When an aide to prominent US Congressman Stephen Collins dies in what initially appears to be an accident, two journalists from the Washington Globe newspaper investigate and they obtain information that it may not have been an accident. The dead woman was the Congressman's chief researcher in hearings concerning a private sector security firm supplementing the use of US Armed Forces around the world. She was also Collins' lover. The two journalists have contrasting styles: Cal McCaffrey is a traditional print journalist who uses his contacts in the police department to get his information while Della Frye uses new media such as blogging to get her information out to the public quickly. As they delve into the role the private company might play in domestic security, McCaffrey also realizes they have all been duped into making one serious, but false, assumption... This thriller felt short of my expectations.The plot was somewhat interesting but felt contrived at times and although the film manages to create a tense and mysterious atmosphere, it doesn't fully engage the viewer,I never felt drawn into the story nor did I care for the any characters. Russel Crowe's Cal McAffrey is two dimensional and lacks character and personality. Ben Affleck was not very believable as the congressman Stephen Collins and Rachel McAdams who I admire as an actress did the best she could with what I think is a very mediocre script. As the story moves forward it becomes a bit muddled and disconnected and the ending was flat and unsatisfactory. All in all, a very bland, boring, forgettable and poorly executed thriller.
6/10
6/10