Inhale

What would YOU do, seems to be the central question here. In America, there's a waiting list for organs... And it's a VERY long one. Your daughter needs one desperately, and thanks to a certain illicit trade going on in Mexico, you may have the opportunity of saving her life. But there's a catch... you may have to suspend your moral compass, and turn a blind eye to conduct which is inhumane to say the least. Could you live with yourself knowing what had happened, if it meant your child got a second chance?

I am being deliberately oblique here, as there are secrets I would dare not reveal. But sufficed to say, many people would come away from this film thinking that they'd made a different choice to the main character... Me included. But I could understand why he went along the path he did, and I respected that. I'll stop there, and just add that this was a competent thriller for the most part... nothing special but with enough action and drama to last you until you reach the finish line.

This is the point where EVERYTHING that has gone before is overshadowed by the key dilemma. Like one of the Choose Your Own Adventure books I used to like so much, it is a real head-scratcher. Sometimes, there are no easy answers... 6/10

The basic premise of this film does not give reason for very high expectations --- dedicated parents with child in distress, how far are they willing to go, and what do they need to do in order to save their child. In this case, the child needs an organ transplant, and as the usual channels do not seem to be able to save her, the parents need to get creative about procuring a suitable organ in some other way.

This is fertile breeding ground for loads of cheese, contrived story lines, and emotional vignettes. And even though you can see the end coming from quite a bit away, and even the movie isn't entirely free of cheese, it's a dark and gritty movie that explores its subject without too much sentimentality and isn't afraid to look where standard Hollywood fare might not.

The solid story is helped along by a strong cast led by a great Mulroney (who seems to be expanding his range with every work I see him in), and it pains me to say that even Diane Kruger (whom I otherwise enjoy to slam) turns in an excellent performance, as does the interesting supporting cast (Arquette appears somewhat underused, it wouldn't be surprising if a good deal of her material ended up on the cutting room floor).

At some point in the film you realize that no matter which way things go, the ending won't be a very happy one. To me, that is where I see the true strength of this movie, and I find it much more important than the particular road the story ends up taking (and which seems to have made many viewers rather unhappy judging from the discussion boards). To be sure, I like the ending, and much prefer it over its conceivable alternatives, but the real point remains that our protagonist had arrived at a situation that no longer admitted a 'happy' resolution.

Definitely worth seeing.

Somewhat in the same genre' as the film "Traffic" which takes the viewer into the extremely dark world of human trafficking of kidnapped children sold to pedophile clients, "Inhale" takes the viewer into the dark world of "no questions asked" human organ trafficking, sold into the medical black market.

There's no fooling around, fluff or frills in this film.

Right from the start, the viewer is plunged into a contorted realm of existence, faced with horrific choices that have to be made under the worst of imaginable circumstances.

Desperate parents, hoping against hope for a donor lung transplant, while their daughter is inching ever closer to death, faced with a seemingly illogical and unfair organ recipient listing system, realize that they have to resort to other "outside the box" options, immediately.

In the real world, this is a scenario that is all too familiar for countless thousands of parents, who, regardless of expense or effort needed, will travel to various clinics outside the USA, to save their children from otherwise certain death. To cater to this need, there are many parts of the world where, for the right price, the desperately needed organ(s) in question magically appear on demand to the highest bidder.

All things considered, this film does deliver a bone chilling dose of drama under duress, and then some.

The only part that I felt seemed to be a bit weak was the ending, which was tailored more to suit a politically correct message, rather than deliver a realistic rendering of what would actually happen in such circumstances.

Having said that, however, the casting and acting in this piece fit into this story like a hand to a glove. I had no trouble in suspending disbelief while viewing this film, as I personally have traveled around a bit and have seen first hand what this sort of scenario looks like.

I give the director a lot of credit for trying to deliver this view into a world mostly hidden from the general public, via this dramatic platform.

As previously suggested, this film is not for the squeamish or faint of heart.

The movie is generally good. I don't know why some reviewers have focused on the incredulity of the story. I think this movie makes a good rental. It is a bit of a hard viewing, not just because of some violence or sex but because of the overall subject matter itself. I thought that the director kept the focus on the story.

When I checked for the reviews I was surprised that it did not have very many reviews. I think the producers and director should be given some positive feedback because this movie did appear to deliver as a movie.

There are some intensely annoying loose ends. So ignore the first ten minutes. If it was not for this I would have given this movie 7 or even 8. Since the story was not cleaned up in the beginning it gets only 6 out of 10.

INHALE is a fine little gripping drama from writers Walter Doty and John Clafin who based this timely tale on a story by Christian Escario about the extremes to which people will go to when terminal illness takes the mains stage of their lives. It is a very dark story but survives becoming morbidly dreary by the sensitive direction from Baltasar Kormákur and a strong cast.

Paul Stanton (Dermot Mulroney) is a successful attorney married to Diane (Diane Kruger) and they have one child Chloe (Mia Stallard) who suffers form a terminal pulmonary disease. The family's life is driven by love but also by the fact that Chloe needs frequent emergency trips to the hospital because of her tenuous hold on life. Paul and Diane are finally told Dr. Rubin (Roseanna Arquette) that the only choice they have for saving Chole is a lung transplant. Paul searches the methods for finding an entry into this overcrowded demand for organ transplant and when he discovers that a powerful man James Harrison (Sam Shepard) received an illegal heart transplant in Mexico, Paul sets out to find the source. In Mexico he discovers just how crime-ridden is this area of 'sales' and persists until he uncovers a doctor Navarro - a code name - in the person of Dr. Martinez (Vincent Perez). The hideaway compound where the illegal transplants are performed is surrounded by poor people and gangs and the one person that helps the desperate Paul find the source of illegal organs is a kid who befriends him. When a 'donor' becomes available, there is a decision that Paul must make, one based on human kindness and compassion balancing with his won desires to deliver lungs to his daughter.

Mulroney is particularly excellent in this tough role and the gamut of emotions is staggering. And the remainder of the cast, including the gifted Jordi Mollà in an important cameo, is superb. The film is intense and disturbing but successfully explores the little known world of illegal organ transplantation. Another fine feather in the cap of Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur!

Grady Harp