Restitution

Seriously, Tom Arnold was the whole movie...the star was a boring out of shape very average looking guy..that looks like he works at Sprint or Verizon....seriously my first thought was, " oh, great another Canadian B movie...something to fall asleep to " The music awful, acting was crap, choppy filming... I agree with the first 3 reviews Tom Arnold cracked me up The leads sneakers were so wrong for what he was wearing and he moved like an out of shape 35 year old first day at the gym Personally, I watch more movies than the average person and I know a great film when I see one... This is the type of movie I will watch at 3am when I can't sleep or when I can't watch my favorite movie, "Tower Heist" for the 7th time ....but after seeing this, I don't mind watching Tower Heist one more time

I don't think I've ever seen choreography of action sequences this sloppy or acting this horrible. Talk about low rent! (Starting off a review like this, you know what's coming is bad. But read on!) By the way, has Tom Arnold fallen this far from A-List? Come to think of it, was he ever really A-List?

Anyway, Restitution is a film directed and co-written by Lance Kawas. If you've never heard of him, don't beat yourself up too badly. Nobody has... (Moving on!)

The film follows the actions of a rookie author, Alex Forrester, as he lands in a sleepy town on Lake Michigan trying to uncover the truth behind a pair of odd killings committed by a highly intrusive, but otherwise decent, insurance investigator. The insurance investigator then ends up dead, himself. Forrester intends to write a book on his findings, but if he digs too deep, he might end up dead just like the insurance investigator.

There are a few plot twists along the way as we build up to the climax and then there's a final plot twist at the very end that puts everything that precedes it into perspective. Some savvy viewers might call the big plot twist way before the ending. If you do call it, then get up and pop in another movie right away! If others are still watching, quickly leave the room and find something else better to do. Like watching a cup of ice melt. Why? Because despite the horrible directing, acting, dialog, cinematography, and everything else, the plot was the only thing remotely interesting Restitution had going for it. So, if you figure it out before the ending, you'll be really angry because nothing else is worth the wait. Furthermore, I don't even think the ending was a big enough payout for the prolonged suspense the writers created to get to the end result.

Another major problem is Kawas' inability to commit to a specific genre, especially early on. At times I didn't know if I was watching a comedy, a mystery, a lost footage film, or even a spoof flick. Directing 101: it's hard for an audience to take a film seriously if they're too confused about what direction the "director" is taking them.

I think if this film had been given a larger budget and great writers that would have tweaked the ending and delivered decent dialog, it could have been a hit. The plot had plenty of potential. However, suspense and a decent plot aside, everything else about this film screams "low rent" to the 10th power. It stinks!

The man who produced and starred in this film is a joke. He took decent actors (Et Tu, Bill Sadler?) and gave them some terrible lines to read. Then he had the audacity to put himself in the lead when he has no talent. There are PLENTY of better actors in Michigan than him. But instead of caring about the CRAFT of film-making, he just wanted to fulfill his fantasy of having Mena Suvari play his girlfriend. Mark, when Tom Arnold out-acts you, you need to WISE UP. I am begging you to stop making films. Seriously, your money could be spent on something so much better. Everything about this film is horrible: the special effects, the "action," the cinematography, and the music. The best you can hope for is that the Mystery Science Theatre 3000 crew will get a hold of this and give it the thrashing that it deserves.

I was - whatever - absorbed?

PI unearths plot, and pays the price. OK. It wasn't too noir, wasn't over-hip. Mena Suvari (bra on sex scene contract not withstanding) was real, and genuine, and it could almost have been a romcom. (I don't think I've ever had a sex scene with bras on, personally).

And then, it just suddenly revives. A new character, a new phase, act 2.

And then, suddenly, Act 3. People stop being who they were, and use guns. Who knew? Even, when it all calms down, another twist, and we have act 3.1.

My son-in-law is the acid test. If there are plot holes, he disses the film, and I wish I hadn't suggested it.

This got a 'pass' on his radar, (though he agreed with the 'stupid no tits rule'.

Worth a look. I was surprised, a few times. And that no longer happens often.

I never thought I'd be saying this, but Tom Arnold completely out-acts everybody else in this movie. This includes Sadler and Suvari, who are simply outclassed.

But I'm willing to accept that all the B-list actors just needed a paycheck, and that Bierlin needed a vanity project. What I can't handle is that, like many of the scripts nowadays, this is just so poorly and incomprehensibly written. Bierlin continuously paints himself into corners and then introduces some ridiculous plot turn or event to get his characters free.

Not recommended.