The Apology

Darlene Hagen (Anna Gunn) is still struggling 20 years after the disappearance of her daughter Sally. Jack Kingsley (Linus Roache) comes by claiming car trouble. In fact, he has a dark secret to reveal. Her friend Gretchen Sullivan (Janeane Garofalo) joins the horrific gathering.

New filmmaker Alison Locke is trying to write and direct a low budget feature. I don't know how, but she got three solid actors to do this. They make this as interesting as possible. The script isn't much. It has one surprise in the first half and the second half struggles. It has no more twists or turns to keep the interest. Mostly, this concept needs a few additions to keep it going all the way to the end.

The Apology is a cheap movie and by that I don't mean just the budget. Sure it is a low budget movie but there are good low budget movies, unfortunately this isn't one of them. The story is very predictable, not well written in my opinion and the execution was just average. The acting wasn't that great either. Linus Roache, I can't say I'm a big fan of his performance, found it a bit bland and not convincing at all. As for Anna Gunn it was just average as well. Never been a big fan of her either. The Apology is the kind of movie I will forget everything about it by tomorrow and that's a good thing.

This is not a Shudder horror movie, but it is excellent drama by first-class actors around a horrifying subject.

It reminded my husband and me a little of when we first started watching David Mamet's movies. At first, you're a little taken aback, because all of his characters speak in such a way that the words, not the emotional delivery, convey the power of the moment, so that when you first start watching a Mamet film, you think for a moment, "What's wrong with all these people?", and then the magic clicks, and you're entranced.

Not that Locke's style in anyway copies Mamet, it's all her own. Nevertheless, we had a similar experience with this movie. At first, we wondered why these wonderful actors seemed a little awkward, and then suddenly what was being conveyed clicked, and we were caught up.

Excellent film.

Last night for New Year's Eve I watched two movies back to back, as I had just come out of hospital and had to take it easy.

The first movie I watched was The Apology. Now only knowing the basic story line and nothing else I settled down.

The film contained roughly three actors or less at the most on screen, this can be good if there is any tension in the film.

The two main actors, Linus Roache and Anna Gunn we're excellent in this, the storyline was interesting but what let it down for a much higher score? The script, yes this is what let this film down badly.

Not even thirty minutes in and I guessed what had happened and why Roache was there, especially when he said ' I have something to tell you.' Well if you have many movies like me, you can guess the storyline straight away, having this happen so fast took most of the tension out of the film.

Overall I enjoyed it but this movie. With the right script could have been a great film.

Overall not bad to waste and hour and a half.

The subject matter is bleak and depressing, but could have made for a good film (especially seeing as it has been done before).

With Janeane Garofalo as one of the title characters, there was even more of an expectation that the IMDB score of 5.5, was a fluke and/or that reviewers were just missing the point. Say what you will about Garafolo, but she's a powerhouse of acting skills and much more charismatic and attractive than some give her credit for being. Anna Gunn too, was a draw. THE woman who portrayed Skyler White of BB fame SO distastefully well, that the character's name became synonymous with cold, unsupportive wives everywhere, and this was something I could not miss.

Lamentably, after watching it, I kind of wish I had.

Among the worst of the film's foibles is that given the aforementioned talent, surprisingly, the acting from all three leads left a lot to be desired. Most of the interactions between Gunn and Garafolo felt forced and not very organic - almost as if you are watching two strangers working at attempting to form a friendship. Worse still, the portrayal of the sleaze bucket by Linus Roache, was exceptionally terrible. Perhaps it isn't that he was not believable as said sleaze bucket; maybe it is that he was too believable as a sleaze bucket - and nothing else. The range of emotions necessary to pull off the nuances of his role, were never part of the actor's almost uninterested delivery.

On a better note, the soundtrack to The Apology is pretty good, with the Ages and Ages version of the closing "Auld Lang Syne", being SO particularly noteworthy and resonant, that I bought it.