SquirePM

I was lucky enough to happen upon this movie one night on television. I was immediately captivated by it and was never tempted to click off to another channel. It is as good as the 1957 American original, and in some ways particular to Russia, better. The acting is first rate, at times deliberate and at other times quite emotional. As with its predecessor the jurors bring their own lives into the jury room, giving a western viewer an open look at Russia and Russians. Paralleling the American film, which featured a young Hispanic as the accused, here the accused is a young Chechen.

I heartily recommend "12" to all who can locate it. I have given it nine stars out of ten. Spoken in Russian, of course, the subtitles in the version I saw were well up to the task.

"Unlocked" is a tight, fast paced spy thriller of high quality. It keeps viewers on their toes with its rapid, precise action, of both the mental and physical kinds. There are some very frank moments revealing terrorist . . . And anti-terrorist . . . Thinking and motivations. There is also insight into the truly crazy beliefs of some terrorists and the depths of their rabid mania. And there is a smattering of really funny turns of events mixed in with the high tension plot. If you pay attention you may recognize little homages to great films of the past. One thing, I don't like Toni Collette much at all but here she is exceptional and adds a lot to the movie. This is a movie that does not draw you in, it pulls you in.

The Iceman is a big disappointment. The real life story material was rich and just waiting to be mined, but the writer and director weren't up to the task. It should have been easy. Instead we get a series of separate scenes strung together. Here's an example. Out of nowhere Stephen Dorff appears as Richard Kuklinski's imprisoned brother. Kuklinski visits him in prison. Since we don't know anything about him the dialog in this scene has to explain who he is and why he's in prison ("You killed a little girl!"). Then Dorff rants and raves and screams and pleads. When Kuklinski walks out that's the last that's seen of him. *Why is that scene even in this movie?* It does nothing to carry the story along. I watched "The Iceman" partly because of Winona Ryder, but all they gave her to do was, "You're the wife. React like one."

2005's "The Hunt for the BTK Killer" is the polar opposite of this bad movie. It is a much better film, with well developed characters and some real insight into the mind of a serial killer. I had seen it before this one, and this one doesn't come anywhere close to measuring up. Watch that one, not this one.