What a lame movie. Still not sure why I sat through it, apart from the hope that it would get better.
First off, the acting is bad, very bad. Meryl Streep is above average and Alfred Molina is decent, but that's about it. I felt like whacking Liam Neeson several times throughout. I suppose he did the best with his character, but his character was too stupid and annoying to appreciate. Edward Furlong, who, in my opinion, is overrated, was also horrible in his typical role as a troubled teen (See: American History X, Terminator II, and Pet Sematary II, etc.). In every movie he's been in, he always looks like he's about to start crying, no matter what the scene may call for, and that got on my nerves tremendously. Okay, in American History X he was above average (still shadowed tremendously by the wonderful Edward Norton), but in this movie he's just... well... bad. And the girl who plays the daughter--Julia Weldon, whoever she is--was the worst of all.
The plot and screenplay also suffer. This could've been an interesting--if not entirely original--suspense film. I was expecting something similar to Primal Fear (1996), with interesting twists and plot developments. However, we get nothing in that department. Instead we get a simple, boring storyline that is somewhat predictable. The anticlimax is horribly disappointing.
Avoid this movie if you're looking for something suspenseful. This is basically just a simple drama. If you want a good movie about a convicted kid who may or may not be innocent, see Primal Fear with Richard Gere and Edward Norton.
First off, the acting is bad, very bad. Meryl Streep is above average and Alfred Molina is decent, but that's about it. I felt like whacking Liam Neeson several times throughout. I suppose he did the best with his character, but his character was too stupid and annoying to appreciate. Edward Furlong, who, in my opinion, is overrated, was also horrible in his typical role as a troubled teen (See: American History X, Terminator II, and Pet Sematary II, etc.). In every movie he's been in, he always looks like he's about to start crying, no matter what the scene may call for, and that got on my nerves tremendously. Okay, in American History X he was above average (still shadowed tremendously by the wonderful Edward Norton), but in this movie he's just... well... bad. And the girl who plays the daughter--Julia Weldon, whoever she is--was the worst of all.
The plot and screenplay also suffer. This could've been an interesting--if not entirely original--suspense film. I was expecting something similar to Primal Fear (1996), with interesting twists and plot developments. However, we get nothing in that department. Instead we get a simple, boring storyline that is somewhat predictable. The anticlimax is horribly disappointing.
Avoid this movie if you're looking for something suspenseful. This is basically just a simple drama. If you want a good movie about a convicted kid who may or may not be innocent, see Primal Fear with Richard Gere and Edward Norton.