This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
Aside from that, Mrs Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?
Plot Overview
The
movie opens in medias res with an affable father named Cooper (Josh
Hartnett) taking his deserving daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue)
to a pop concert put on by her idol Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan.)
Noticing an enhanced police presence, he asks a vendor, Jamie (Jonathan
Langdon), “What's with all the police trucks outside and
the cameras everywhere?” Jamie replies, “You know
the Butcher? That freakin' nutjob that goes around just chopping people
up? Well, the feds or whatever heard that he's gonna be here
today, so they set up a trap for him. … They're watching all
the exits, checking everyone that leaves—” It's a
fishing expedition in a vast catchment area, and alas, Cooper
is the slippery eel who'd misplaced his concert receipt after a flawless
twelve-victim run: Errare
humanum est (To err is human.)
Before the night is over, Riley will get
chosen as the “dreamer girl” to dance up on stage with
the star, and Cooper will secure a VIP ride out of there. But for that slimy fish it's
out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Ideology
The FBI has retained a profiler Dr Josephine Grant (Hayley Mills) who is on
site directing the sting. She is quite good having caught ten serial
killers in the past. She pegs him as male & middle age—duh.
He's White. Serial killers usually operate within their own race:
white on white, black on black, etc. We see an image of a white hostage
on Cooper's tablet, and he'll effect accidents to two white women
as distractions. He's alone with Jamie in an employee area, but Jamie
being black is safe. Since the crowd is mostly female
teenyboppers, this makes spotting the Butcher easier.
The profiler has him as an authority, and in fact he's a fireman. When he helps Jamie remove a box from a top shelf, Jamie remarks, “You're strong.” Upper body strength is required in fire fighters, which is why they complain about an influx of women into their ranks when that requirement is loosened. They need a strong partner to carry them clear if they succumb to smoke.
The profiler says he's a psychopath not giving off any dangerous vibes that would alert people. He's different from others. Only early on would his faulty character be noticed … by a parent. He's got mommy issues. (Proverbs 20:11) “Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.” Riley steps aside to let another kid take the last shirt from the souvenir stand. Lady Raven leads the crowd in a mass forgiveness for past hurts. But Riley's friend Jodi still harbors a grudge against her, and when Riley takes the stage with Lady Raven, she is so “jelly” she throws her drink on her mom. Lady Raven invites a lesser performer to sing, giving the black man a break, but he displays afterwards the kind of belligerent attitude that gives “niggers” a bad name. Content of character comes out sometimes, and sometimes it's well hidden.
Due to his frequent absences Cooper's
wife Rachel (Alison Pill) suspected him of having an affair. Do you
know what a litmus test is? According to Webster, “litmus
: a coloring matter from lichens that turns red in acid solutions
and blue in alkaline solutions and is used as an acid-base indicator.
litmus paper : paper impregnated with litmus.” Chemists
use a litmus test for a quickie indication of pH factor. It's also
a metaphor for any quick single-dimension indicator test. If, say,
a wife smells cheap perfume not hers on her husband's body, that tells
her something. Whether it's color of the strip or odor on the
skin, information is revealed, which might otherwise remain unknown.
“What
smell?” I asked.
Neil bent his knees and put his face near the floor. “It's that
horrid cleaning stuff in the water the pub man used to wash his lino tiles before you took them all up.”
“Really?”
Neil straightened. “Can we go out of here?” he asked.
We left hand in hand. “Do you know what ammonia is?” I
said.
“You put it down drains,” he explained.
“Was it that smell?”
He thought it over. “Like ammonia but with scent in it.”
“Disgusting,” I said.
“Absolutely.” (18)
Riley thinks her dad is acting “weird,” as adults sometimes do, when he's trying to manipulate a surreptitious exit from the show.
Production Values
“” was written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Hayley Mills and Saleka Shyamalan. Saleka's mother is the film's writer & director. The daughter did okay as a movie's singing sensation, but I don't see any transfer to real life. Josh and Ariel were perfect as family separated a generation. Hayley Mills is perhaps best remembered for her starring role in another trap movie, “The Parent Trap.” Jonathan Langdon who played a too-helpful vendor was given a well-deserved encore during the closing credits.
MPA rated it PG–13 for some violent content and brief strong language. The concert was filmed at First Ontario Center, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada while the setting itself is Philadelphia. It was a fun B–movie thriller with great performances, creepy atmosphere, and consistent pacing. Runtime is 1¾ hours.
Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation
Like a fireman unable to break down an ordinary bathroom door, this one lacked the masculine writing & directing necessary to break into the big time. It did have a cozy entertaining-company scene that would appeal to the ladies. To each his own. The pause for forgiving past wrongs was a nice touch. And we were spared a lot of blood and gore.
Movie Ratings
Action factor: Decent action scenes. Suitability for Children: Suitable for children 13+ years with guidance. Special effects: Average special effects. Video Occasion: Fit For a Friday Evening. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Overall movie rating: Three and a half stars out of five.
Works Cited
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version. Pub. 1611, rev. 1769. Software.
Francis, Dick. Decider. Copyright © Dick Francis 1993. New York: Viking Penguin, Inc., 1993. Print.
Webster's New Students Dictionary. Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam Co., 1974. Print.
bibles.n7nz.org