January 11, 2008

In search of sex offenders


I'm sad to see Richard Gere's career going down the drain. His last four movies ('Bee Season', 'The Hoax', 'The Hunting Party' and 'The Flock') have all bombed commercially at the box-office.

Gere's latest movie, 'The Flock' will not even be shown in the US theaters and will be going straight to DVD release. Directed by Hong Kong's Andrew Lau ('Infernal Affairs'), the movie is a psychological thriller that delves into the dark and shady world of sexual sadism. Gere plays a case worker assigned to keep an eye on 'registered' sex offenders. Clair Danes co-stars as his assistant. When a 17-year old girl gets abducted, Gere is convinced that one of his charges is responsible and goes looking for the sex offender responsible.

Although both Gere and Danes turn in great performances, the pace is pretty slow and takes a while before the suspense is built up. The 'fuzzy' editing, full of flashes and freeze-frames makes it all the more distracting to enjoy the movie. Overall, the film is just a run-of-the-mill thriller and lacks any indication that it’s been directed by a man as talented as Andrew Lau.

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