Crimes of the Past

This was a solid film overall. I enjoyed the setting of Seattle and the photography and story and the actors. I am always interested in what Eric Roberts does and an actor and find him to be electric on screen. The actor that plays the spy character is fantastic. I've seen him in another other films and always like his acting. I liked the actress as well that plays his daughter and found the lawyer character very unique and different. I got caught up in this film in a gradual way. Based on the description I sensed that I should not plan or expect the movie to be something of action but more of a character film and for that I liked the movie. Another thumbs up about the movie was the casting of the girl that plays the her daughter. Movies sometimes don't seem to cast the best children that feel real and this girl was very, very solid.

Pretty good flick all around I have to say. My own taste would lean more on the CIA and Spy facet of the story. However that's because I happen to be more fascinated in that material. At the same time it was good to see a show like this for variation. Without giving away too much plot, I found the conclusion gratifying. Given the spirit of the storyline it paid off by coming full circle for the Josefina character. She gave a fine performance, I might add. And conceptually I felt the ending added credence to the film. That was my sense. Maybe it worked for me or anyone connected to the idea of memory and reflection of apparent. I hope that was vague enough. Actors and actresses were all very good too. Thanks.

While i am tempted to give this movie a 1/10 to offset the top reviews it is more like a 3/10. It lacks in everything, reasonable story, empty acting and horrible editing. While the story might have made it a poor mediocre film, the video editing was just dismal. After 10 minutes of watch vague and shaky shots i was exhausted. In some poor attempt to make it more "realistic" every shot is shaky, like a handy-cam. That would have been a bad idea even if the acting was solid. But the acting was also poor. Even the main character is completely 2D and everybody else is barely present. It seems they only had money for a couple of takes. All in all its awful just awful.

The story of a retired CIA agent and the daughter he abandoned 26 years ago plays more like a family relationship primer than a spy flick. Technically the film is seriously flawed. I could live with the black and white to color transitions representing past and present, but the shaky camera and in focus out of focus shots are nothing but a damn annoyance. The story is way too simplistic for a film involving espionage. The acting, even by usually reliable David Rasche and Eric Roberts, is uninspired, with the little granddaughter stealing every scene she appears in. Unless you are a big fan of the actors, steer clear. - MERK

This was an excellent film, which took me by surprise. The story and direction managed to masterfully blend the suspense of the spy genre film, while building wonderful characters and leaving you with something under your skin. The performances were outstanding! David Rasche, Eric Roberts and Elisabeth Rohm were brilliant! It was visually beautiful and the evocative. I was reminded in ways of Coppola's The Conversation, with Gene Hackman. Elisabeth Rohm was amazing. She created such a complex and rich character and should be awarded for it. I look forward to seeing the film again. It was excellent from start to finish.