Surveillance (2008) [Blu-ray]
Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

When FBI agents Elizabeth Anderson (Julia Ormond) and Sam Hallaway (Bill Pullman) arrive at a local police station to investigate a series of gruesome murders, there are three witnesses with three different stories of the roadside rampage. However, as the agents begin to expose the fragile little details each witness conceals so carefully with a well practiced lie, they soon discover that uncovering 'the truth' can come at a very big cost.

User Comment: whitcom-1 from Canada, 18 October 2008 • 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.

Summary: Edge-of-Seat Thriller.

User Comment: Aka_Who from United States, 17 December 2008 • Surveillance proved to be highly entertaining from beginning to end. A clever blend of dark comedy, crime thriller, and a slight dash of horror. I was a little surprised by the choice in cast as several well known comedic actors appear in serious roles. What surprised me more is how well they did portraying their characters. For me the characters hold equal credit (as the story) in the entertainment displayed in this film. My only complaint would be the sheer confusion in the story for the first quarter of this film. Of course everything begins to come together but a little more clarity as to what exactly everyone was discussing would have been nice. A minor complaint for an otherwise brilliant movie.

Summary: Simply Brutal.

User Comment: Neil Welch from United Kingdom, 13 March 2009 • I'm usually happy to spoiler away in reviews - this time I shall be very careful not to spoiler.

I hadn't realised that the tendency to make disturbing movies is hereditary, but Jennifer Lynch's Surveillance is every bit as disturbing as anything Dad David has made. It starts with a moderately familiar scenario - two FBI agents arrive at a small police station (4 officers, one captain, one dispatcher) in the back of beyond to tape video interviews with the survivors of some sort of incident: the nature of what happened is revealed during the interviews. To say any more is to spoiler, so I'll shut up about the plot.

But I will say that "disturbing" is the best word to describe almost all of what follows. And not just one lot of disturbing, but several. The film is gripping, visceral, and features some stunning performances, notably from Bill Pullman who is not someone who I would normally have put high on my list of those I expect to surprise me performance-wise.

Not an easy film in many ways, but definitely worth catching.

Summary: Disturbing.

[CSW] -2.7- I have no idea why I suspected where the plot was going almost from the very beginning. Now that you know how I spoiled my own movie (which also made me lower my rating) I won't do the same for you. This "Crime - Drama - Mystery - Thriller" is worth a watch.
[V3.5-A4.0] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box.

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