Freeze Frame

I saw this film during the American Film Market in Santa Monica and I was surprised by the quality of this movie. The story is very original and the lead actor Lee Evans (There's Something About Mary) showed us that he can do more than comedy.

Evans plays Sean Veil a man who was accused and acquitted of three murders and after that experience he decided that he needs a permanent alibi so he tapes every second of his life. Ten years later the police comes knocking at his door because he is the suspect of another murder. In his collection of thousands and thousands of tapes, safely hidden in a vault, there is a gap so for that time Sean has no alibi and once again he has a major problem.

Ten years ago, after being accused of a hideous murder of a mother and her twin daughters, Sean Veil (Lee Evans) became paranoid, filming himself along twenty-four hours a day to have an alibi if necessary. The small time psychologist Saul Seger (Ian McNeice) became a famous forensic profiler and writer with the case and every now and then he accuses Sean Veil of the crime. The reporter Katie Carter (Rachel Stirling) believes in Sean's innocence. When the body of the missing Mary Shaw is found, Sean has to prove where he was five years ago. However, the tapes that can prove that he is not guilty have mysteriously disappeared from the storage shelf and Sean suspects that Saul has stolen them to incriminate him.

The dark, intriguing and original "Freeze Frame" is a great surprise. This low-budget movie has a very weird and confused beginning, with a bizarre character and an eerie but stylish cinematography, but it is worthwhile watching it if the viewer likes independent movies. The interpretation of Lee Evans is great with his paranoid character following his own rules of behavior. There are many twists and a surprising end. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "A Cena do Crime" ("The Crime Scene")

To most people Lee Evans is the goofy comic off the telly, but this film shows that there is more to Mr Evans than meets the eye.

He gives a superbly chilling performance as Sean Veil an acquitted murder suspect who films himself 24 hours a day every day, (the opening sequence shows him being woken by an alarm as he struggles to put a new tape in the camera). He's being chased by a police psychologist, two cops and an investigative reporter who all seem to have dark little secrets of their own.

The film comes to a dramatic and violent conclusion, so take someone with you it your easily scared.

An excellent British thriller.

The film follows the life of Sean Veil who has been accused of the brutal murder of twin six year old girls, their mother and the brutal assault of their father. Sean knows that he is an innocent man, and although the court can't prove he is guilty, Detective Mountjoy (Colin Salmon) and criminal psychologist Saul Seger (Ian McNeice) are determined that he is and will do anything to put him behind bars. Determined to make sure he is never accused of anything again Sean sets up video cameras throughout his entire home and won't leave the house unless he is being videotaped on his "self-cam". When the police storm his home accusing him of another murder he can prove his innocence - or can he? As the specific tapes that are needed have gone missing.

The film is an incredibly dark, chilling and suspense filled thriller that uses many shots from the CCTV that follows Sean around his life. There is a distinct lack of colour throughout the entire film which adds to the eerie nature. The film uses many images of entrapment throughout by the use of camera shots and tricks and really shows the paranoia that runs constantly in Sean's head - even though the first thing he "must remember" is that 'Paranoia is a malfunction of the ability to reason'.

I knew nothing of this film until the day i saw it. I came across an advert for it in a local newspaper, checked out where it was showing and went to see it that night. I was gripped by the idea of this bizarre story of paranoia taken to extremes. The acting was, for the most part, very well done, Lee Evans proving he is far more than a slap-stick comic by portraying his character with stunning levels of emotion. Direction was fantastic, building the paranoia throughout the film. The only thing that let it down was the OTT ending which had me groaning in dismay. There were too many twists (most of which were blatantly foreseeable) within the last few minutes. Character development was also a little too staggered. Some of the characters seemed to change completely from one minute to the next, no gradual change or hints beforehand... On the whole, this was an intriguing film, well acted and well directed. One of the better films of the year. Maybe its time Hollywood took some notice that you don't need $200 million+ to make an enjoyable movie.