(2005) **1/2
I was hoping for a bit more from this Wes Craven airplane thriller. Cillian Murphy has a creepy look, and I like Brian Cox in everything he does, and who knew Jack Scalia was even still alive?! But Rachel McAdams gets to carry this one, and something about her just says “meh” to me.
One problem is that the premise doesn't really hold up to much interrogation—it's a really convoluted assassination attempt gone awry. Basically, McAdams has a DCD-type gig at some luxe Miami hotel, and a group of assassins wants one of guests dead, so they need to get his room changed (for their plot to work). McAdams is on a flight, however, so they decide to accost her in the air and force her to phone in the room change for their target. It pretty much plays out as expected from that point: McAdams does her best John McClane to foil the would-be killers.
It's not horrible by any stretch. It's actually a pretty standard glossy Hollywood action flick—not sure why it's marketed as a thriller. Maybe because Wes Craven directed it? There's one great moment when Murphy head butts McAdams, and it's ferocious and shocking. Otherwise, Craven seems to waste Murphy's qualities, and he never seems nearly as menacing as he should. Maybe McAdams needs to seem more vulnerable—if the victim is always so clearly smarter than the killer, how much suspense can there be? It's fun to see Murphy running around with a penhole in his windpipe though.
As a Survivor junkie, I immediately noticed a cameo by that farmboy winner from a few years ago.
I was just able to squeeze this one in before the Sox game last night. Woo-hoo!
7 comments:
I wish my "gig" was in some fancy hotel in Miami! (Actually, no I don't.) Speaking from a Hotel point of view, that seems silly - "Change his room assignment!! He wants a King bed, dammit!"
Hm, Landshark I remember liking this one more than this. I saw it when it first arrived on DVD, and what I remember liking about it was McAdams reaction to the situations. I tend to judge a lot of these things tactically, and I remember she did a bunch of things well in trying to get away from him. I may watch it again and see if I was too generous.
BTW: I freakin' love Brian Cox, he did a great turn in Deadwood, if you haven't seen it yet...
BTW2: LAA, best in the West, pshah….also, nice of Bay to give us a chance to flip the bird to Manny.
I was torn between **1/2 and *** miko, so it's possible that I was a bit harsh.
And Deadwood is probably my favorite show of all time.
"LAA, best in the West, pshah….also, nice of Bay to give us a chance to flip the bird to Manny."
I hope I'm just not getting the references here, because it seems like we're witnessing the precise spot where Miko's brain blew a gasket.
wah, wasting cillian murphy like that! i adore cm and may yet watch this movie just to see him act creepy.
octo, sports references have finally crept onto the blog... it was bound to happen!
Please, oh please, tell me living in LA has not turned you against your home-town team Octo. You don't see Landshark cheering for the Indians. (Actually you don't see ANYONE cheering for the Indians)
Landshark, we can be BFF now. I rant about the perfection of Deadwood to anyone who will listen.
I love the notion that Octo ever had a hometown team.
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