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This movie had all the potential to be a great crime thriller
but instead it falls flat on its face and does not even appraoch
the excitement levels of what was an ordinary book.
Denzel Washington stars as Lincoln Rhyme, a supposedly brilliant
forensic detective who is now bedridden due to an accident on
a previous case and now only has the use of his head and one
finger. He has not done any police work in the four years since
the accident but is called upon to help out on a particular
baffling case where a wealthy businessman is buried alive with
one hand sticking out of the ground. This is another of those
Hollywood serial killers who deliberately leaves cryptic clues
at each crime scene; clues that only Lincoln Rhyme can decipher.
As Rhyme cannot get around to crime scenes any more, he enlists
the help of reluctant beat officer Amelia Donaghey (Angelina
Jolie). Rhyme spots some hidden talent in Donaghey and sets
about teaching her the secret tips of working a crime scene
to pick up hidden evidence. Together they must work fast to
decipher the clues in order to save the killer's next victims.
Surrounding these two are a host of under utlised and often
unnecessary supporting characters including a sinister police
chief (Michael Rooker), a chatty bustling detective (Ed O'Neill),
a rookie cop (Mike McGlone), a microscope specialist (Luis Guzman),
an electrician (Leland Orser), and a nurse (Queen Latifah).
The movie is supposed to be based on a book by Jeremy Deaver.
For once, I have actually read the book that a movie is based
on. This book is average but works mainly because of the suspenseful
storyline which brings out the skeletons in the closet of each
of the main characters. In the book, Lincoln Rhyme actually
is a brilliant forensics expert because he and Amelia manage
to collect and analyse all sorts of evidence that the no normal
person would ever find. In the movie, they don't find any clues
except the ones that the killer has deliberately planted right
where any fool would trip over them. In the book, you get to
see right inside the mind of the killer and find out what makes
him tick. In the movie, all you get is a corny Scooby Doo style
ending where the killer explains their dastardly plan in detail.
In the book there are clues as to who the killer might be and
what the motive might be. In the movie, you would never be able
to guess the motive in a million years because it is so obscure.
There are so many parts of this movie that don't make any sense
that there is no room to write about them all. One classic is
the fingerprint that is found on the matchbox. In the book,
the matchbox is left as a clue because the next victim is going
to be burnt alive. In the movie there is no mention of what
the significance of the matchbox is, indicating that this part
of the story was cut out of the final film without any thought
as to the loose end it left behind.
Both the book and the movie have pretty awful red herrings
that can be spotted a mile away but at least in the book, the
red herring links up nicely with the clues that have been gathered
and the other parts of the story. In the movie the red herring
is so smelly that there seems to be no other reason for its
existence.
Washington and Jolie are accomplished actors (as indicated
by their Golden Globe nods this year). They should be disappointed
by their appearances in this waste of time movie.
Don't bother with this movie unless you are a die hard fan
of Denzel Washington, Angelina Jolie, or Ed O'Neill. A must
see if you are interested in how NOT to make an effective thriller
movie.
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