[HEADING=2] Enkidu's Judgement: [/HEADING]
[HEADING=1] Unthinkable [/HEADING]
[HEADING=1] Unthinkable [/HEADING]
Unthinkable. Never has a title been more appropriate for a film. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Carrie-Anne Moss and Michael Sheen Unthinkable places both the characters and the audience itself into an impossible situation. Yusef, aka Steven Arthur Younger (Michael Sheen), an ex-military specialist has created three nuclear bombs and placed them in cities across the United States, leaving FBI agent Helen Brody (Carrie-Anne Moss) and a man known only as 'H' (Samuel L. Jackson) to try and find the bombs before millions of people die.
I went into this movie expecting a Jack Bauer style thriller about the desperate pursuit of a terrorist to try and save the day (presumably with a witty one liner delivered by Sam Jackson before killing the villain). However, what I got was a horrifyingly realistic scenario that challenged my own moral standing and made me really think about how I would react in such a situation.
I can't go much into the plot without spoiling the entire experience, but suffice it to say the plot involves the torture of a man in an attempt to find the nuclear bombs. The torture scenes are visceral, realistic and exceptionally hard to watch. Yet these scenes are all handled very tactfully, not rising to the level of almost comedic gore present in the 'Saw' series and not becoming melodramatic plot-points like in '24'. Some of the most horrific methods of torture are implied, the actual action happening off camera with only Michael Sheen's acting to give it credence.
And that's where this movie really shines, the acting is absolutely superb. Samuel L. Jackson is at the top of his game in his playing the seemingly psychopathic 'H' and has exceptional chemistry with his counterpart, the straight-laced FBI Agent Helen Brody played by Carrie-Anne Moss. Agent Brody and 'H' frequently clash in the movie as Agent Brody condemns H's use of torture, but as time runs out Agent Brody's reservations disappear and she begins to support H's endeavors. The tension in these scenes is almost palpable, the feeling of time slipping away, millions of lives about to be extinguished coupled with the knowledge that you're brutally torturing a human being , all just grips the viewer by the throat and doesn't let go. And this isn't accomplished by massive explosions, cheesy montages of children playing on a playground or a sweeping orchestral soundtrack. It is accomplished all through the power of the actors' performances.
You won't find any Mutha'fuckin' snakes on this plane. Just pain!
This is a movie that shows you that you don't need a huge budget to make a good, thought provoking movie. The low budget of the movie is apparent in the small cast and use of stock footage during certain scenes, but it never detracts from the overall enjoyment of the movie. The minimal use of music further accentuates the performances of the characters, as each ragged breath and outraged cry becomes all the more acute and speaks volumes about the characters.
And that's what this movie is really all about - characters, people, and the human condition. How far are people willing to go to protect themselves? To save millions of lives, how far would you be willing to go?
Like most people (or I hope most people) I've always been against torturing people as a method of extracting information. But this movie challenged those beliefs, and stretched them to the breaking point. And that's exactly what makes it such an effective movie, it never condemns nor approves of the use of torture. If it had said that torture was acceptable, I would have called bull and let myself feel superior to the film's screenwriter. If it had condemned it, I would have felt comfortable on my hill of moral superiority. But it did neither; it left ME to decide what was acceptable and faced with the choice of the deaths of millions or the torture of a single man...I found that I was horribly conflicted and it made me glad that I would never have to face such a choice.
What choice would you make? Watch this movie and find out!
Warning: As stated above there is torture in this movie and the performances of the actors make it exceptionally hard to watch. If you have a weak stomach, or aren't comfortable with this kind of violence I strongly suggest you not watch this movie.
This is the first review I've posted on this site, so if anyone has any feedback or suggestions, don't hesitate to post them. Also I used [ center ] to make paragraphs in this review, anyone know how to make proper paragraphs or is that not possible on this forum?
EDIT: Got rid of centering, and added in a few photos.