Yet another feature based on a graphic novel, Surrogates is surprisingly taut as a sci-fi thriller, even though the man vs. machine theme is getting somewhat old.
Tom Greer (Bruce Willis) is a cop who lives in a futuristic world in which advanced robotics have made it possible for people to "live their lives" without ever leaving their homes. These robots are called surrogates, developed and marketed by a global corporation called VSI, founded by inventor Canter (James Cromwell). With these surrogates, the human "operators" can be whoever they want to be, and do whatever they want to do without the danger of being killed or harmed, and privacy laws protect their true identities, if they wish. In fact, cops like Greer haven't had to deal with violent crimes for a long time.
Greer and his wife, Maggie (Rosamund Pike), have their respective surrogates that look like their younger selves. They also have not interacted with each other in person since their son's death in an accident years ago. A double-homicide puzzles Greer -- surrogates are supposed to be safe. When Greer and his partner, Peters (Radha Mitchell) discover the identity of one of the victims, their investigation leads them to Canter and the leader of the human faction (who see surrogates as abominations), The Prophet (Ving Rhames). Somehow, someone has invented a lethal weapon that kills an operator while connected to the surrogate.
When Greer (or should we say, his surrogate) is in pursuit of a suspect, he stumbles into the human-only colony and the surrogate is destroyed. Having violated the treaty, Greer is suspended and has to go about without his surrogate. After years of isolation from the "real world," Greer has a hard time adjusting to being "human" again, among all the surrogates in the world. But he's not giving up, and his investigation reveals a dark conspiracy that threatens everyone in the world.
Bruce Willis (Die Hard 4) is the perfect go-to guy to play the disillusioned cop. He's in his full Die Hard mode, but in a strange futuristic setting. The "young" Willis as a surrogate is in fact very creepy to look at. But age is on Willis's side, and his portrayal of Greer is seasoned and solid. Rahda Mitchell (Feast of Love) is a good partner to Willis: young, attractive, and tough. The fact that she plays a surrogate is also creepy, but less so since we hardly get to know or see the "operator" behind the scene.
Rosamund Pike (Fracture) is refined in her dual roles as Greer's wife and her surrogate. There's an interesting and appropriate plasticity to her performance as the surrogate, while her portrayal of the grieving wife is very touching. James Cromwell (W) is dutiful as Canter. Ving Rhames (The Tournament) is wasted as The Prophet (although once you know who he really is, you'd know why). Boris Kodjoe (All About Us) is somewhat slight as a pivotal character, and Jack Noseworthy (Pretty Ugly People) is also wasted in a relatively trivial role.
Adapted from a graphic novel, the screenplay is written by Michael Ferris (Terminator Salvation) and John D. Brancato (Terminator Salvation). Surprisingly, it follows a taut action-thriller structure interspersed with personal drama. The suspense, action, and dialogue are all very standard, but the premise is an intriguing one. We can't help but ask: What would we do if we could live our lives without danger, and we can be whoever we want to be? In a way, some of us already are living that kind of fantasies with their online personas and avatars. The thematic questions are profound: What is real? What does mean to be human?
The sci-fi elements of the story are intriguing, although we've seen many man vs. machine stories already, most notably the Terminator series (the writers worked on the latest film). There's a certain tiresomeness in all that. What Ferris and Brancato have succeeded is to inject drama and true human emotions into the action-packed plot, and make us care about these characters. They also are able to slow down the pace to ask intriguing moral questions, about right and wrong, or does the end justify the means?
Director Jonathan Mostow (Terminator 3) is no stranger to action films, and his direction is suitable for the material. The pacing is right, with good amount of interpersonal drama without bogging down the plot. The production is slick (although at times it does feel a bit "low" budget). The editing is sharp and creates good tension and suspense. While the final act and climax are rather contrived, they fit the story arc and are appropriate and satisfying for the story.After so much recent disappointment with regard to graphic novel-based features, I'm pleasantly surprised by Surrogates. While it's far from being perfect or groundbreaking, the movie is solid sci-fi escapism that offers some profound meditation on the age-old questions about technologies and humanity.
Stars: Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, Boris Kodjoe, James Francis Ginty, James Cromwell, Ving Rhames, Jack Noseworthy
Director: Jonathan Mostow
Writers: Michael Ferris, John D. Brancato (based on graphic novel by Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele)
Distributor: Walt Disney
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing images, language, sexuality and drug-related scenes
Running Time: 88 Minutes
Ratings:
Script – 7
Performance – 7
Direction – 7
Cinematography – 7
Music/Sound– 7
Editing – 8
Production – 8
Total – 7.2 out of 10
Mark Whitacre (Matt Demon) is a VP at Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), a Lysine developing company. Mark started as an Ivy-League educated biochemist and worked his way up the corporate ladder, and his job is in jeopardy when a virus threatens to ruin their entire crop. Mark gets a secret tip from a Japanese competitor on how to fix the problem, but is informed that there is a mole who sabotaged the company. When the FBI is called in for an investigation and they want to tap Mark's phone, Mark -- urged by his wife Ginger (Melanie Lynskey) -- confesses to FBI agent Brian Shepard (Scott Bakula) that he's been involved in a price-fixing operation with the senior executives at ADM.
Hoping his actions would help him avoid jail time, Mark agrees to become an informant for the FBI to gather evidence. At first he's only giving the FBI confidential documents, but that's not enough. They need hard evidence, including the actual act of negotiations and agreements. So Mark goes undercover and gathers hundreds of audio and video tapes to help the FBI build their case.
After the FBI raids the company and arrests the executives, Mark's status the whistle-blower is gradually revealed. Mark is not prepared for the media and corporate maelstroms, and eventually, he cracks and confesses to Shepard that he's lied. The truth is even more damning than the price-fixing. His action puts the entire operation in jeopardy as well as putting himself in a bad position in the court of law.
A lot of hubbub has been raised around Matt Damon (The Bourne Ultimatum) gaining over 30 pounds to play the balding, pudgy executive. In general, Damon has given an interesting, comical but also serious performance as a man suffering from bipolar disorder. Yet his character displays so many unattractive attributes, it's hard to completely identify with him. Melanie Lynskey (Away We Go) is sweet as Mark's doting and trusting wife, whose protective nature of her husband and family created the inciting incident that snowballs into a total fiasco.
Scott Bakula (Enterprise) is really good as FBI agent Shepard. He is steady, ernest and surprisingly friendly toward Mark Whitacre, a man often acting like a buffoon instead of an Ivy-League PhD. Bakula's solid performance and his character serve as the proxy for the audiences: we want to get the bad guys, and we're fooled by Mark just the way Shepard is. Thomas F. Wilson (Back to the Future) is excellent as ADM's top executive who is in the center of the company's price-fixing schemes. Wilson can play this type of slimy characters in his sleep. The huge supporting cast also includes Scott Adsit (30 Rock) as an executive and Joel McHale (The Soup) as an FBI agent.
Adapted by Scott Z. Burns (The Bourne Ultimatum) from Kurt Eichenwald's nonfiction, the screenplay is based on the true story of Whitacre, who became the highest-ranking corporate executive in US history to turn whistle-blower. The story is fascinating, no doubt. However, Burns' adaptation is confusing, convoluted, and in some ways, schizophrenic. I had a hard time understanding what was going on for a good portion of the film, and I'm not a dumb guy. The random, rambling narration by Damon doesn't help either -- I understand it is part of his characterization but it just comes out as distractions.
The dialogue is snappy and witty enough. Unfortunately, the over all comedic tone seems to try too hard to make a comedy out of a serious story. Price fixing and corporate crime are not funny matters, especially in light of all the financial turmoils the country and the world are facing right now. The comedic aspect of the film seems off-putting and inappropriate. Not to mention the protagonist, Mark Whitacre, just isn't all that likable. He's portrayed as a pudgy, self-absorbed liar and cheater, and everything about him is driven by self-interest. It is really difficult to identify and sympathize with a guy like him, thus it's really difficult to get into the story without a huge dose of cynicism.
Steven Soderbergh (Ocean 13) is a good director, and his films are usually slick and full of energy. The Informant! isn't that far off track. The story resembles The Insider (even with the same middle-aged, pug protagonist) but the tone is very different. Soderbergh's pace is brisk, and the production sharp. But the production gets bogged down by the convoluted story and the plot twists. They've tried too hard. Granted, the twist at the end is interesting, giving new meaning to the whole thing. But we, like Agent Shepard, feels frustrated because it seems like we've been played for a fool. This is a story from Mark's perspective but we're not allowed to see things from his perspective. Instead, we're kept in the dark just as much as everyone else, and that doesn't feel good. I would have preferred Soderbergh let us in on the secret early on so we have better insights on the problems Mark faces.
Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckinsale) is a US Marshall stationed at a research facility in Antarctica during the "summer." Just a few days before the entire team leaves for the long winter, a body shows up in an isolated patch of ice miles away. The body turns out to be a geologist working at a nearby Russian station. Carrie believes it's homicide, but Dr. John Fury reminds her that if she continues with the investigation, they'd be stuck there for another six months. Carrie reluctantly agrees to leave the investigation to authorities in the mainland.
However, a series of events lead Carrie back to the case, as another geologist is murdered and the killer tries to eliminate Carrie as well. Agent Robert Pryce has been sent to investigate, and together they discover a 50-year-old crash site, where a Russian cargo plane went down and some canisters of potential radioactive materials have been taken. Carrie believes the plane and the missing canisters are linked to the killer. Everyone at the base is now a suspect. As an approaching storm threatens the safety of the crew and forces the base to evacuate, Carrie only has a few hours to crack the case and find the killer when her own life is at danger.
Kate Beckinsale (Underworld: Rise of the Lycans) is a talented, beautiful actress who seems to have carved out a niche for herself as an action heroine. However, in Whiteout, the classic beauty seems out of the place as the hard-boiled US marshal. She tries her best, though, to show the character's intelligence, resolution, and vulnerability. Gabriel Macht (The Spirit) plays agent Robert Pryce with a smirk and a wink, but his performance lacks gravitas. In fact, the whole cast seems very young and light, and too pretty to be taken seriously, with the exception of Tom Skerritt (The Velveteen Rabbit). The veteran adds some weight to the production but ultimately is wasted in a cliched role.
Colombus Short (Quarantine) is charismatic as pilot Delfy, and he adds some colors (literally) to the all-Caucasian cast (yes, and the movie is called Whiteout). Alex O'Loughlin (August Rush) has the thankless job of playing a stereotypical douche-bag. Shawn Boyle (Mount Pleasant) impresses in his minor role as Carrie's boss.
Written by Jon and Erich Hoeber (Montana) as well as Chad and Carey Hayes (The Reaping), the screenplay follows a standard mystery-thriller formula set in an unusual locale. The prologue is interesting but proves to be cliched and unnecessary. In fact, the problem with the screenplay is the source material: Greg Rucka's graphic novel. It is cliched, predictable and, in many ways, trivial. That is unfortunate especially for a thriller. It took me fifteen minutes to figure out what the story was really about and who the killer was, and I'm hardly a genius. The story is so full of holes that once you get over the actions, you start to scratch your head and wonder, "What the heck?" For a murder mystery and thriller, especially written by four screenwriters, the predictability is unforgivable.
Part of the blame rests on director Dominic Sena (Swordfish), who insists on leaving obvious clues and visual cues as if he doesn't trust the audiences are smart enough to get it. Like I said, I figured it all out within the first 15 or 20 minutes, and that can't be a good thing. There are so many cliches this film can serve as a guidebook for "what not to do." And Sena has the audacity to begin the main narrative with a gratuitous shower scene of Beckinsale (not that I'm complaining -- she's one sexy woman). That sets the wrong tone, as there is nothing sexual in the plot (unlike, say, The Silence of the Lambs).
Some of the snowy, icy scenes are quite breathtaking, and the action sequences are in general adequate. There are a key fight scenes, however, where we can't tell what is happening with whom. Everything is blurry and all the characters (in their thick winter coats) look the same.
Whiteout is a poor execution of a poor story with poor character development. It fails on so many levels that it seems such a waste. It's something that sounds good on paper (or in a graphic novel) but falters on screen. It's definitely a strikeout.
Mary (Sandra Bullock) is the crossword puzzle creator at the Sacramento Herald. Intelligent and chatty, Mary considers herself "not normal" and she lives with her parents and has no social life. When her parents set her up with a blind date, she easily disregard the gesture as yet another failed attempt to find love. That is, until she sees how good-looking her date, Steve, is. It's love (or lust) at first sight, and it seems that Steve feels the same way. That is, until she opens her mouth and forgets to shut it. Steve thinks Mary is crazy and tactfully gets out of the date, leaving Mary confused about his intent.
Mary becomes obsessed with Steve and believes they belong together. She knows Steve is a cable news cameraman, who works alongside star reporter Hartman (Thomas Haden Church) who lusts for the anchor desk, and their assistant, Angus (Ken Jeong). Wherever there is national news, there is where Steve will be. So Mary tracks him down. Even though Steve tries to explain to her that he doesn't mean what he said and that he has no interest in her, Mary refuses to believe that. Along the way, Mary makes many new friends despite her quirky, off-the-wall personality. While Steve is what she wants, ultimately she finds out what she really needs.
Sandra Bullock (The Proposal) returns to comedy this year with mixed results. She's always excelled in playing characters that are girl-next-door or a bit off the wall (think Miss Congeniality). She did a fine job as the uptight New York editor in The Proposal -- she was believable. Here, as an outcast and "oddball," Bullock seems off, miscast. First, she looks too beautiful, despite that awful fake blond hair and heavy makeup and the embarrassingly short skirt. It's as if they wanted to uglify her but instead they make her look unnatural. The role could have been perfect for someone like Ellen Page or even Sandra Oh. It's not to say Bullock doesn't try hard -- in fact, I think she tries too hard and that's the problem. She and the role simply don't fit.
Thomas Haden Church (Aliens in the Attic) has a better time playing the egomaniacal news reporter. Church is remarkably self-deprecating in playing self-absorption. His character also benefits from a very clear objective and desire: becoming news anchor. Bradley Cooper (The Hangover) in all his gorgeousness seems bland in comparison to his costars. Yes, he's his usual charming self and we can see why Mary is all about Steve, and yet his character seems peripheral for some reasons. What is so difficult for him to say, "I do not like you, Mary"?
Ken Jeong (The Hangover) is emerging as one of the prominent second bananas in comedies. His performance in The Hangover is outrageous. Here, he plays a complete opposite character, as the ernest Angus, with equal deftness and comic timing. DJ Qualls (The Company Man) is sincere and sweet as Mary's new friend, Howard. Keith David (Gamer) always seems to play the same character, as he does in this movie as Steve's boss; David doesn't seem to have much range as an actor. Katy Mixon (State of Play) is cute as a button as the lovely and free-spirited Elizabeth.
Written by Kim Barker (License to Wed), the screenplay is a cacophony of comedic cliches, from the quirky heroine to the dashing love interest and the myriad of stereotypical secondary characters. Barker's dialogue is witty enough, but the plot and situations often feel forced and contrived, and implausible. Yes, I understand this is a comedy, but my opinion is that even a comedy needs to be plausible. The Hangover is full with high-concept situations but there's always a glint of plausibility in them. All About Steve does not. Take the way Mary loses her job for example -- it's totally unlikely and makes Mary look like the biggest idiot in the world instead of just love-struck. Or the way Hartman convinces Mary to follow the crew -- again, it lacks real motivation and reasons, and it only makes Hartman look like either a fool or the biggest jerk in the world.
Not to mention Sandra Bullock is miscast. She may look and act the part as an uptight editor, but she does not look like a Mary Horowitz. The casting and acting are also stereotypical with a lack of imagination.
That's not to say All About Steve is a complete disaster. There are some genuine laughs and cringe-worthy situations, but they're few and far between. Phil Traill's (Dangle) direction is flat and inconsistent. There are a few scenes that seem really off, as if they don't belong in this movie. Often, Mary comes off as just a quack, and it's difficult for us to identify with someone who stalks another person, especially with such a flimsy reason. The story takes a serious and more introspective turn near the end with a feel-good finish that only feels late and unaccomplished.