The Proposal

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.

This movie is about Terry Martin (Nick Moran), a neurotic undercover cop who

finds himself in a sticky predicament. Martin is investigating Simon Bascig

(Steven Lange), a very charming, intelligent, and mildly psychotic underworld figure. To prevent himself from blowing his cover, Martin claims to have a high maintenance wife that keeps him from socializing after work. This ruse works for a while, but Bascig presses Terry to bring his wife to a social gathering. The problem: Martin has no wife, real or undercover. Enter Susan Reese (Jennifer Esposito), a cop with no undercover experience, but a lot of ambition, smarts, and beauty. Reese accompanies Terry to Bascig's party and Bascig falls for

her. Much to Martin's chagrin, Reese becomes a part of the investigation. From here, the movie unfolds into a first-rate thriller wrought with intrigue as we see...

This moving is great! The story is fresh and original, striking a nice balance between character development and action. Great acting by Esposito, Lange

and Moran. I especially love Lange's performance: the right amount of bravado and psychotic. The cinematography is crisp and does a nice job fueling the

mood of the story. The director, Richard Gale, does an excellent job bringing the story to life, which is especially impressive given that the movie was made under the smallest of budgets and shot over just a few weeks. By the way, all this information, and a whole lot more, is found in the director's well-done

commentary. Gale gives us insight into all the behind the scenes tricks as well as his reasoning for scenes. This part of the DVD is a must watch, especially for directors working under similar circumstances.

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" 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.

This film takes a familiar storyline and gives it a few interesting twists. I think that it is the characters and the script that make this movie as good as it is.

The story is about an undercover detective (Moran) who leads a paranoid existence, constantly vigilant against being found out for who he really is. In order to keep his cover intact, he reluctantly accepts a new partner (Esposito) who has no undercover training and who may eventually put him in jeopardy.

The Proposition takes you into the personal life of a detective who has been under for several months and the lengths he goes through to establish his identity as well as watch his own back.

The film's antagonist, Simon Bacig (Lang) is great. He is a villain's villiain who plays dangerous, vain, and eccentric, all without going over the top.

Great direction and script give this movie dimension and depth that allow you to get in touch with the characters and keep you hooked as you await the final outcome (which I guarantee, you won't be able to guess).