. - MERK

When i faced the choice of watching this movie, I visited the IMDb page for guidance. Despite having a low rating, i decided to watch this movie because of the top comment that called it a 'superb movie'. Folks, let me be precise. This movie is a total waste of time and i am confused why the top reviewer ever called it superb at all? This movie is not even close to be called mediocre.

I wonder why the top review never got buried? The movie has got nothing in its credit to gain any rating. The acting was dead, the script was non-existent, the music wasn't even worth it at all.

If given an option again, I would prefer to watch Mickey Mouse's cartoons than this garbage of a movie.

People, don't bother to watch this one. I have had a very bad experience with this one and would never ever recommend this flick to anyone...

I just wish i could un-see this movie.

Quite frankly I am ticked off that the top reviewer made this film out to be something special, something amazing, something worth watching again and again. As it turns out it is the exact opposite. Bad script, bad acting, bad camera work, annoying music, just plain bad all around. It became unbearable after around 20 minutes in and I shut it off. IMDb really should take that review down or bury it, as it was clearly written by someone involved with the film. "A superb film, which MASTERFULLY blends the spy genre with themes of family."? This film is in NO way superb, masterful or family oriented. Do yourself a big favor and stay far far away from this film, its a complete waste of time.