Thursday, Nov. 05, 2009
Nothing But The Truth
In "Nothing But The Truth," Kate Beckinsale plays Rachel Armstrong, a reporter who discovers that a soccer mom, Erica Van Doren (Vera Farmiga) is actually a CIA agent who just returned from Venezuela where she was investigating an assassination attempt on the president of the United States. Rachel runs with the story, which makes the front page -- and as in real life, revealing the identity of a CIA agent is illegal. Federal prosecutor Patton Dubois (Matt Dillon) requests a grand jury and demands that Rachel reveal her source. Despite a friendship between the judge and Rachel's high profile attorney Alan Burnside (Alan Alda), Rachel is jailed for contempt of court. The movie continues through countless attempts by the prosecutor to get Rachel to reveal her source, but she won't tell and stays in jail for months, which causes problems with her husband, son and job. Finally at the end, the movie reveals why she wouldn't tell her source and waiting for this emotional pay-off doesn't disappoint. A very good story that starts off kind of slow, "Nothing But the Truth" builds into a pretty good movie with a perfect twist at the end. Fans of "Michael Clayton" will especially enjoy this film, but I recommend renting it to anyone looking for a good movie with a compelling story. It might be hard to follow at times, but this film kept me glued to the screen.
"Killshot"
The suspenseful "Killshot" keeps you wondering what will happen next to Carmen Colson and Wayne Colson (Diane Lane and Thomas Jane), who in addition to a difficult marriage endure being hunted by a Mafia hitman. After a shake-up at a Realtor's office leaves hitman Blackbird (Mickey Rourke) believing his identity has been compromised, the Colsons are put under witness protection. With a young, uncontrollable robber named Richie Nix (Justin Gordon-Levitt) he picks up along the way, Blackbird hunts them down. Not only does the movie provide the thrill of the hunt, but it also gets you to debate whether Blackbird is really all that bad of a guy. I've been a Rourke fan since his role in "The Wrestler," and his acting in this movie is just as good; you care about Blackbird, whether you hate him or not. That, combined with the challenges the couple faces trying to survive in a new place and not get caught makes for a very interesting film -- one I recommend for any fan of the cast or thrillers. It's not for everyone or for all ages though; for example, there are scenes that are very graphic and some that show some partial nudity. With a superb cast, thrilling action and characters you're sure to like - and hate - definitely rent this movie.