kturner-4

Proof of Life again shows us Russell Crowe's mastery of this medium we call "the movies." He says more with a glance, a tortured look, a half-smile, than some actors do with a paragraph of words. Meg Ryan was woefully miscast in this movie (she's the "except for.."). Even when she was flicking around a cigarette (she didn't seem to be able to even talk without one--what WAS the director thinking?), she didn't seem to know what she was doing--it was as if she had never had a cigarette in her hand before! All the other actors were believeable and wonderful--David's Morse and Caruso, Pamela Reed (and yes, if my brother had been kidnapped and I could afford to, I would go to try to help). Ryan did okay in a few scenes, but it's a bit hard to see the expression on one's face when the eyes (the windows to the soul) are covered with stringy hair. Her best scene was when Terry Thorne kissed her--she did display a sort of an "Oh my God where did that come from and what am I gonna do about this now" look on her face. And the emotion in the closing scene--anyone who does not understand that scene must not be capable of empathy and reading the human face.

This movie should be seen for the wonderful photography and the great acting, as well as so that we all can grow in our understanding of different parts of the world and the torment that people go through because of drugs and corruption.

This film is a delightful mix of fun moments, poignant moments, and sad moments, all tied together beautifully by possibly the greatest cast assembled for one film in the last decade. "Gideon" highlights some of America's most loved actors along with an absolutely inspired performance by Christopher Lambert. Add to this a strong performance by Mykelti Williamson and you have one very enjoyable film that can be enjoyed by persons of all tastes and ages. The only disappointing thing about this movie is that it didn't get released to theatres here in the U.S. and is not even for sale here! Not understanding the reasons for this, it makes this viewer very upset. Keeping a jewel such as this from the American movie-going public is a crime! Here is a movie that the "family-movie" distributors should have snapped up--and they need to wake up and do so. Kudos to Lambert and writer Brad Mirman for making us care, really care, about these characters.