Customer Reviews

The Front Line

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Honestly, the synopsis for this movie does not do it justice - it is a cinematic gem that brought to mind other notable movies such as "Dirty Pretty Things", "Hotel Rwanda" and "Sometimes in April". Categorizing this movie as a pure thriller is doing the movie disservice as it also explores themes of immigration, seeking asylum, and genocide in Africa.

Director David Gleeson has provided viewers with a first-rate Irish movie. Set in Dublin, Ireland, the movie centers on a recent immigrant from the Congo, Joe Yumba [Eriq Ebouaney] who is accorded asylum status in Ireland. He is given a job as a security officer in a bank and manages to reunite with his 'family', Kala [Fatou N'Diaye] and eight-year-old son Daniel [Brian Eli Ssebunya]. Just as Joe and his family are trying to put the horrors of the past behind them, complications arise when a notorious criminal, Eddie Gilroy [James Frain] and his band of hoodlums kidnap Kala and Daniel, using them as ransom to get Joe to help them gain access to the bank's vaults.

The rest of the movie centers on a couple of things - how Joe tries to turn the tables on the criminals in order to get his family back in one piece, and when things don't go as planned Joe is forced to turn to a mysterious associate from his past, Erasmus [Hakeem Kae Kazim] who is both sinister and enigmatic at the same time. There is also a Det Insp Harbison [Gerard McSorley] hot on Joe's heels, trying to figure out if Joe really is who he says he is or something else entirely. The revelation when it comes is a surprise indeed.

There are many twists and turns in this movie and that made it all the more enjoyable as the viewer is kept guessing for the most part. The acting is credible all-around, especially Eriq Ebouaney's tormented Joe Yumba. He burns up the screen with his commanding presence. The supporting cast was equally good - Frain's sadistic Gilroy , N'Diaye's beautiful yet haunted Kala, Ssebunya's Daniel epitomizing all the innocence lost due to genocide, and of course Kazim's enigmatic portrayal of Erasmus which sent shivers down my spine.

All in all, this is no average thriller but a multi-faceted movie that explores deep themes. Well-worth one's time if you're looking for a thought-provoking movie.

All tht a great movie should be: acting; fasanating plot; emotional; surprise ending!! You will want to buy, not rent , this movie.

A was moved by this thoughtful journey into the dark heart of the human race. Fantastic acting and script, with some surprising twists that I didn't see coming. The subject matter of the film is difficult at times, but well worth the trip.