Unthinkable

The title of this movie could also serve as it's 1-word review. It is well worth watching if you are serious about films. But it very strong stuff that poses some serious questions about a subject that I don't like to think about; torture in the pursuit saving lives.

Samuel L. Jackson plays a shadowy U.S. Government operative who will go to any lengths to get info from a terrorist & his plot to blow up millions of people on our home soil. Michael Sheen (who memorably played David Frost in "Frost/Nixon") is that terrorist. Carrie-Anne Moss is an FBI agent caught in the middle of their deadly cat & mouse.

The movie's biggest strength is that we believe that Jackson's "H" is capable of doing ANYTHING to save innocent lives including the "unthinkable". Jackson, in words & action, really sells the role. This is some the best work he has ever done. Sheen shows why he is one of the most sought after actors today. Moss is strong as the movie's moral center -- a center that shows some very serious signs of disintegrating.

The tension is non-stop. The script is often heavy-handed, but for good reason. The direction is crisp & the editing sharp.

How this went straight to video echoes the question why last year's best picture Oscar winner got such poor distribution.

BE WARNED: the numerous torture scenes are very tough to take. They almost cross over into torture-porn (which I hate). I'm sure --I hope-- the filmmakers had plenty of debate about how far to take the violence. My usual disgust with such scenes was balanced by the way they drive home the debate of a very troubling issue.

I'm not ready to see this movie again anytime soon but I'm glad I saw it once.

Wow... this is one of the best films I have ever seen hands-down, regardless the low ratings many other reviewers have given it thus far.

While the premise of the movie is a bit far-fetched, the film itself is superb and has an excellent cast, great acting and a good script. Overall, the film is very realistic and thought-provoking.

While I completely understand why many assert that this is 137 minutes of pro-torture propaganda (like the hit TV series "24"), I completely disagree. I feel that more than anything, it shines a spotlight on the human condition. It captivates the viewer and forces us to question how far we are willing to go to save lives, and whether or not we are willing to sacrifice our vary humanity to do so. At what point are we willing to do the "unthinkable" and thereby give up some of the things that truly make us human?

Warning, this film is extremely graphic and at times hard to bear and while it is not for the faint-hearted, I still encourage every mature adult to watch it. I do not believe the extreme violence has been added for shock value or entertainment, but rather to shake the hell out of the audience in order to make them reflect upon their humanity and what it means to be human.

Also, while I do believe that having yet another film depicting the bad guy/terrorist as a Muslim does have the potential of perpetuating certain negative stereotypes about Islam and Muslims, I feel that the "bad guy" could have just as easily been from any another religious tradition or political ideology and I did not consider it to be offensive or deliberately anti-Muslim and I say this as a Muslim myself.

I was thoroughly engaged till the very end and was left absolutely speechless, staring at the screen. This was only the second time that has happened in my life and I am still absorbing and contemplating what I witnessed.

FINAL RATING: 9/10 hands down. A must watch film for every mature human being. But, I'd advise you to save the snacks until AFTER the credits roll.

Although many viewers are thinking this film is offending Muslims, I personally do not agree with them.Michael Sheen was playing very well and he did a good job -as always- here. Samuel L. Jackson was very "deep" in this movie and his acting was excellent.The film grabs you and takes you to it's world. You are constantly thinking how the characters are going to behave and what choices they are going o make, at the same time you can't keep yourself from thinking "What would I do in that situation?' and so on. The ending was shocking but it could have been made slightly better(trying not to give any spoilers). The only cause that should keep someone from not watching this film would be mild gore and some torture scenes.

This film is great simply because it makes the viewer ask themselves important and tough questions.

If you are an open minded person, Unthinkable makes you think about things you definitely should ponder, even though you would probably rather not have to think about them.

This film essentially brings up the old adage that few things in this world are truly black and white, even though politicians, media, films, etc, usually like to pretend they are. We live in a complicated world of color where black and white makes grey. The truth or best options usually lie somewhere in the middle. Balance is truly the way of nature and those who are sane. These extremes of black and white thinking (Rights and wrongs) are as primitive as cave art. Yet still, this crap mentality is ingrained in humans across the world and still shoveled at us from countless sources, even though many of us know better.

The film as a whole goes a little over the top Hollywood (Rather than sticking to realism) in a couple of scenes. This is far, far from a perfect film, but it's tough questions alone make it well worth watching.

7/10

'Unthinkable (2010)' is, essentially, a morality play, a bleak exploration of the effectiveness and - more importantly - ethics of torture. Its themes are rather interesting and it stirs up a lot of interesting questions. How do you weigh one life against another? How far will you go to protect the innocent? If you have to cross the very line that defines you - as an organisation, a nation, a human being - to do it, where does that leave you? Are you better than that which you fight? There are no easy answers. It's all very intriguing and, in effect, rather grim. The ending (extended from its initial finishing point) signifies the flick's brutal overall outlook. It's an engaging experience but it takes a while to get going and is, on occasion, a tad 'schlocky'. It's never quite as compelling as its premise, despite its solid performances and generally good writing. Still, it's a solid affair that should get you thinking. That's not something that can be said about a lot of similar stuff. 6/10