Crimes of the Past

This is an intriguing film for me to view. I believe the acting was superb and it was also wonderfully filmed. I wasn't sure what to expect from the various reviews or even the storyline but overall the reason I ended up seeing the film was that I was enthralled with the notion of a character driven spy story. In my own way I also related to the struggle of the father connecting with his daughter after so many years. Which is not to say that I was a Spy, but I was away for a significant period of time and my business was confidential in nature and the demands were enormous which brought about a hindrance in the family, so the film was a cathartic experience for me. I very much enjoyed David Rasche's portrayal of the Spy character. I believe all the actors were very subtle and seemed to find some real keen notes. It was a well-told story and I am happy to have stumbled onto it.

The ambitious espionage thriller blends well with an intense family drama and weaves together a good story. Thomas Sparrow (David Rasche) plays a CIA agent in Berlin during the Cold War era who was involved in transferring of money. The assignment goes wrong... And now Sparrow is retired and has come back to Seattle in hopes of reuniting with his daughter Josephine (Elisabeth Rohm), whom he hasn't seen for years. The film is engrossing, and very well acted!Eric Roberts delivers a wonderful performance as Josephine's shrink, who also happens to be a former CIA employee. I saw the Hollywood Reporter Review which mentioned that the more crucial accomplishment to the film was the insight into all of the characters and that it was a densely layered mosaic, and I agreed.

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

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.

I loved David Rasche in Burn After Reading and I'm also a big fan of Rohm from Law & Order – Not to mention Eric Roberts… All of the actors were really excellent in the movie! It's both a thriller and a family drama, which I found to be refreshing. The story follows Tommy Sparrow who is wounded in a CIA operation and his journey to reunite with his daughter Josephine. Rohm did a great job with her role and really created an interesting and complicated character. It's an intelligent film and isn't packed full of action. It does require you to tune in to catch the details, but once you do it really builds well. It's shot very well and is a very good character driven film that blends the genres.