Surveillance

July 17th, 2008







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Surveillance

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Still of Bill Pullman in SurveillanceStill of Cheri Oteri in SurveillanceStill of Ryan Simpkins in SurveillanceStill of Ryan Simpkins in SurveillanceStill of French Stewart and Ryan Simpkins in SurveillanceStill of Julia Ormond and Bill Pullman in Surveillance

Plot
Two FBI agents attempt to clarify the murders occurring in a desolate region. They approach the witnesses of the latest incident with the help of the local police. All of them hide something and all have wildly different stories to tell.

Release Year: 2008

Rating: 6.4/10 (10,175 voted)

Critic's Score: 31/100

Director: Jennifer Chambers Lynch

Stars: Julia Ormond, Bill Pullman, Pell James

Storyline
Grisly murders occur in a small town. Two FBI agents arrive, set up their cameras in three interview rooms, and set up interviews of three survivors: a girl of about nine, a foul-mouthed cop with a bandaged hand, and a young woman of about 20 who uses drugs. Each tells their story as the male FBI agent listens and watches from a separate room: the girl draws for and talks to the female agent, the local chief interviews the injured cop, and two officers interview the young woman. As they tell their stories, some of which are inaccurate and self-serving, we see what actually happened the day before. Can the agents or anyone else put the pieces together?

Writers: Jennifer Chambers Lynch, Kent Harper

Cast:
Caroline Aaron - Janet
Hugh Dillon - Dad (Steven)
David Gane - Grocery Man
Gill Gayle - Officer Degrasso
Kent Harper - Officer Jack Bennett
Michael Ironside - Captain Billings
Pell James - Bobbi Prescott
Daryl Haney - Drug Dealer (as D.R. Haney)
Shannon Jardine - Elaine Meyer
Angela Lamarsh - Maid
Gerald Lenton-Young - Coroner (as Gerald Layton-Young)
Jennifer Miles - TV Reporter
Mac Miller - Johnny
Charlie Newmark - Officer Wright
Julia Ormond - Elizabeth Anderson



Details

Official Website: Official site | Official site [Japan] |

Release Date: 17 July 2008

Filming Locations: Canada Saskatchewan Production Studios, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Box Office Details

Budget: $3,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend: £125,885 (UK) (8 March 2009) (182 Screens)

Gross: $25,352 (USA) (26 July 2009)



Technical Specs

Runtime:



Did You Know?

Trivia:
Director Jennifer Chambers Lynch's first film in 15 years.

Goofs:
Miscellaneous: The closing credits state that the cast is listed in alphabetical order, but Daryl Haney's name is listed after Kent Harper, Michael Ironside, and Pell James (despite the fact that it precedes all of them alphabetically).

Quotes:
[first lines]
Elizabeth Anderson: You're never going to sleep again.
Sam Hallaway: That's the point.



User Review

Edge-of-Seat Thriller

Rating: 8/10

A good thriller is my favorite genre and I was hooked into this film within the first few seconds and stayed involved for the entire ride. It kept me guessing throughout. The contrast between eerie cop shop and stark, beautiful prairies is a stylish treat for the eyes. The performances are believable and compelling. Well cast, without exception. The little girl is surprisingly good. Her even performance made me wonder about what had happened to her and drew me into the story. When she wasn't on screen, I worried about her safety. The ending is a clever, eerie choice. I was taken completely by surprise and I usually predict a telegraphed ending a mile away. In this case, any other choice would be a cop-out (pardon the pun). I was glad that the director resisted the temptation for a blood-fest. It could have gone much further in that vein. Instead the tension relied upon intelligent visual storytelling. Kudos to everyone involved. I thoroughly enjoyed this film.





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