I'll be honest: the reason that I really wanted to watch this movie, even though I figured it would probably be formulaic though vaguely interesting, is the smoking hot Vera Farmiga. She also happens to be a pretty great actress. From her object of a ventriloquist's affection in the little-watched indie Dummy, to the end-is-near Matt Damon's girlfriend in The Departed, and the easy-to love, impossible-to-have frequent flier in Up in the Air, she has been on my radar for several years. Unfortunately, I was misled to believe she was one of the main actors in the movie, when, in fact, her screen time is much more limited than that.
Enter main actress Kate Beckinsale, who I've actually never seen in a movie before, though I've seen her in interviews-- where she's very well-spoken and delightful-- and I know that she is well-liked among many of my friends, so I was also optimistic of her acting duties. Of Matt Dillon I'm a little more dubious, though for no real reason. Beckinsale and Farmiga are good, as is co-star Alan Alda, though Dillon is, admittedly, stiff and a bit inarticulate.
The film itself is quite will-she-won't-she and ends up seeming a bit longer than it's 100 minute screen time, though, to its credit, it doesn't drag on incessantly. Basically, the movie follows a reporter (Beckinsale) who "outs" Farmiga as a CIA operative. But because she won't reveal her source for this piece (though she's correct), she finds herself in a world of hurt as a "special prosecutor" (Dillon) attempts to extract from her the source's identity. She stays resolute, even as her family (including "Novelist Ross" David Schwimmer) falls around her and she remains enjailed (not a real word, I'm guessing, but I'm sure it's appeared in a New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle at least once) until she gives up the information.
The movie is basically the above, forward, back, and forward again, though buoyed by some decent performances. Watch out for the ending though; it almost makes you want your 100 minutes back. Super lame.
Score: 7/10
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