Dangereuse proposition

"The Proposal" tells of an undercover cop (Moran), somewhere in some city investigating some bad guys who are doing something...um, something bad no doubt because they laugh at bad things and look bad...that' s how we know they're bad. Said cop needs a "wife" as an excuse to keep underworld meetings short. Enter Esposito...a cop with a desk job who goes undercover, but not under the covers, as the wife. Bottom line (drum roll, please) the good guys win. Yea! A typical lackluster, no-brainer B-movie cop flick with some Maxwell Smart techno-gun thingy thrown in, and an obvious lack of the "juice" required for car crashes/chases, stunts, explosions, sex/nudity..oh yeah...and REHEARSALS. With a very tame R-rating for a couple of shootouts, "The Proposal" ignors the Hollywood maxim "When in doubt, titillate", fails to deliver anything substantial, and doesn't work well on any level except late night t.v. when the viewer is too tired to care. (D+)

Note - The only place you'll see Esposito's thigh is on the box. And what the hell did they go to Scotland for?? Bad weather in Vancouver? One more piece of advice. When in a shootout, don't hide behind cardboard cartons. Duh.

I caught this show on HBO not too long ago and it didn't disappoint me at all. The story of this cop show was well-written; it has some interesting twists along the way and some good romance which makes the show more appealing to viewers.

The main plot of this movie is about an undercover cop who was joined unwillingly by another policewoman halfway through his investigation. As the show progresses, romance build up between both of them and besides just having to conceal their true identities, they are trying to bring the villains to justice until.........

I feel that the greatest contributions to the show were the characters that were very well-developed thanks to the wonderful writers and casts. Nick Moran and Jennifer Esposito look great together and Stephen Lang portrayed his role of the villain very well.

The directing of this movie was remarkable but it is truly the characters and plot that keep people watching.

"The Proposal" turned out to be a very pleasant surprise not simply for what it was, but what it wasn't. Amazingly, there are no cliches in this relatively low budget suspence/drama work. Most notable is the camerawork, with not a single pedestrian sequence of shots. Subtly original, these camera angles serve to nicely parallel the storyline which is unpredictable in both its direction and its mood. The audience, as a result, must give its full attention throughout this film or risk losing its bearings. Those who watch this film closely will be rewarded not only with a stimulating storyline, but the opportunity to experience some superbly interesting and well developed charactors as well. For those who appreciate the nuances of filmmaking, this is a must see.

The Proposal both contains surprises and is a surprise. The story is suspenseful and tight, acting solid, and direction skilled, all better than I had been expecting. Undercover cop Terry Martin (Nick Moran) and his new partner Susan Reese (Jennifer Esposito) infiltrate a crime lord's underground operation. But Reese, anxious to leave her desk job behind, pushes too quickly to get close to Big Boss Simon Bacig (Stephen Lang), and soon Martin doesn't know who he can trust. Figuring out exactly who is on whose side rapidly becomes an intriguing puzzle for the viewer.

The believable acting and storyline plus lack of any significant plot holes are a refreshing change from what Hollywood often churns out. This film won't insult your intelligence with gratuitous violence, unbelievable gun fights or unwarranted car chases; the R rating probably should have been PG-13. Esposito seems genuine and comfortable in front of the camera. Unfortunately Moran's performance is marred by what I assume to be a speech impediment of the actor ("wobbewy in pwogwess"), which distracts at times. Lang is convincing as the crime boss with an inflated ego who is used to getting whatever he wants. You'll recognize character actor William Davis who plays FBI Agent Gruning with an understated appeal. An interesting mix of flashbacks and flashforwards from director Richard Gale will taunt you with clues about the mystery.

No, this movie is not without weaknesses. Until Esposito can smooth out her New York accent, she'll be relegated to playing either ethnic or tough girl roles, otherwise she has the looks and talent for more significant acting jobs. Setting and filming the movie in New York or Chicago, rather than some unnamed generic city, would have added authenticity. The background music could have been better. Still, definitely worth a view, especially if you are fond of the genre.

Nick Moran does well in this role, a consistent and believable element in a movie with a few twists and turns. You can relax with this movie for an evening, but if you're paying for this as a rental then you might do better to see Nick Moran in "Silent Partner." An episode of Miami Vice probably has a better way of mixing the good guys, bad guys, local police, and feds or FBI. The characters in this film make good sense and you could expect to find people like them, but character development is not very strong except for that of Nick Moran's character, Terry Martin. Jennifer Esposito as Susan Reece enters the stage with a dash of freshness, shows signs of that character trait at times, but doesn't really have a believable role. Don't blame the actress - the writers and director could have done better with her skill and the role. Not a bad movie, but not gripping, either.