Movies

Although visionary film maker Paul Schrader had this motion picture taken out of his hand by the producer and re-edited, his script and directorial creativity remains powerful and intact. Corrupted by director Brett Ratner at the behest of Lionsgate, it is certainly not the film Schrader wanted to make in its entirety but enough remains of his vision to satisfy those who appreciate his genius. Both Schrader and Cage have disowned this as released, yet Nicholas Cage gives one of his finest performances and that should be imperatively noted. One can see where Schrader's cinematic electricity still runs through the celluloid and where Ratner's clumsy amateurish efforts short circuit the project. It is indeed a shame for this had the potential to earn Oscar nominations all around if not for the egregious studio interference that destroyed what Schrader strived so artistically to achieve.

A nice, although dark thematically, thriller about a CIA veteran agent who has the opportunity to settle his differences with a long time enemy.This film was taken away from director Paul Schrader in post-production and re-edited by the producers. So it could be better if the director has the chance to present it the way he intended.Anyway, Nicolas Cage is sufficient as the CIA veteran who struggles with serious health issues and against the willing of his Agency to catch a terrorist who is presumed dead. He shows frustration and pain but also the will to complete his task and have an honorable closure.It's not a complicate spy thriller but the suspense escalates in a steady rate. The narrative seems hasty though and the course to the finale could have been build up more properly.Overall: A decent thriller with a Nicolas Cage who really tries....

I can't say I've ever seen a bad Nick Cage movie. Some better than others of course, but he always seems to carry the movie no matter how badly written or executed. However, in this case I don't think he needed to carry it much. It's no classic and yes this movie won't resonate through time, but if you go into it aware of this, it's a pretty decent movie. There was enough suspense, for me anyway, in the build up to the eventual meeting and Nick Cage's progressive decline in health added to that tension. The ending did have a somewhat typical Hollywood drama associated with it, like Mike Myers rising after you think he's dead, but even with all that, I found the movie carried itself well, acting was very good and any plot holes were easily dismissed. A recommend this as an evening rental, enjoy.