Jennifer Lynch tries a bit too hard to follow in her father's footsteps with 'Surveillance' - a decent enough thriller but one that is reliant on the audience believing that two hungover traffic cops would relieve the boredom of a quiet shift in the middle of nowhere by shooting out the tyres of passing vehicles then terrorising the occupants.
This, then, sets the stage for a story that largely unfolds in the local police station as two FBI agents arrive to investigate a spate of killings in the area, including three of the passengers left stranded by the actions of the two cops - one of whom is also killed in the aftermath. The cop in question's partner is one of three survivors, the others being a coke head in her late 20s and a sweet little girl around 10 years old.
As the survivors are questioned by the two FBI agents it becomes clear that the only one telling the truth is the little girl. So focussed on the survivors does the audience become that the twist - when it comes - is entirely unexpected even though there were clues there all along if we'd only noticed. This wrong-footing of the audience is the main strength of the film. On to the weaknesses then...
The performances of the two cops are completely over-the-top in a Nicolas Cage-type way. Unfortunately, the role they are asked to play doesn't allow for a more nuanced performance. The opposite is the case of the young girl and the female coke head, who, despite having seen their loved ones killed in front of their eyes, are fairly relaxed about the entire affair. The coke head in particular comes across as mildly inconvenienced by the events rather than traumatised.
As mentioned previously, the big reveal, when it comes, is unexpected and works well. What works less well, however, is transformation of the two FBI agents who go from being entirely plausible to moustache-twirling stage villains in the blink of an eye.
A 'less is more approach' - not only in the ending but throughout - would have benefitted the film as a whole but, in her eagerness to be seen as her father's daughter, the director has tried to give her audience what it expects rather that what it deserves, making it a decent film rather than a great one.
This, then, sets the stage for a story that largely unfolds in the local police station as two FBI agents arrive to investigate a spate of killings in the area, including three of the passengers left stranded by the actions of the two cops - one of whom is also killed in the aftermath. The cop in question's partner is one of three survivors, the others being a coke head in her late 20s and a sweet little girl around 10 years old.
As the survivors are questioned by the two FBI agents it becomes clear that the only one telling the truth is the little girl. So focussed on the survivors does the audience become that the twist - when it comes - is entirely unexpected even though there were clues there all along if we'd only noticed. This wrong-footing of the audience is the main strength of the film. On to the weaknesses then...
The performances of the two cops are completely over-the-top in a Nicolas Cage-type way. Unfortunately, the role they are asked to play doesn't allow for a more nuanced performance. The opposite is the case of the young girl and the female coke head, who, despite having seen their loved ones killed in front of their eyes, are fairly relaxed about the entire affair. The coke head in particular comes across as mildly inconvenienced by the events rather than traumatised.
As mentioned previously, the big reveal, when it comes, is unexpected and works well. What works less well, however, is transformation of the two FBI agents who go from being entirely plausible to moustache-twirling stage villains in the blink of an eye.
A 'less is more approach' - not only in the ending but throughout - would have benefitted the film as a whole but, in her eagerness to be seen as her father's daughter, the director has tried to give her audience what it expects rather that what it deserves, making it a decent film rather than a great one.
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