Rating of
3/4
Has a Sharpness to It
Franz Patrick - wrote on 01/04/09
The beginning was so all over the place that I was almost certain I would give this film a two stars at best when it ended. I was proven wrong in the second half when everything started coming together. The jokes are more witty, the characters are more interesting because they’ve begun to change, and the implications regarding politics are more powerful. Richard Gere, Terrence Howard, and Jesse Eisenberg are amusing as three journalists who attempt to capture one of the most wanted terrorists in the world. I couldn’t stop smiling to myself when they eventually resulted to posing as CIA agents because they are so desperate to reach their goal. Richard Shepard, the director, did a good job of not making the story heavy-handed. I’m a big fan of his film called “The Matador” which definitely has similarities to this film. He has a talent of telling unconventional CIA stories that are both thrilling and comedic. And it was really hard for me to assign this picture to one genre because it touches pretty much all genres due to its subject matter. If only the first half of this movie was as good as the second half, I think it would’ve been an instant favorite of mine. It took too long to establish the characters and their purpose. Upon reading the film’s plot, we know which direction it’s going to take so there’s no reason for it to be unfocused. If one decides to watch this movie, I suggest not to get discouraged during the first forty minutes because the rest of it has something meaningful to offer. It suggests a lot about how certain groups of power like the CIA and the United Nations might work in real life.
