The Expatriate - In fuga dal nemico

Erased (2012)

Can we make a new genre here? British/American executive/spy/father gets in trouble in Europe and has to go on the run with corporate/government/counterspy evil everywhere.

I could list some (never mind the great Bourne films, which are extremes of the type). Certainly the "Taken" films (there are three now) are the closest parallel, but even "The International" comes to mind in the same vein. All of these have a sense of fear and darkness about the global order that glooms down on the characters.

And "Erased" is powerfully made, with good claustrophobic and jittery camera-work, believable acting, and a reasonable (if roughly familiar) plot. You get swept up quickly, as Aaron Eckhart juggles a high-security job and a teenage daughter going to private school. Through a quick (a peanut allergy) he avoids an early death and the movie takes off. All along the daughter is both emotional fodder for the feeling side of the film and a bit of a formative action figure (now and then). But it's dad who is really showing his smarts and fighting skills as an ex-CIA man.

Set in beautiful Belgium, the scenes range from those gorgeous old Europe streets and government buildings to the new Europe and high end glass corporate life. And then to the new, growing minority areas where Arabs and other Muslims live. Part of this emphasis might come from the main writer on the story, Arash Amel, who surely paints the division of cultures in a sympathetic way. Director Philip Stolzl is one of the newer generation of German mainstream directors with an eye for sweeping fast visuals and a solid plot ("North Face" is highly recommended). He, perhaps too much like Tom Tykwer, is taking a detour into some well-worn territory here, but showing his chops.

Expect to never be bored, to never know quite what might happen next, and to enjoy the ride kinetically. Even if nothing quite original happens. Ever.

I personally enjoyed this film despite its many flaws. This is an action movie with enough credible story to hook the viewer and entertain for the duration. The plot is somewhat convoluted and in my opinion hard to follow at times, but despite that, the movie is fast paced with plenty of realist and believable action, so what if you're not certain as to the why this is all unfolding. The ending tries to bring all the whys and wherefores together and I guess it succeeds for the most part. The acting by most was good, but don't expect any Oscar nods for any of this cast. I'm going to cut to the chase, this was a fun movie for viewing, and I would consider it an excellent 5 out of 10 film.

I am a big fan of this genre, a genre that has been almost soaked of its originality, like most thriller i have watched, it didn't surpass the Bourne series but it was a series of clichés that was more comforting than worrying, Aaron Eckhart gives a very good performance as the lead character Ben Logan.

Liana Liberato gives a genuinely good performance as Eckharts estranged daughter Amy, who has been persuaded by Logan to leave her grandfathers custody in America in order to move to Belgium, to be with him.

The film starts off quite slow, but when the credits ran i was very happy with what i had witnessed, a good addition to the thriller genre.

I recently saw this film just based on its stars, Aaron Eckhart and Olga Kurylenko. Having watched it, I wonder why it was not better promoted.

An action/suspense flick, it features Eckhart as a CIA agent whose cover suddenly disappears, putting himself and his daughter (Liana Liberato) in mortal danger. No surprise, it looks like some kind of ruthless cover-up conspiracy. Yes, we've all seen movies like this before, but this is a tense, taut, and well-made suspense movie with very good casting. Eckhart is perfect for his role as the pseudo-good guy; handsome, dapper, chiseled. Kurylenko is also great as Anna, the subtly beautiful and inscrutable former colleague and possibly lover, who has the task of bringing him in, whatever that means. Liana Liberato does a credible job as the estranged daughter who just finds out that her Dad is or was a killer.

The plot moves quickly from story setup to action, and the suspense never lets up from there. While it doesn't quite have the thrills of a 'Bourne' film, it kept me interested. And while you kind of know (or hope) how it will end, it is definitely fun getting there.

It is a good movie that I will probably watch again.

Ben Logan (Aaron Eckhart) is a security technology researcher in Belgium for the Halgate Group. His daughter Amy (Liana Liberato) is not happy with the move after losing her mother. He reports a missing patent in their tech to his boss Derek Kohler. Later, he discovers that the office suddenly cleared out and the head office has no records of him. A co-worker kidnaps them but Ben manages to kill him. Clues lead to his former life with co-worker Anna Brandt (Olga Kurylenko) and a vast murderous conspiracy.

There is a bit of Bourne and Taken but less. It has Eckhart. It should be good but it's only passable. The setup is interesting but any early momentum slowly fades away. It becomes formulaic without anything new or particularly great. The action is lacking something special. Having the daughter presents some potential but it ends up being more of the same. This needs some imagination and sizzle to elevate it to a higher level.