Closed Circuit

Passable entertainment only.

An underrated film that took the subject matter seriously and left a lasting realistic impression upon the viewer.

I'm always looking for a good thriller! Glad to find one! A great cast that includes Eric Bana, Rebecca Hall in understated performances, as well as Ciaran Hinds and Julia Stiles. Highly recommend!

After a terrorist attack at a crowded London market the worlds' attention is drawn to the ensuing court case and the two defense lawyers tasked with defending the mastermind behind the attack. From the very start the lawyers feel like they are being played by another government agency who are orchestrating the direction in which the case will lead. When they discover the man arrested for the crime may not be who he says he his they find their lives and the life of the man they are defending are all in danger. I quite liked this thriller. It's a slow burner that drops subtle hints throughout at the intentions of numerous characters conspiring in the background against the greater good. Both the leads worked well but the standout characters for me were those played by Jim Broadbent and Riz Ahmed. To reveal any more about their intentions would reveal spoilers but they were certainly the most memorable. An enjoyable paranoid thriller that is well worth seeing.

Although the movie was well acted, especially by Eric Bana & Rebecca Hall the script was a weak, predictable, Dollar Store knock off of a John le Carré story. It's too bad that Bana & Hall didn't have better material to work with.

didn't care about this movie

It soon becomes obvious why Eric Bana lost his A list status. He's awful in this. What is that accent all about? At one point it's all modulated public school English and the next he sounds like he's just off the dunny on an outback sheep ranch. That said, the dialogue is so bad that the accent issues actually risk becoming post-modern ironic. To add further insult, the accuracy of the characterisation is so poor that I doubt there is an actor in the world that could make any of this work. Anne-Marie Duff's dinner party speech is particularly laughably bad. I thought it couldn't get any worse until Jim Broadbent did his spiel during the hospital visit. Could he be the most implausible Attorney General ever? Could the spooks be any less competent? Clearly, it was a longer film but haphazard editing consigned much of it to the cutting room floor, thankfully resulting in a choppy, lurching narrative that demands your attention.Don't worry though, you'll soon know when things are getting serious because Eric Bana suddenly develops a cigarette habit and says fuck a few times. You can see clear references to other espionage films, the Bourne movies the obvious ones. But the difference is that they were good. This really, really isn't.

SCOTT: (Dr. Scott Allison, Professor of Psychology, University of Richmond) Greg, it looks like we have another corrupt democratic government out to do harm to the good guys. For a change, it isn t the U.S. government. GREG: (Greg Smith, Founder of Agile Writers of Richmond, VA) Closed Circuit, strangely, isn t about cameras but about circuit courts. Let s take a look SCOTT: The film opens with a bang, literally, as we witness a terrorist bomb go off on a crowded London street, killing 120 civilians. Farroukh Erdogan (Denis Moschitto) is arrested and charged with masterminding the attack, and two lawyers, Martin Rose and Claudia Simmons-Howe (Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall) are assigned the task of defending Erdogan in court. Rose and Simmons-Howe are not allowed to speak to each other, as Rose is assigned the task of defending Erdogan in open court while Simmons-Howe is assigned the separate task of defending him during a closed hearing that weighs classified evidence. GREG: Things are going well when Rose realizes that Erdogan was actually an MI-5 agent. That means that the government is indirectly responsible for the bombing and Rose starts to get pressure from shadowy characters to let the courts hang Erdogan in the name of patriotism. Things start to get exciting when Rose tells Simmons and they are on the run. SCOTT: Greg, I had mixed feelings about Closed Circuit. On the positive side, the film is slick, sleek, and stylish. The pacing is excellent and director John Crowley deserves kudos for some clever camera work and some smart, judicious editing. We even have two very appealing heroes in Rose and Simmons, who show great chemistry and romantic sizzle. On the negative side, I was disappointed that two obviously intelligent heroes could make so many questionable decisions. Rose and Simmons display incredible naivet and end up backing themselves into the darkest of corners. Innocent people die because of their stupidity, making it hard for me to root for them despite their obvious virtue and charm. GREG: This film was strangely prophetic having completed filming in October of 2012, just months before the bombing of Boston in April of 2013. I was surprised that the film was still released under these circumstances. In many ways it was very reminiscent of the events of that case. Strangely, the use of closed circuit cameras which played a big part of catching the instigators of the Boston bombing had no place in a movie about the same topic called Closed Circuit. I had similar misgivings about the logic these characters used. Rose realizes that his predecessor had been killed for the knowledge that MI-5 had a part in the bombing. Then proceeds to tell several people about his misgivings. Only in the movies would someone be so stupid. SCOTT: Yes, several times I slapped my forehead with my palm, exasperated that Rose would essentially do the opposite of what anyone with an ounce of common sense would do. That s pretty much an unforgivable offense. Surely both of our heroes would realize how much they were in over their heads. Is it a surprise that virtually everyone they confide in turns out to betray them? And when Simmons knows she has a bulls eye target on her forehead, does it make sense to go home to an apartment that is all glass with mini-blinds that are never pulled shut? And then appear surprised at the possibility that someone might be watching her? I really wanted to like this movie, because our heroes are so likeable and have such an interesting history and lusty spark for each other. But they show questionable judgment over and over again. What a shame. GREG: I actually had a lot of trouble with the direction of this movie, contrary to your earlier accolades. The movie plods along in a characteristically British fashion. The few chase scenes in the film were merely people walking fast to avoid being caught. And some of them were filmed as though the characters were being tracked by closed circuit cameras - which ultimately had nothing to do with the story. I found it annoying and distracting. I m not sure where the hero s journey is in this movie. By the end of the film our heroes come together but they seem unchanged by the events of the film. They are no better, or even worse off than when the film started. Aside from the revelation that the government was involved in the bombing and subsequent cover up, there isn t a lot of excitement in this film. SCOTT: I agree, Greg, that the hero story is largely absent. We have two failed individuals whose only consolation is that after all the carnage they re partly responsible for, they ve at least rekindled their romance. If that s the transformation that s supposed to move us and stir us, it most definitely falls flat. For that reason, I give Closed Circuit just 1 Hero out of 5. The film overall was a bit stronger, due to some fine performances by Bana and Hall and also to some impressive direction and pacing. Closed Circuit didn t impress me but it did somewhat entertain me despite my frustrations with the actions of the lead characters. I award this movie 2 Reels out of 5. Movie: Heroes: GREG: There were a number of attempts to pull at the heart strings. There is a subplot regarding Rose s divorce and his relationship with his 12-year-old son that goes nowhere. It could easily have been left out of the film and no one would be the wiser. For a dry and slow presentation I give Closed Circuit 2 Reels out of 5. And for a mostly absent hero s story I award the film a mere 1 out of 5 Heroes. Movie: Heroes:

Honestly, the MI5 could have been more devilish.

Pretty okay crime thriller with a surprising unexpected twist at the end.