Dangereuse proposition

Nick Moran is a paranoid undercover cop, with Jennifer Esposito as his fake wife, brought into the investigation of a dangerous crime boss so he doesn't blow his cover. The two play off each other, at first bickering incessantly, until eventually a romantic attraction develops. All of this happens while they are attempting to tape incriminating evidence on gangster Stephen Lang. The acting by Moran, Esposito, and especially Lang, is good, and the twisty script has a few surprises. There are also some welcome moments of humor in the film. The only problem is , we have a movie without an acceptable ending. The finale is rushed, with unrealistic gun play, and tries for too many twists that just don't work. "The Proposal" is entertaining, if you can look beyond the flawed conclusion. - MERK

"The Proposal" turned out to be a very pleasant surprise not simply for what it was, but what it wasn't. Amazingly, there are no cliches in this relatively low budget suspence/drama work. Most notable is the camerawork, with not a single pedestrian sequence of shots. Subtly original, these camera angles serve to nicely parallel the storyline which is unpredictable in both its direction and its mood. The audience, as a result, must give its full attention throughout this film or risk losing its bearings. Those who watch this film closely will be rewarded not only with a stimulating storyline, but the opportunity to experience some superbly interesting and well developed charactors as well. For those who appreciate the nuances of filmmaking, this is a must see.

The Proposal both contains surprises and is a surprise. The story is suspenseful and tight, acting solid, and direction skilled, all better than I had been expecting. Undercover cop Terry Martin (Nick Moran) and his new partner Susan Reese (Jennifer Esposito) infiltrate a crime lord's underground operation. But Reese, anxious to leave her desk job behind, pushes too quickly to get close to Big Boss Simon Bacig (Stephen Lang), and soon Martin doesn't know who he can trust. Figuring out exactly who is on whose side rapidly becomes an intriguing puzzle for the viewer.

The believable acting and storyline plus lack of any significant plot holes are a refreshing change from what Hollywood often churns out. This film won't insult your intelligence with gratuitous violence, unbelievable gun fights or unwarranted car chases; the R rating probably should have been PG-13. Esposito seems genuine and comfortable in front of the camera. Unfortunately Moran's performance is marred by what I assume to be a speech impediment of the actor ("wobbewy in pwogwess"), which distracts at times. Lang is convincing as the crime boss with an inflated ego who is used to getting whatever he wants. You'll recognize character actor William Davis who plays FBI Agent Gruning with an understated appeal. An interesting mix of flashbacks and flashforwards from director Richard Gale will taunt you with clues about the mystery.

No, this movie is not without weaknesses. Until Esposito can smooth out her New York accent, she'll be relegated to playing either ethnic or tough girl roles, otherwise she has the looks and talent for more significant acting jobs. Setting and filming the movie in New York or Chicago, rather than some unnamed generic city, would have added authenticity. The background music could have been better. Still, definitely worth a view, especially if you are fond of the genre.

"The Proposal" tells of an undercover cop (Moran), somewhere in some city investigating some bad guys who are doing something...um, something bad no doubt because they laugh at bad things and look bad...that' s how we know they're bad. Said cop needs a "wife" as an excuse to keep underworld meetings short. Enter Esposito...a cop with a desk job who goes undercover, but not under the covers, as the wife. Bottom line (drum roll, please) the good guys win. Yea! A typical lackluster, no-brainer B-movie cop flick with some Maxwell Smart techno-gun thingy thrown in, and an obvious lack of the "juice" required for car crashes/chases, stunts, explosions, sex/nudity..oh yeah...and REHEARSALS. With a very tame R-rating for a couple of shootouts, "The Proposal" ignors the Hollywood maxim "When in doubt, titillate", fails to deliver anything substantial, and doesn't work well on any level except late night t.v. when the viewer is too tired to care. (D+)

Note - The only place you'll see Esposito's thigh is on the box. And what the hell did they go to Scotland for?? Bad weather in Vancouver? One more piece of advice. When in a shootout, don't hide behind cardboard cartons. Duh.

1st watched 8/3/2002 - 3 out of 10(Dir-Richard Gale): Haphazardly-thrown together good cop/bad cop/undercover agent thriller that seems to change from one second to the next as far as what direction it wants to go. The main stars are ok in their roles, but their roles are so confusing I'm sure it was difficult for them to get a grasp on who their character was from one minute to the next so I don't really blame them. I blame the director and screen-writer because of the very choppy way this movie seems to have been put together. They never really seem to know what they want to do and focus on(the action, the sex, the complex plot - they needed to pick one and they didn't). The movie is about an undercover cop which then becomes about his partner, then about the bad guy, then the FBI, etc. I really think I need to be done here. Goodbye, enough said. Rent something else if you want to watch a good movie.