Its rare for Hollywood to churn out a movie this bad on this big of a budget, which just reinforces that old adage that money doesn't buy everything.
I always try to find the best in a film, but it's next to impossible with a film this bad. The characters are thin, the plot line weak and the actors unconvincing.
As a thriller, it's dead. If you use cocaine during the film, you might experience some slight elevation in heart rate, but this film is so tedious even that may fail to do the trick.
One of the major problems with the film is the dated storyline. Evil Russian spies sold up until the beginning of the 21st century, but the viewing audience today needs a more contemporary threat. Had the story been set in the 1980s, it would have worked better.
Perhaps my criticisms of the actors is a bit harsh, but they all can and have done far better.
In Mr. Jones, Gere provided an unparalleled performance demonstrating the depths of passion he is capable of delivering. In this film, I got the impression that he just showed up for work on Monday and was going through the (minimum) motions required to get through the day. I really expect more from him in his upcoming films.
Sheen's character was on screen far too little for a man of his talents, and likewise I don't understand why Odette Annabele got such a high billing when she only had a minor role in 3 scenes with a comparable number of lines.
Topher Grace's performance fell only slightly below his norm, but the failure here was more the poorly written script than that of the actor.
so here's the good part: I'd like to nominate this film for "The Golden Rasberry" (Razzies) as the worst film of the year. I half believe that the only reason this film was even released--as an an attempt to get that award.
I always try to find the best in a film, but it's next to impossible with a film this bad. The characters are thin, the plot line weak and the actors unconvincing.
As a thriller, it's dead. If you use cocaine during the film, you might experience some slight elevation in heart rate, but this film is so tedious even that may fail to do the trick.
One of the major problems with the film is the dated storyline. Evil Russian spies sold up until the beginning of the 21st century, but the viewing audience today needs a more contemporary threat. Had the story been set in the 1980s, it would have worked better.
Perhaps my criticisms of the actors is a bit harsh, but they all can and have done far better.
In Mr. Jones, Gere provided an unparalleled performance demonstrating the depths of passion he is capable of delivering. In this film, I got the impression that he just showed up for work on Monday and was going through the (minimum) motions required to get through the day. I really expect more from him in his upcoming films.
Sheen's character was on screen far too little for a man of his talents, and likewise I don't understand why Odette Annabele got such a high billing when she only had a minor role in 3 scenes with a comparable number of lines.
Topher Grace's performance fell only slightly below his norm, but the failure here was more the poorly written script than that of the actor.
so here's the good part: I'd like to nominate this film for "The Golden Rasberry" (Razzies) as the worst film of the year. I half believe that the only reason this film was even released--as an an attempt to get that award.