Customer Reviews

Surveillance

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

Some of the previous reviewers are either psychic(s) in terms of their uncanny ability to scope out the plot twists so far ahead of time, or truly veteran film goers of mysteries.....I was able to discern the major plot twist slightly ahead of the actual revelation, and was very satisfied with the way the writer and director decided to unfold their narrative and cinematic processes.....very intelligently done!! i found the dialogue appropriate for each character, and yes, while one must suspend belief as relates to the characters of the rural cops(borders on stereotype), that's okay because no one promised me character development in depth.
This film held my attention all the way through; i found the acting very good (Pullman and Ormond totally believable as FBI agents), and the twist quite satisfying. Overall, quite an entertaining film, good performances, believable, and i might want to see it again to pick up little clues/cues i missed the first time around. As a rental, you can't go wrong.

I thought this movie was delivered great. The way it was shot was really gritty and made me think of the end of Se7en and also the cover of latest Slipknot album (I know, really random).

The acting was solid and as usual Pullman played a quirky dude (prob signed on because of David) really well. There were parts where the dialog was a bit awkward and the story stalled but lets be honest, the director is the daughter of David Lynch...you cannot say there have not been slow/awkward scenes in Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive, etc.

I thought the twist was great and the ending was fantastic. Not a 5, but definitely something I will recommend to fans of movies like Se7en, 12 Monkeys, Fight Club, etc. Beautifully dirty movies.

I think a lot of the reviewers missed the point with this film.I believe the director(David Lynch's daughter)simply intended to make a fun,twisted flick with a surprise twist to the end.You may or may not see it coming,but,I don't think you'll get it exactly.I wasn't expecting much,was thoroughly engaged until the end.What more could you ask for?

Jennifer Lynch happily carries on the family tradition of scraping beneath the surface of American society and uncovering the horrors that lie beneath. Thus we are treated to an endless procession of law enforcement officers with varying degrees of corruption and stupidity; dysfunctional families; emotionally detached youngsters in a drug-induced stupor and unhinged serial killers. It's like a low-budget Pulp Fiction but without the irony.
But while David Lynch's films manage to strike an effective balance between darkness and light, Jennifer Lynch has no use for the good side. It's all bad. Surveillance is thus like watching, say, Blue Velvet, but with all the innocence and tender moments taken out.
Although there's enough drama, tension and plot dynamic at work to keep Surveillance from being a complete turkey, the gap between what it tries to achieve and what it delivers is simply too wide. The overall impression I get from watching this movie is of a young filmmaker who has spent too much of her sheltered existence listening to her Goth rock albums and trying too hard to be controversial and in your face. Some of the dialogue is like it was written by a 16 year-old scriptwriting student, and the acting, particularly by some of the police officers, is laughably over the top. Bill Pullman, Julia Ormond and Michael Ironside's talents, one feels, are rather wasted.
The bottom line is that Surveillance may have enough drug references to appeal to culturally-savvy 20-somethings, for the more mature, discerning movie fan it falls short of the mark.

For me this was not a real scary movie because I like TV series such as CSI and Criminal Minds. For me the most surprising thing about this movie is the roles of Julia Ormond and Bill Pullman and the very twisted ending. After seeing Julia Ormond in Sabrina, The Wronged Man and Temple Grandin I was shocked to see her in this suspenseful thriller. Julia played such a convincing role and she pulled it off as usual. I was glued to the screen from start to finish and was never bored. Julia Ormond is such a great actress and I have become a big fan of her work.

Writer/director Jennifer Lynch's crime thriller Surveillance (2008) involves such a major plot twist, that saying much that is specific about the film, would probably ruin the experience for anyone that has not yet seen it. This makes reviewing the film tricky, as this is the kind of film that people typically have strong feelings about. Unfortunately limiting comments to generalities, isn't particularly useful to those curious about the movie.

I found the film much like a magician's illusion, where director Lynch was trying very hard to amaze and impress her audience, while employing misdirection and showmanship. The results are not entirely satisfying. The method of storytelling, recounting events in a series of remembrances by different characters, does succeed in building up some tension and suspense, as it takes a while to figure out what has happened. One would have to be a very attentive viewer, to pick up on most of the major significant plot elements, during an initial viewing.

Is the film worth your time? My answer would be yes. There is an eclectic variety of characters, some provocative situations, unexpected violence, and attempts at razzle-dazzle. It is kind of a challenge to try and put the pieces together. The ending may or may not satisfy, but in many respects this film is more about the journey than the final destination, mainly because the movie's big "secret" just isn't very plausible.

What I find highly significant, is that upon the advice of her father, director David Lynch (The Elephant Man, Mulholland Drive, Lost Highway), Jennifer Lynch rewrote the ending. It was excellent advice, as the revised ending is a major improvement over the original, which is frankly a disaster. The original ending is included as a deleted scene.

The writing is good in places, but perhaps not as smart as the author may think, as realism is often stretched thin, and the story unravels badly near the end. The acting is generally very good, in that the performances are very much in tune with the screenplay. Pell James stands out as a sassy drug abuser who is one of the witnesses to the crime. Ryan Simpkins' performance is edgy, as a little girl who is also a witness. French Stewart and Kent Harper are excellent as a couple of unscrupulous cops. Cheri Oteri, probably most known for her stint on SNL, is solid in a dramatic role. Julia Ormond's performance is credible most of the way. I have a big problem with the way Lynch has written Bill Pullman's character, an FBI Agent. He starts as a straight kind of sleepy guy, who later transforms to someone channeling parts of Robin Williams' dramatic persona. Pullman's performance is probably true to the screenplay, it's just that the character is just a bit too much.

Judging by what is seen and heard in the bonus material and commentary track, Jennifer Lynch is a tough lady, in tune with both violent and subtle elements. In her free-flowing commentary, Lynch demonstrates that she can be both articulate, and spew more profanity than Uwe Boll, while being fascinated by such arcane matters as the Canadian province of Regina, the beauty of the sky, and Julia Ormond's good looks.

Surveillance is a tense, edgy thriller, that's a little too pretentious about being clever. Lots of things don't add up, and questions are left unanswered. While flawed, matters could have been so much worse, had the ending not been rewritten.

Surveillance, a direct to DVD movie had potential to be very good. A good cast of actors with Julia Ormond, Bill Pullman, Michael Ironside and even French Stewart. It was produced by David Lynch, the man who did Lost Highway, Mulholland Dr., Twin Peaks, Dune, among others. It was even directed by his daughter.

So you would this this movie would be a good suspense thriller. And at first it was. With three different serial killer survivors points of view and the FBI and police trying to figure out what happened. There are essentially two movies here. The first two thirds which is riveting and very well done, and a big surprise you don't see coming unless you pay attention. That's where things quickly go down hill from there the plot holes and how the writers try to fill them are terrible. Which brings out the other flaws of the movie you didn't notice before.

For example how incompetent they portray the police in this movie. I'm willing to except the police will miss some stuff they do in real life, but this kind of incompetents is only found in comedies like police academy. I would go on but I don't want to give away the twist.

The acting was very well done by the actors above. I've always liked Michael Ironside from his early works in V, Top Gun, SeaQuest DSV to The Perfect Storm, Splinter Cell(Voice of Sam Fisher), and Terminator Salvation. Sure he can't carry a film, but he is a very good actor who is always great as a supporting actor in virtually ever thing he does.

The directing by Jennifer Chambers Lynch was decently done, but could have been much better.

The action/visuals were pretty good since they obviously didn't have that big a budget for this film, and they did a good job.

Overall a decent suspense/thriller, but don't be surprised if you are let down by the final act.

This movie is a grisly fairy-tale, Little Red Riding Hood with all the gory details of the wolf's attacks and his death by axe. The child is the key to the story. The violence is so exaggerated as to be a horrible parody. The line the male killer makes (who has no name by the way) at the end about the little girl is everything. A very dark comic parable. Don't take its over-the-top violence seriously.

What a wicked film this turned out to be. Was not prepared for the level of depravity, and I think that is partially responsible for the hate directed at this film. I could not give this a higher rating on the product review end because I was just not that impressed with the Blu results.

A plot description beyond the poorly written version of events on the cover typically gives too much away, as noted on several other reviews here (as bad as it sounds try not to read most of the other reviews here as they keep giving the twist away - which once the film is done, the twist is the only worthwhile plot device). The performances are good, especially in the final 18 minutes of carnage and Natural Born Killer references, and when the credits roll, you will probably find yourself either aligning with the half that hated everything about it, or the other half that felt Lynch's daughter is definitely following the train to left field (therefore loving it).

The picture clarity is a mixed bag as the majority of flashback sequences are done with a heavy grain and an over saturation. The colors are overexposed during those times also, insofar that the Blu display isn't exactly given a fair shake. The DTS is sporadically excellent, but there was some obvious mixing problems during the police station sequences (reference the hall echoes and interrogations). The supplements are short but include:
* 15 minute making-of that covers the production in a Lynch kind of way (complete with her dropping the F bomb 30 or so times as she directs to make her point). If anything, the obvious humor the crew had with the Canadian town name - Regina - was fun to watch (they kept repeating "the town that rhymes with the word for fun").
* 5 Minute HDNET clip, essentially a long trailer.
* 12 minutes of deleted scenes; they prove the gratuitous and over-the-top nature Lynch was working towards - as yes, these include the now famous cuts of Ormond and Pullman smothering themselves in lard and love - for a very lengthy time. The alternate ending is very different than what one sees in the main cut; much more Romeo and Juliet.

Sitting on the fence on whether to recommend it outright or not, so I would have to say it might be worth spending your BD budget on this one if you are a big fan of Lynch; and without giving too much away, wanting to see Pullman and Ormond do something very different. 3 for the film, 1 for the extras, enjoy.

This film really frightened me. It is brilliantly made, highly suspenseful, and deeply disturbing. All performances five stars.