Greetings again from the darkness. Director Phillip Noyce has brought us some good films ("Dead Calm", "Patriot Games") and some not so good films ("Sliver"). His style in shooting is very professional and his films always feel well planned out. This film is the remarkable story of Patrick Chamusso who was just trying to live a "normal" life and provide for his family until driven to join the anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa when he and his wife are erroneously tortured after a crime they knew nothing of.
The story demonstrates how one thing can send a person's life flying off track despite their best intentions. Derek Luke is excellent as Patrick and Tim Robbins plays the government agent responsible for motivating Patrick to take action that so went against his personality. I have often thought Robbins is overrated as an actor ("Mystic River") but here he is quietly chilling in his pursuit of terrorists against his way of life. Also amazing is the performance of Bonnie Henna as Precious, Patrick's wife.
Written by Shawn Slovo (who also wrote "A World Apart"and whose parents were the white leaders of the anti-apartheid movement), the story is fascinating ... but for a film, something is missing. We feel for Patrick and his family, but overall there is an emotional disconnect between the viewer and the characters. At the end we see clips of the real Patrick Chanusso and his "family" of more than 80 kids. This man has a wonderful story to tell and a real documentary would probably be more effective than Noyce's dramatic attempt. Nothing wrong, but something is just missing here.
The story demonstrates how one thing can send a person's life flying off track despite their best intentions. Derek Luke is excellent as Patrick and Tim Robbins plays the government agent responsible for motivating Patrick to take action that so went against his personality. I have often thought Robbins is overrated as an actor ("Mystic River") but here he is quietly chilling in his pursuit of terrorists against his way of life. Also amazing is the performance of Bonnie Henna as Precious, Patrick's wife.
Written by Shawn Slovo (who also wrote "A World Apart"and whose parents were the white leaders of the anti-apartheid movement), the story is fascinating ... but for a film, something is missing. We feel for Patrick and his family, but overall there is an emotional disconnect between the viewer and the characters. At the end we see clips of the real Patrick Chanusso and his "family" of more than 80 kids. This man has a wonderful story to tell and a real documentary would probably be more effective than Noyce's dramatic attempt. Nothing wrong, but something is just missing here.