La cible oubliée

Second Nature is a low grade Bourne clone that benefits from two great actors in the lead roles. Slight, airy and inconsequential, it inhabits the clandestine corner reserved for middle-of-the-road espionage ventures neatly. Alec Baldwin plays a mysterious man who recovers from a plane crash that killed his family, left with heavy amnesia and confusion surrounding his past. When a shadowy agency bigwig (Powers Boothe) contacts him claiming he used to be an assassin for his outfit, he's thrown back in the world of high profile contract killing, the world he came from, allegedly anyway. Nothing is as it seems though, and of course his boss turns out to be a bad dude, which gives Boothe a chance to ratchet up the intensity. The film is pretty much average throughout, until we find out Baldwin's origins and arrive at a fairly thoughtful ending with some work put into storytelling, the first signs of a creative pulse in the film beyond garden variety plot twists. Baldwin is always great, whether on the protagonist's or antagonist's bench, and he sells the material well enough.

Don't expect any great acting performances, from any of the actors or actresses, in `Second Nature'; because there aren't any. Alec Baldwin, who has the starring role, usually gives a far better performance that he offers in this movie. Therefore, one might assume the script itself is simply not a good performance vehicle. Powers Boothe's lackluster performance might also be explained by this.

However, the movie is worth watching for one reason; the plot. For the first half of the movie, one might think the plot is simply full of holes that never get filled. But, this is not the case. As the movie progresses, you might find yourself saying ` oh ya, I should have seen that coming'. So, don't give up on this film in the first half. Just keep watching; you'll see what I mean.

This is a very enjoyable amnesiac secret agent drama. Alec Baldwin is good at this sort of thing, and does well as the man who may or may not be who he thinks he is, or might be. He wakes up in hospital after a plane crash, and is slowly rehabilitated and treated by a woman psychiatrist for his mental trauma. Or so it seems. This is a British TV film well directed by Ben Bolt. Baldwin's acting abilities have been conspicuous ever since he played the lead in the excellent TV series DRESS GRAY (1986, see my review), which unfortunately has never been released on DVD. Here the demands placed upon him are few, because these action films generally just require a grim determination, occasional looks of puzzlement, some interplay with the female lead, getting shot at, leaping over walls, and so on, all of which happens here, of course. Here the woman psychiatrist is played by the British actress Louise Lombard, who has a nice voice and looks appropriately earnest. The villain is played by Powers Boothe, who really knows how to be quietly sinister when he wants to be. As is usual with these films, the hero has been subjected to mind-programming, an advanced form of brain-washing using high-tech techniques by means of brain probes and other ominous devices. Films have been made with actors and actresses which are then fed into his brain and false memories, which when he wakes up he believes are his genuine memories. The key moment in the film is when he sees his 'wife' appearing as a stewardess in a safety video on an airplane. He traces her and discovers that she is an actress, and not his wife at all. These stories about people not knowing who they are are intriguing, as who really knows who he or she is anyway?

As happens more often than expected, I was tricked again by an opening scene. Crappy flashback shots, a guy in a hospital bed and uninspired opening credits. Oh-oh...

Fortunately, the movie is not as lousy as the first scene. Helped by the 'stay cool' performance of Baldwin and Lombard, it is a fair watch. The plot is interesting, and it's good that they don't spoil the surprise quickly. The thing that ruins it a bit though is that the 'brainwash' method is portrayed very clumsily. Instead of showing a guy with electrodes on his head while watching pre-acted memories, why not simply a brain implant? Now, it really looks like a bad science fiction fantasy, which invades the further part of the story.

I thought this movie had an above average plot, and actually looked like it would be better than the Borne Identity at first. However, shoddy acting and an anticlimatic finish to the movie really don't help it any.

If you're looking for an action movie, don't rent this as it has very little. If you're looking for a psychological thriller, don't rent this as the plot twists become contrived at the end to help along the plot. As a matter of fact, I simply can't think of anyone who would feel compelled to see this. Just an average movie that would be worth watching if you catch it on TV and don't have anything else to do.

Don't let your expectations get too high early, however.