The Advocate

I had the chance to see The Advocate at the 2013 Dances With Films Festival, and a few months later I'm still thinking about it.

Despite being a low-budget indie, The Advocate is neither your typical festival piece, nor a straight up genre slasher. The film is quite polished and restrained for a thriller, which is really to say it's smartly written, directed, acted, and yes, edited--that can never be underestimated with a small film like this.

True to the genre, the story has its fair share of twists and turns, so I don't want to give too much away, but aside from being a compelling murder mystery, it's also a deeply psychological tale about the pain of loss. And that sadness is superbly conveyed by lead actor Sachin Mehta, who heads a memorable cast that truly reflects the multi-cultural identity of LA. To top it off, the performances are underscored by a penetrating soundtrack that sails through the ethereal yet fierce territory of a nouveau-noir world riddled with deceit, loneliness, and revenge.

Thankfully, it's not all heavy duty. The Advocate also boasts those playful Hitchcockian moments of comic release. And the dialog isn't the only thing bouncing, there are some great glares going around, too. I'd like to see a mash-up of all those suspiciously sultry looks lending themselves to some good old campy fun.

Ultimately, the best thing about this flick is that it sticks with you. With all the layers of the mystery, it's the type of movie you want to talk about afterward, and maybe even revisit to study the clues once again.

The story had potential, but that potential was knifed, shot and strangled to death almost as soon as it started, and was certainly dead by the time the credits rolled.

The acting in particular, especially by the lead, was SO bad, I could hardly stand to keep watching. It was like every word out of his mouth was being read for the first time off a cue card, after spending his entire life in over-enunciation school. It was as far from natural and believable as any dialogue I've ever heard in a movie, and kept me from being able to stay engaged in the story. With every word, I was ripped from a suspension of disbelief and slapped in the face again and again with the fact of completely contrived it was.

And that stilted dialogue doomed the script itself to coming off as completely contrived as well.

The over-enthusiastic review with all the stars just has to be by someone who was involved in this horrible production. "Bad taste" just doesn't even come close to covering it as a reason.

My advice is to skip this dog, and go see a high school play instead, which would be much more entertaining.

The Advocate is a terrific criminal mystery film produced on a limited budget and excels in both categories. This film was well paced, with continual twists and turns that keep you fully engaged. Sachin Meta agonizes throughout, yet at times is also cool and in charge and at other times determined and doomed in his search for Absolute Justice. Is Kristine Klebe a beautiful heroine or is she a murderer; her story plays with you, at times you are sympathetic and at other times you are suspicious or disbelieving. It is a fascinating journey. The Advocate was remarkably well produced given its limited budget; and hard to imagine how much more powerful it could have been as a full blown Hollywood-style production. I would see it again.

I have not seen a film this good in a very long time! Well and intelligently written: good plot, witty dialogue, and interesting characters. Even the ending was a bit surprising.

I would describe this movie as a legal & psychological thriller. By the time it was almost over, I had imagined several suspects including the attorney's assistant as the accused's lover! Yeah that was a bit over the top. Anyway, I was very impressed with the film. The only set back is I believe the actors could have been more polished, except for Sachin.

All in all, it was good to watch an entertaining film on an otherwise boring Monday.

P.S. There is no nudity in this film. I don't know why that other reviewer called it a porn film?????

I saw this film at a Film Festival at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

Originality is rare commodity in film these days. It seems like everything has already been done.

But this film has some ORIGINAL twists & turns.

It's not predictable. That's because of the writing.

And the old-fashioned Court Room Drama is a lost art. It's nice to see a film without explosions from time to time.

The acting is believable.

This is a smart movie.

It's well-crafted and definitely worth seeing.