Five Fingers

Despite Ryan Phillipe's awful accent (as Martijn), the movie does a good job pulling you into the world they create. It is, as advertised, a "psychological thriller" and a bit of a mystery as you watch it unfold and slowly flashbacks illuminate the present situation.

Laurence Fishburne is EXCELLENT and makes the movie. Phillipe does a good job and although other characters play pivotal roles, it is really about the two of them.

Most of the film is shot in the same location, but it never gets boring or drags and keeps a lot of tension in most of the scenes. A real psychological treat if you just enjoy it! Not the best movie, but certainly a solid piece of entertainment that gets you to look at things from a slightly different perspective than most treatments of the subject of 'terrorism'.

There are so many films out there that i guess the ending or work out the twist. This wasn't one of them. This film, if given the chance, is edge of the seat stuff for a proper film fan. I tried to guess the twist many times and was way off every time. It does start slow but give it a chance, it will drag you in and leave you guessing. The brilliant performances from phillipe and fishburne shine through. If you want fast pace action and explosions this film isn't for you but if you enjoy a film that makes you think and guess, watch it. I give this film 8 out of 10 for the simple fact that its different and that you will NOT guess the ending.

I picked this up from the library on a whim but didn't regret it. The story is obviously still very topical. It just manages to do this without resorting to any stereotypes - in fact, it challenges those very stereotypes. The more the story progresses the more you realise as a viewer that there is no clear right and wrong and you have to keep re-evaluating your own opinion on the characters and the situation they are in. For me this was really a movie that made me think. And although the blurb on the DVD case prepares you for a surprise at the end that doesn't mean the film is predictable. There are still some twists and turns that come quite unexpected. Of particular note is of course Fishburne's performance. Worth noting is also that the DVD cover can be deceiving: in Germany it only shows a maimed hand (which reminded me a bit of Saw). But: physical violence is not the focus of this film but rather the tension and verbal struggles between its two main characters. In fact, the film is so dialog-heavy that it's been compared to a play. With all the generic stuff on terrorism that's out there this really stood out to me and I highly recommend it.

This is a tense psychological drama. A Dutch banker travels to Morocco to set up a food program at the behest of his Moroccan girlfriend. He is kidnapped by a group of extremists who hold him captive and ultimately torture him for information. But who, we wind up asking, is ultimately who? And what truly are everyone's motives? It's a tough film to watch as it deals not only with terrorism and our assumptions about terrorists but also with the challenging topic of torture as a means of obtaining information.

The best parts of the film involve the intense dialogs between the three main characters of the captive, Martijn (Ryan Phillippe), the captor, Ahmat (Laurence Fishburne), and the captor's accomplice, Aicha (Gina Torres). These three actors' performances are outstandingly authentic and riveting. There's no question that if you love to see actors at the top of their game that you shouldn't miss this film. Ryan Phillippe's role as Martijn, however, is the most demanding and he never falters. As the focus character, Ryan's performance creates an incredibly intelligent and complex character.

But this, nevertheless, is a flawed film. It sometimes stumbles over itself. There seems to be some serious issues with editing and pacing. That's too bad. But this is still definitely worth watching if you can handle it's frank look at modern man's sojourn into primitive behavior.

I came to this movie not knowing much about the plot apart from the basic tag line. What a surprise then that this movie has turned out to be such an informative and very realistic exposition of how the use of terror and torture is utilised in todays world.

Fishburne and Phillipe as the two main characters locked in a battle of mind and will power turn in an excellent performance, as do the supporting characters. The story starts swiftly and almost from the beginning the tension is notched up, and with each twist and turn the movie continues to question who really is the good guy in all of this, if indeed there could be one. In fact this movie, if watched with an open mind can dispel so many stereotypical views about Muslims, the war on terror and what governments and organisations are doing in its name. At the very least its a great social commentary and talking point on the use of rendition and torture and its lack of moral standing in a so called civilised world.

In closing, one can say that the movie literally sucks the viewer in to the drama and never lets go until the credits are rolling. By this time you are bound to be left with very interesting questions, the answers for which are quite literally open ended. Even with all the tension created this movie never loses sight of the political commentary and therefore makes this a thinking persons Hostel or Saw. Well worth watching!