A Dark Truth - Un'oscura verità

This is the first I've seen of movies on the particular subject of what major international corporations such as Bectel are doing to underdeveloped countries as regards their water. Well done treatment, great cast, excellent acting. No hamming or sensationalism, no gratuitous violence (not that there isn't enough to tell the story). Perhaps other reviewers don't consider water as exciting as blood diamonds or oil or uranium. Perhaps it's not. But it's certainly more important. This fictional presentation of the issue is a good start toward expanding popular awareness of one of the biggest problems facing us in this new century.

Not water shortages, critical though they are. Rather, soulless, nationless corporate greed. Seven out of ten.

"When you can't affect change from within, I mean positive change, you have an obligation if you're at all conscious to get out and try other things." Jack Begosian (Garcia) is a former CIA operative who is now a talk show host talking about important issues. Bruce Swinton (Coates) is the head of a large corporation who has just found out about a huge problem with his company and a local African community. When his sister wants him to tell the truth he fights her and she hires Jack to go in and expose what is going on in the country. This is a very important movie that should be seen by more people then will actually see it. Very engrossing and informative and worth seeing. The only real problem I have is that it plays almost more like a Dateline or 60 Minutes type story then a movie. I'm not saying that that is a bad thing but that's what I was reminded of. The acting is great and I recommend this but be ready for this type of movie. Overall, a very important movie that may have the possibility to change things. I give it a B+.

Talk about convoluted, slow, plodding, boring to tears, predictable, and a complete waste of time...then you're talking about "A dark truth". I was hoping there were some redeeming values or at else something I could say positive about this movie, and I'm hard pressed to come up with anything. I guess one good thing was it lasted less than 2 hours, does that count? I'm often amazed why decent actors and actresses take on roles in movies like this where the scripts are so weak, the story is boring, and the writing is pathetic junk, I guess it must be for the love of money because there could be no other reason for a decent actor to be in this one. This movie makes two in row for Eva Longoria, her retched performance in "The Baytown Outlaws" along with this masterful crafted acting job puts her in the truly "Desperate housewife" needs money category. I guess maybe she really can't act and is just another pretty face in Hollywood, judging by the roles she accepts "desperate" defines her career. One last thing for you to consider, the dialog in this movie is nothing less than ridiculous, and it's like the director told the actors to deliver their lines in slow motion. That may seem like a silly comment until you actually try to watch this film, I guarantee you'll know what I mean after trying to view this sleep induced attempt.

A Dark Truth (2012)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

A real misfire of a film about a South American town where a large group of people become sick after sewage gets in their drinking water. To cover up the crime the military executes the survivors but a couple (Forest Whitaker, Eva Longoria) survive and soon an ex-CIA agent (Andy Garcia) is trying to rescue them and get their story out. A DARK TRUTH is a really bad movie in several ways but a lot of the blame has to go to writer-director Damian Lee who just doesn't come up with a very interesting story or a good way to tell it. There are so many problems with the story itself that you have to wonder why he elected to go with a fake story instead of getting something real. This is basically just a message picture where once again greed turns people into evil monsters over a natural resource. The problem is that the film just wants to preach its message without giving us a story or characters to really care about. The film bounces around from the jungles to the high-top people trying to cover up the crime and also gives us flashbacks to the CIA agent working as a radio host giving off various speeches. None of this comes together in any way, shape or form and in the end this movie just ends up dragging to the point where the viewer will be wanting to hit the stop button. It doesn't help that there are some pretty boring directorial choices and especially when it comes to the editing. Just check out the scenes between Garcia and his wife were the edits back and forth between them are so annoying that you just want to scream. I will say that the performances are better than average but then again we've got a group of professionals here. With that said, their work can't come close to saving this turkey.

On the surface, this contemporary assault on corporate maleficence is enough to make its point. But the subject matter is a complicated affair that is lacking in this movie that feels rushed.

Messing about in third world countries and designing destinies built on precious resources and manipulating the environment is a heavy undertaking and the suffering of the population by these all too insensitive entities is a problem that is beginning to take shape and needs to be addressed.

It is attempted here as an action film with scruples and it does have its heart in the right place. But the very low budget and the glossy attempt to intertwine multi-national business interest and investigative journalism is a bit too much to maintain in this noble but shallow effort.

The name Actors are probably here for their moral support and do add a level of authenticity to the cause, but there just isn't enough depth pursued or motivations on either side to justify the broad concept that it is at hand here.

It plays like a short story or a magazine article. Enough to tantalize an interest in the matter but not enough to be at all convincing. It does open up the subject and allows some light if not insight into this very disturbing situation.