Placebo Effect

B for effort. C for execution

They tried, they really tried to be Mamet. It is set in Chicago, there are twists in the plot, the dialog is stilted and but informative, there is dramatic gun-play, the situations are contrived, there are hidden motivations. Even the actress Berman (would really like to see more of her) resembles Eisenstadt from Oleanna. But in the end, too much information that was not presented in the movie becomes relevant to the unraveling and the characters were not distinct from one another. Another key about Mamet that this movie lacked is that his dialog is stilted, but it usually accelerates to become rapid-fire and intelligent near the climax, where this movie did not. I still did think a bit about it though AFTER the curtain fell. I'd be interested to see what some seasoning does to the next production from this team.

There's not much to recommend in this film; the performances are not up to par and the plot has back-flashes that unfold to enlighten us to the actual events that occurred. Add this to a murky film. A major flaw in my opinion is when a van shows up outside the plotter's nest and when it is discovered and checked out unsuccessfully, it is then ignored. For a group that is planning to assassinate the vice-president of the U.S. this is ridiculous. It's hard to identify with the thugs and we are expected to be interested in who the major spy is, when it is obvious from the start. The reason for this is that there is background revealed on this spy which indicates he must have an accent, and there is only one character with an accent in the film. It's a no-brainer from the get-go. Save your money and wait for this to turn up on the tube when you're desperate some night to watch any film. taproot.

Sensuously filmed, well-scripted, and the plot has some surprising twists -- almost to the point of being convoluted. I honestly didn't see the end coming, though, which earns high marks from me these days. This film could easily be dismissed as a "vanity" production (lead actor also wrote and, I think, maybe produced the film) but he actually manages to pull it off which, I think, is remarkable.

Hope it comes out on video soon, because there were a few things I missed, and I want to play with the rewind. Worth a look-see.