Puncture

Puncture (2011)

A brave attempt to make an edgy drama from a current social event, mixing personal intensity with a critique of corporate greed and ethical inertia.

On that score, it might be loosely compared to the 1996 "The Insider," which focused on the tobacco industry. Here it is the hospital and pharmaceutical world. The trigger is a nurse who gets an accidental needle stick, and even though there was and is a solution to most needle sticks, the industry has been slow to change, at the peril of many lives.

The personal side of this is based on the lead lawyer who takes the case of this nurse, which leads to a general uncovering of the problem and a pressuring of the industry almost single-handedly. It also turns out that he's a total coke addict, and his life is in overdrive all the time, with the necessary crashes along the way. The actor here is Chris Evans, who reminded me a little of a young George C. Scott, but without the depth of character Scott managed to bring with his acidity. Evans is key here, and not quite enough. The movie holds him more than he drives the movie, mostly because he has a kind of blankness inside, a practiced intensity rather than a really out of the box abandonment we might find irresistible.

So why watch? Mostly for the plot, the story as it develops and reminds you of how the world works, and how some people have ideals that make them ignore the resistance of the rest of us. The only problem with this is that it's a story we've seen before, in the outline. It needs to be known and told, for sure, but maybe a twenty minute spot on Sixty Minutes might serve the cause best. Here, the drama and the social justice are jammed together into a single, overlong, somewhat predictable movie. Good might not be good enough.

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie but the reviews seem to go from one extreme to the other, i belong the ones that really liked the movie. It's a great story (based on a true one) and the acting is top notch and seriously it is well worth watching, despite the bone crushing judgement of some reviewers' (i bet some of them work for the "evil" greedy companies that this story is about :P jokes aside, i'm shocked how appalling the movie's success is compared to how interesting the film is. Just see it for yourself, don't expect too much, then decide. If you're not a cynical a-hole, I reckon you'll enjoy the movie like i did.

I actually didn't know this was more or less a true story. Which does make it a bit more interesting although not in the least surprising since the medical industry has always been corrupt in this way. But on to the film.

I agree with some other comments. This film only further shows how versatile Chris Evans is. Not sure how seriously I took him 10 years ago in X-Men other than doing a decent job and being funny and quick witted. But he has definitely shown a larger range. He still gets thrown more action kind of roles. But if this movie is any indication he can definitely handle more complex dramatic roles as well. Personally I really liked this film. I thought the story was very engaging. And honestly I was very drawn in by Chris Evans' performance. Obviously there is no extension of the imagination in a drug addicted lawyer. But he plays it extremely convincingly. Other than that all the other supporting roles are done well and support well.

Some of the small criticisms is that it is a bit cliché in the goliath and David story line and all. And like one user pointed out I would have liked to see them show more about the court case itself that the entire film builds up to. But I don't really share the criticism of it being all about Chris's character. I think that was the intent. To show someone who was so smart with so much passion but also with many demons and vices. I think his story was as important as the case he was fighting for was.

All and all I found very enjoyable to watch. I actually didn't have the highest hopes but was pleasantly surprised by the excellent acting which more than made up for some of the more common or cliché parts. Check it out if you get a chance.

Puncture tells the true story of Mike Weiss. Mike Weiss is a lawyer and a drug addict. He has started a case against a major medical supply company. For not supplying hospitals with safety needles that could prevent hundreds of thousands of disease infections each year from patients to nurses.

The story is definitely a legal drama no matter what you have heard. It might not be your typical legal drama with all the cliché's you are used to, but is that really a bad thing? The story keeps you interested in whats going to happen to the case and whats going to happen to Mike.

Chris Evans does a good job creating a character and making you care for the character. Even if the character always does not make the right decision. Evans portrays Mike Weiss as a flawed anti hero. Yet you wonder if he is fighting this case because he wants to help others or if he wants to help himself.

I really liked this drama, especially since it was a true story. Especially since the project was started by Mike Weiss's real life partner who had no connections to Hollywood, but worked very hard to get this movie made which has a very important message.

I gave this movie a 7 out of 10 because while it is a good movie, it does movie a little slow. The ending is also abrupt and I think it could have been longer. But if you are a fan of Chris Evans, please see this movie. He takes this role very seriously and you could tell he worked hard at this movie. You will not be disappointed in him.

I didn't know what to expect going into "Puncture," but what I found, surpassed even my most hopeful wishes for an evening at the movies. "Puncture" is a perfectly acted true-life story that still has me thinking about its message 3 days later. It was gripping from the opening credits and I was emotionally pulled in a number of directions. Chris Evans proved he can really act, not just dress up as a superhero and run around a big budgeted set. Mark Kassen was marvelous alongside him as his legal partner and the Houston backdrop made for an unlikely protagonist in and of itself. A story that needed to be shared and with tremendous talent. I only wish there were more films like "Puncture." I encourage people to go see the film.