Closed Circuit

With the waft of a BBC movie and with some pretty shoddy production values, Boy A (a film you have to track down that features an early stunning turn from Spider-Man himself Andrew Garfield) director John Crowley's 2013 thriller Closed Circuit starts off in a very mundane way and while not translating into anything more than a well-paced if highly unbelievable thriller it marks itself off as an enjoyable way to pass 90 minutes of your life with a story that will grow on you as the red herrings and mysteries pile up.

Closed Circuit is a certainly a strange name for a movie that really has nothing to do with surveillance, instead Crowley's film focuses on the tensions and discoveries made between Eric Bana's gruff (and very un-British sounding) arrogant lawyer Martin Rose and one time lover Claudia Simmons-Howe played by the always threatening to break out of b grade status Rebecca Hall. These people are not overly likable and the film lacks a figure that can up the feel of the piece as a whole even though it's nice to see fine character actors Ciaran Hinds, Jim Broadbent and a man possibly bound for future stardom in the form of the always great Riz Ahmed get some nice supporting roles. With a lack of real interest for the films body of people it is up to the plot boiler story to carry it through.

As previously mentioned Closed Circuit's story is not really too concerned with being overly believable, in one particular instance it is insinuated that a large government agency such as Mi5 can't hack computers but by and by the story succeeds at grabbing your attention and making you keen enough to see how it all transpires. At the heart of the story is a very intriguing and relatively possible scenario of agency meddling gone wrong and the idea of terrorist attacks on a city like London remain frighteningly possible which gives the film a feeling of current time relevance.

Lacking an acting spark that would have really made Closed Circuit more the sum of its parts, in saying that the film does still remain to be a solid and at times surprising thriller. Ending off proceedings in a manner that shows us just what could have been with this story, Closed Circuit is forgettable yet not regrettable and for topical thrillers that is a refreshing twist.

3 Bran Stark's out of 5

Writer Steven Knight (Eastern Promises, Dirty Pretty Things, Redemption) has turned out another tense thriller that is all the more poignant because of the state of affairs with all countries win their subterfuge of crossing lines with the various branches of 'justice' and investigation now made more visible post Edward Snowden's lifting of the veil of secrecy that has for so long confused the public as to how the governments actually function in the struggle with terrorism. This one of course focuses on Britain's multi-phased departments both in criminal work and judicial response. If for no other reason this film is worth watching to see just how occult those sorts of dealings are an how in essence our individual privacy is a dinosaur. A high-profile terrorism case involving an alleged Turkish terrorist Farroukh Erdogan (Denis Moschitto) who sets off a major bomb in central London, killing scores of people unexpectedly binds together two ex-lovers Martin (Eric Bana) and Claudia (Rebecca Hall) on divisive sides of the defense team - testing the limits of their loyalties and placing their lives in jeopardy. The cast of characters on both sides of the Turkish terrorist plot are polished and conniving and include Ciarán Hinds, Jim Broadbent, Anne-Marie Duff, Julia Stiles (the sole American in the mêlée), Riz Ahmed, Kenneth Cranham, to name a few excellent performances. The use of multiple screens throughout the film not only enhances the plot but also laces a magnifying glass on the techniques of the security measures that affect us all. This is a fast moving, tense, credible movie that carries far more importance than the story it tells. Well worth watching, especially in view of the increasing exposure of understanding terrorism thanks to the presence of television series such as Homeland, Person of Interest, Strike Back et al.

Grady Harp

"From infancy on, we are all spies; the shame is not this but that the secrets to be discovered are so paltry and few." John Updike

Thrillers involving international heavy weights like the super British spy agency, MI5, are durable, reeking of intrigue and inscrutability. Such is the case of Closed Circuit with its terrorism incident killing scores of civilians and a subsequent trial at Old Bailey, where Martin Rose (Eric Bana) has been appointed defense counsel for accused spy, Farroukh Erdogan (Denis Moschitto). Many questions are unanswered before the trial, not the least of the answers sealed in documentation not even the accused may see.

The plot has intelligent qualities; the execution not so. Martin's colleague, Claudia (Rebecca Hall), is a special advocate for the defense—only she may see the secret information. Unfortunately they had an affair, a fact that may compromise their case. One of the main players in the investigation is a young boy, a plot turn with possibilities but never fully exploited.

And so it goes, nothing really new after that. Some good guys turn out to be bad, MI5 is not transparent, and the accused is not who we thought he was. The closed circuit motif, introduced at the titles and interspersed throughout, is not as important as the title and occasional shots would suggest. Except for the shots of London around the Eye, nothing seems to be worth spending millions on the film for.

After the secrets have been revealed and the plot twist dutifully rendered, you may leave the theater feeling you missed something. You didn't. It's all a part of the requirements of the genre, perhaps a comforting feeling that you knew it all along. As for me, I missed what it could have been in my favorite city in the world.

Conspiracy theories. Espionage. Terrorist acts. All this is present in the film Closed Circuit. What are not present are depth in theories developed by the characters and explanations of crucial details of the film.

Starring Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall, the film shows us a little of the British judicial system. This is perhaps one of the biggest flaws of the script. The lack of explanation of how this system works and how it is structured, does not allow us to get into the story, just accept what is shown.

About the actors, Eric Bana is what to be expected for those who have seen his films. In contrast, Rebecca Hall shows the same talent seen in The Prestige (2006) and The Town (2010). Jim Broadbent gives us another opportunity to see his gift, even in fast appearances during a 90-minute film.

The film wants to leave the place where it started, however the lack of surprising elements in the script makes everything back to the beginning. This is the same path that follows the protagonist throughout the story.

With good performances and good chemistry from Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall, "Closed Circuit" is an exciting legal thriller that makes you wonder whether there may be something about those conspiracy theories that we have all heard since 9/11. Beautifully crafted, the film will keep you on the edge of your seat and inform you about the British legal system. If, toward the end, it turns a bit into the realm of make believe, it is all done in a way where the protagonists never seem so far fetched in their actions that all of a sudden the film turns into Mission Impossible. Everyone knows that this IS possible and it's what makes the film good.