UNKNOWN
FEBRUARY 18, 2011
The final thirty minutes pulls all the pieces of the puzzle together. It would have been a more complete story if some of the information would have been peppered throughout the mid-fifty three minutes.
Liam Neeson (Dr. Martin Harris) put forth an incredible performance that can stand strongly with the rest of his body of work. Neeson, who has been nominated for at least fifteen different awards that include several golden globes, pushed the film forward in every scene.
Neeson left the filming of "Chloe" in Toronto to be with his wife , Natasha Richardson, after a serious skiing accident that eventually led to her death. He has put on a one man show with the amount of films he has put in the can since the passing of Richardson.
Diane Kruger is a natural as Gina, a Bosnian cab driver who saves the life of her passenger, Dr. Martin Harris. Gina is in route to the airport so martin can retrieve his briefcase that was left behind. While attempting to segway through a traffic jam, they become involved in a serious accident.
Kruger shows her skills throughout the film as a gifted actress. During a scene in which her character brings Dr. Martin Harris back to her apartment, Kruger nails the small amount of comedy she is given. Diane shows command when doing the physical scenes such as the river rescue and the attempted kidnapping in her apartment.
Dr. Martin Harris, Dr Bressler (Sebastian Koch) and the other Dr. Martin Harris (Aidan Quinn) have a verbal sparring to convince Bressler who is the real Martin Harris. When the verbal blows end with both doctors talking at the same time the audience burst into laughter. Some audience members were not really sure if it was meant to be funny so it dissipated quickly. The facial expressions of Sebastian Koch had perfect timing in this scene.
The suspense has peaks and valleys towards the end but
Often flat-lined during the middle and took too long to set up. This story could have been told within an hour and fifteen minutes, which would have brought the level of intensity to the maximum from start to finish.
The amount of Mercedes-Benz (buses, trucks or cars) that drive by on the streets of Germany brings about two thoughts of curiosity. First, is this the only brand-named automobile sold in Germany. Second, if Germany does sell other automobile makers, how much did the Mercedes manufacturer invest in this film. There is no doubt this film is an action packed advertisement for the Mercedes-Benz brand name.
RUSTY
2/18/11