Zipper

First, let me reveal that I think Patrick Wilson is one of the most under-appreciated, naturalistic actors working today. His pairing with Kate Winslett in the film of Tom Perotta's brilliant "Little Children" was sublime. I even liked him in Joe Carnahan's over-the-top (but still lovable) "Stretch". So when I read the summary of "Zipper" and knew he played the lead, I had to see it, despite the uniformly negative reviews.

Mora Stephens' film revolves around a seemingly straight-laced upstanding guy, Sam Ellis (Wilson), who --- perhaps subconsciously --- lets his sexual addiction spin wildly out of control only a few months before being prepped for a senate seat bid. I say subconsciously because there are a lot of indications, through the script and Wilson's largely underplayed performance, that Sam's not a real happy guy. His "career" has been architected and steam-rolled by his passive-aggressive wife (Lena Headey), their marriage is on the rocks (though on the surface it seems fine) and he's constantly being given the stink-eye for even mentioning ethics to his jaded boss.

Wilson imbues Ellis with so many shades of gray and doubt that it really is quite riveting watching him unravel, back-pedal, and flail madly as his world threatens to crumble around him. And that's really all there is to this movie. It's a potent character (not plot) piece on the subject of addictive, compulsive behavior and sex addiction in particular. It really treats the dysfunction as just as potent an urge as the one a junkie craves in hard drugs. You can *see* the helplessness and frantic drive in Wilson's face and really believe that he believes he *has* to surf to that porn site, he *has* to call that escort... in his mind he has no alternative.

This is brave, unflinching stuff and not many people will empathize or even care to see such repugnant behavior in action, yet Stephens and Wilson don't spare us anything, even a brutally uncompromising, cynical, and quite believable ending.

It's amazing that people say things like "How could Ellis be so dumb?" Like ANY kind of addictive behavior is something people actually sit down and mull over, weighing the pros and cons, before getting their fix! Do addicts have the control to change their behavior? Of course. They just can't conceive of it. And that's the point of "Zipper".

Not much of a thriller if you ask me. Maybe for the Americans it is but for a Belgian like me it isn't. And by that I mean that here in Belgium we could not care less what a politician does in his private life. If he cheats on his wife then that's his problem and certainly not ours. As long as he does his job like he should it's not of our concern. And that's the big difference between puritan America that loves their so called scandals and Europe where privacy still means something. So to me the movie was just kind of boring. Not bad though, just average, nothing to be thrilled about. And that's just about the story because the actors were good, nothing bad to say about them. It's just the story that lacks of action and entertainment. Well that's my opinion about it. American reviewers will probably not think the same because they are used of the whole brainwashing circus that is going on with their elections and political campaigns. And that's a pity.

Have a hankering for those 1990s sex thrillers involving powerful people drawn into sordid, beautifully-lit clinches that threaten to tear apart their career and their family? Welcome to Reckless, which has been blandly renamed from "Zipper" in the US.

This straight-to-DVD thriller – partly based on the exploits of governor Eliot Spitzer in 2008 – has an intriguing setup which grows increasingly tiresome as the story wears on. Patrick Wilson, who has the greatest fake smile in the business, plays ambitious state prosecutor Sam, and he has his eyes on congress. Unfortunately he also has his eyes on the ladies, and he's willing to risk his marriage to the suspecting Jeannie (Lena Headey) in order to get his end away with a series of escort girls.

Meanwhile George (Richard Dreyfuss) is grooming him for life at the top (and life under the microscope), while a wily journalist (Ray Winstone) rifles through his private life. The drama lies in Sam's face as all these pressures – which exist in a highly competitive and masculine world – bear down upon him.

Boo hoo, you might say, and you'd kind of be right. While Wilson is talented and nuanced enough to help us relate to this reprehensible talisman of white male privilege, the film itself seems unsure of where its sympathies lie, or indeed what the story is really about. Ostensibly it's interested in the fallout of adultery and the radiation of guilt, but it never goes deep and it's strangely boring.

The meaning of fidelity in the modern world has been intelligently explored in some great movies, from Eyes Wide Shut to Gone Girl, but Reckless comes across as mimicry, resembling its peers only in the most superficial ways.

The neorealist aesthetic, with its ridiculous saturated colouration, resembles David Fincher or Steven Soderbergh, but the dramatic content only matches the latter at his most indulgent. The serial killer score adds to the tabloid self-importance of it all. The problem with this sub-genre is so often that it suffers from a lack of awareness of its own absurdity.

More than once we get a risible speech suggesting that really all human beings are like this, deep down, and that the only difference is that those in the public eye are unfairly held to a higher standard. Never do we get the counterargument: that Sam and his ilk behave this way out of some other impotence, or that their lust for power and sex are two sides of the same character trait.

Wilson carries the film, and he's supported by a very fine cast. Headey is solid in the role of Sam's formidable wife, while a miscast Winstone makes the most of a slightly thankless supporting role. Then there's Dreyfuss, who appears to be acting in a movie far smarter than the one we're actually watching. Also, John Cho needs to be in more films.

But none of the cast can elevate such hackneyed material. Shoot it however stylishly you want – there's no escaping the clichés of punched steering wheels, illicit phone calls watched from windows, and dead-eyed faces sinking in baths. It's a film to be found when flicking channels, and one to be forgotten within seconds of flicking again.

The best part of this ¨true tv¨ style (or is it Lifetime TV?) production is its dark, film noiresque twist. Everyone is corrupt and succumbs... An interesting take on the more general phenomenon of addiction.

I only watched this because I think Patrick Wilson is an appealing lead. There is something so All-American about him, yet he plays characters faced with potentially compromising situations.

First off, some reviewer from Belgium who hates America (big surprise there)said, "Who cares what politicians do in their personal lives?" Sorry pal, but this guy did not have an affair. He was using prostitutes. That's against the law and he works in the U.S. Attorney's office. Do you understand? The dialog here is excellent. I never expected that in what I thought would be a routine infidelity drama. There is a great speech when the main guy is talking to some college students and he explains that you cannot be anything you want, despite that clichéd speech staple. You can only be what you have the aptitude for.

There is another moment of dialog where an FBI agent speaks about guys who cheat on their wives. Nice job. Writing rarely gets enough credit. In this case, the Writer was also the Director and a woman.

This picture is set in the South, yet we never hear which state and the main guy is the only one with a strong accent. That was awkward. I'll assume it was Baton Rouge.

The acting was outstanding. I have never seen Wilson show that kind of range. The wife character was perfectly cast. She looked like someone who may have been attractive years ago, but was well past her prime.

What I got from this story was that men never stop craving young women. Once their wives go past 36, the men start craving younger options. It's just the way things are in a world where we live to such old ages.

The sex scenes were more tastefully done than I have ever seen in any such film.

Like some other reviewer mentioned, there was a key scene where our protagonist shows his humanity, but still can't stop his need to indulge his addiction. Nicely done. The girl involved flashed a brief and subtle look of disappointment that spoke a thousand words.

The picture is a tad slow. That was my only complaint. I gave it a 6 because the plot is not original and the pacing dragged. But it's worth watching for sure.