Of all the glaring problems faced by the filmmakers, no other predicament meddles more intrusively than the soundtrack. Whether it’s a matter of sound mixing, effects editing, levels, frequency, composition, or purely selection, a distinct aural confusion is apparent. With overconfidence perhaps more than uncertainty, the range is decisive but flawed, bullying the more important subjects into the background of artistic arrangement. The fact that the notes never lets up, continually transitioning from romantic to suspenseful to mere accompaniment, lends to the overall unnatural abrasiveness.
With juvenile camerawork, generic dialogue and insincere actions, the thankful redeeming light is Dean Cain and Christie Burson, both of whom appear marginally comfortable in their roles. Joe Jones gives off a New Jersey Liam Neeson vibe, while Michael Madsen can’t help but play himself, given a familiar crime boss persona with tongue-twisting insults and contrary mood swings. Most of the supporting cast screams of inexperience, with an exaggeration on mysteriousness – of which the story presents nearly none.
If it weren’t bad enough that clerks, bodyguards and detectives seem stiff, inconsequential and generally uneasy, and that sex scenes play out with participants remaining fully clothed, the lack of genuine mystery is irritating at best. Instead of luring the audience in with the disorienting timeline and cutaways from character shock, the only puzzlement is handed to Michael in the film, not the viewers who are in on the scheme entirely too much. Rather than solving a conundrum as the leads uncover clues, we’re given every indication and each solution far in advance, leaving nothing to ponder except why the murder-mystery perplexity vanished from the get-go.
- The Massie Twins