Perseguição Implacável

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.

Firstly the dialogue is idiotic. If a group is going to make a film in English at least they should have had one English speaking proof-reader go over the script. Shooting half a dozen people to steal something is not a "burglary." It's a "robbery." Ships are not "excavated." They are "salvaged." There are about 100 usage mistakes that just make the dialogue silly.

The overall story line is the most absurd and dumbed down jumble of clichés I have seen in a long time. An entire series of improbable situations strain even the most open minded viewer.

Avoid this tedious excuse for a film.

The expatriate and widower Ben Logan (Aaron Eckhart) has moved from New York to Anrwep with his estranged teenage daughter Amy Logan (Liana Liberato) to work for the technology corporation Halgate Group. When he breaks a sophisticated security code from a device, he notes that its patent has no record in Halgate and he calls the attention of his boss Derek Kohler (Neil Napier). Ben meets Amy and they do not go home; later Ben goes with Amy to his office and they find it completely empty. Further, all the records of his phone calls, e-mails, payslip and bank account have vanished. Out of the blue, a coworker abducts Ben and Amy in the bank but Ben kills him in self-defense. Ben finds a key from a locker in the Central Station and he finds photos of his daughter, himself and his coworkers. His further investigation shows that all the workers are dead in the morgue except Derek Kohler. Soon Ben discovers a huge conspiracy of Halgate Group relative to illegal arms sales to Africa with the involvement of rogue CIA agents. But Ben is in disgrace with the Agency and does not have any reliable contact to recur.

The unoriginal "Erased", a.k.a."The Expatriate", is an action thriller with a promising and intriguing beginning. Unfortunately the stupid and annoying daughter Amy with her silly attitudes makes any viewer lose the temper. The story has many flaws and holes, but the plot is fast-paced and distracts the viewer that is not aware. For example, the killers kill a lot of residents in Belgium; Ben blows-up the car with important guys; the police is chasing Ben and Amy; and he arrives at the airport dirty and ready to embark to the USA and probably without documents. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Perseguição Implacável" ("Relentless Manhunt")

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.

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.