(Review originally written at 15 February 2008)
This is your pretty standard average run of the mill thriller, involving a plot to assassinate the president of the United States. Sounds familiar? Of course it does. This movie doesn't handle anything that hasn't been handled before in any other similar genre movie. It's of course not like this movie is horribly bad or anything but it just isn't anything new and therefore this is a pretty redundant and forgettable movie to watch.
Also because the movie just isn't very original, it also doesn't exactly make this movie an exciting one to watch. The movie even is a bit boring to watch to be honest and even though it's fast moving it still is a slow going movie because it often takes too long between sequences that any action or anything else good is happening.
And then to think that people actually thought this was a serious Oscar contender before its release. All because Kiefer Sutherland was in it and this movie featured an "24" type of main plot.
It's a typical modern, fast going, slick looking movie, with stupid high tech gadgets. The way they all get used are far from realistic, which is typical for a political modern Hollywood thriller. It's also the sort of movie that tries to make us believe that the secret service has all knowing and all seeing agents and all oh so well magically blend in with the crowed, despite big sunglasses and tough way of walking and looking around. Just a couple of things which always annoy me in movies and unfortunately this movie is also filled with.
Problem is that the movie features a really far fetched and unnecessary made complicated plot. It's pretty stupid. At times you'll have difficulties understanding what is going on exactly. It takes away a lot of fun of the movie, which now takes itself far too serious instead. The fact that the story and approach of the movie is so far fetched makes this also a very unbelievable movie to watch.
The movie focuses mainly on Michael Douglas and his view point, which means that the Kiefer Sutherland and Eva Longoria get pushed to the background. A shame cause they in essence showed more potential and seemed more interesting.
A very unoriginal, unexciting movie, that also takes itself too serious.
4/10
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