Surveillance (2008)

Very disappointing...

Good movie but grossly overrated

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The plot is Rob Zombie-esque, and there isn't a single redeeming quality to make up for how gratuitously nasty nearly all of the scenes are. After a horrific opening few minutes, the level of sickness rises as the movie goes on, until it reached a level where a sick feeling rose up that I haven't experienced since I came across Cannibal Holocaust when I was 18.No part of the story actually makes sense, and I really feel like everyone in this was just desperate for money except Bill and Julia, who frankly I will never look at the same again.When I watched 'Truth or Consequences, New Mexico', there was a moment when it dawned on me that it actually WAS the case that it was the kind of movie that Kiefer Sutherland always wanted to make.Clearly, Bill Pullman and Julia Ormond secretly wanted to be in a video nasty.Unless you actually like really depressing and graphic violence, skip this film.

We have two FBI agents attending small town America where a family has been slaughtered. The local police are to put it mildly dysfunctional, shooting out the wheels of passing cars out of boredom and then hassling the poor occupants. The twist is pretty obvious but does not take away from the film. The leads are excellent Julia Ormond and Bill Pullman, the rest of the cast contribute to a taught, claustrophobic movie. The violence is graphic but not over the top. The budget was $3,500,000 compare this to the absolutely abysmal Unfinished Business which had a budget of $35,000,000 which shows good movies can be made if not exactly on the cheap but a realistic amount for a modern film.

The name of the movie, as well as the cast itself, made me think it would be a good one. Yeah, alright, Julia Ormond is playing TV now and Bill Pullman didn't do much lately and Michael Ironside was always good, but in a supporting cast, but the three of them together must mean something good. Instead it was a very boring slasher movie, only the sadistic killers used all weapons at their disposal.But the problems don't stop there. Most of the characters were designed to be extremely obnoxious, so much that didn't feel real, not to mention completely unlikable. So without someone to relate to, you are left looking at boring dialogue that drags on and on and on until the big twist is being revealed.And then there is the ending, that means just about nothing. Why did I watch an hour and a half of that? What was with the completely surreal situations? Why was I subjected to the clunky dialogue? Was the movie made by sadistic killers to torture the viewers as well? I hope you never find out, because my recommendation is to avoid the move at all costs.

............................................................from Pasto,Colombia...Via: L.A. CA., CALI, COLOMBIA and ORLANDO, FL Jennifer Lynch, daughter of David Lynch (Mullholand Dr....Yes, I can see that!) You can rest assured, with each passing year, Ms. Lynch's name will grow ever more prominent! Several friends have rated this 6*. Hmmm, up front, for the record, 9*; loud and clear, front and center. My prognostication: SURVEILLANCE will soon attain "Cult Classic" status, with legions of aficionados. You heard it here first, from the Id of Dr. Morbius! Now I'll tell you why. Almost from the very onset, the underlying tension, the nail-biting, sparks-flying friction between characters is hypnotic and entrancingly numbing. Surveillance is beyond dark, to the point of being "Non-commercial"! Now, is that good? Well, you'll have to decide that for yourself! ***** Very MINOR SPOILERS Coming Up! ******Lots of reviewers have mentioned the "surprise ending". IMHO there are quite obviously 2 back-to-back, from-out-of-left-field plot twists at the end of the movie. Well 3, if you count the…OOPS! I can't really say, now can I? Ms. Lynch is really up to snuff on her movie-making technique. Editing, camera-angles, photography, close-ups, and pacing; SUPERB, ALL of them! WOW! SURVEILLANCE wasn't a .22 Caliber bullet to my brain…it was a .45! Blew my mind in one fell swoop! But this film has "POLARIZING" written all over it! From sincere, soul-searching reviewers, we should see lots of either 8 to 10* ratings, or 2* and 3* ones. The violence, although mostly not extremely graphic, nor taking up much on-screen time, considering the genre, was so pathologically twisted, I'm sure it'll prove too just intense for the likings of many. For this reason, I've had a change of heart, or let's say GUTS, to 8*......ENJOY/DISFRUTELA!Any comments, questions or observations, in English o en Español, are most welcome! [email protected]