Closed Circuit

Starring: Eric Bana, Rebecca Hall, Jim Broadbent, Julia Stils, Ciaran Hinds
Directed by: John Crowley
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Mystery
2013

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two lawyers (Eric Bana, Rebecca Hall) face great peril when they begin defending their client in a high-profile terrorism case.

Review:

Tim: Closed Circuit received middling reviews from critics, which surprised me, because I really enjoyed the film. It's certainly not a classic, but it tells a very contemporary story in an entertaining and thrilling way. I was intrigued and engaged from start to finish. All in all, I was a fan of this film.

One of my favorite aspects of the movie is that it kept me guessing. The film is absolutely a mystery and it protects that mystery element throughout the movie. There were a number of times when I thought I'd figured it out or had a sense of where the story was going, when all of a sudden, something unexpected happened. That really kept me on my toes. It was fun not knowing what to expect. It's not exactly easy to pull this off, but this movie tells a twisting, turning film and it was great fun doing my best just to hold on.

The film benefits from a pretty incredible cast. Eric Bana is a fantastic actor and I don't think he gets enough credit. He was really, really good here. It reminded me of his performance in Munich. I sincerely hope he makes more of these kinds of films, because he's fantastic in it. Rebecca Hall gives a good performance as well. I'm not completely sold on her yet, but she has some real talent and will be an actress to watch in the future. If she keeps making good decisions, she could have a long and illustrious career. Jim Broadbent adds a nice supporting performance. I was glad to see Julia Stiles here and she does add to the film. Ciaran Hinds is another strong actor and does good work here. The cast as a whole is pretty fantastic.

I know that we've had a ton of terrorism and terrorist-related movies in the last ten years, but when it is done right, these can be engaging, exciting films. This movie was viewed by some as too plodding and slow, but I was engaged from the very beginning. The movie does stray a little too far into the legalese of the whole thing, but I found that interesting as well.

Look, different strokes for different folks, but I think a lot of the critics missed the boat on this one. For a smaller scale film, this one held my attention and addressed some very important, contemporary films. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Closed Circuit, critics be damned.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Fourth Estate, Munich