Closed Circuit

MPAA/Content R [AC, AL, V]

Distributor Focus Features

Technical 35mm 2.40:1

Genres CRI THR

Runtime 96 mins.

Country UK USA

Budget $30M

CAST

Eric Bana, Rebecca Hall, Ciårán Hinds, Riz Ahmed, Anne-Marie Duff, Kenneth Cranham, Denis Moschitto, Julia Stiles & Jim Broadbent

CREDITS

Director: John Crowley;  Screenwriter: Steve Knight;  Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner & Chris Clark;  Director Of Photography: Adriano Goldman;  Production Designer: Jim Clay; Editor: Lucia Zucchetti; Costume Designer: Natalie Ward; Music Composer: Joby Talbot

THE SYNOPSIS

London.  A terrorist bomb detonates in a crowded outdoor market, killing many people.  MI5 (the UK‘s version of the CIA) nabs suspected terrorist ringleader Farroukh Erdogan (Moschitto) as his co-conspirators are killed while attempting to flee.

Britain’s Attorney General (Broadbent) will use classified evidence to prosecute Erdogan…so classified, that the neither the defendant nor his lawyers will be able to see it.  Thus, a Special Advocate is appointed—defense lawyer Claudia Simmons-Howe (Hall)—to oversee the defense proceedings during the closed session.

The open session was to have been defended by another lawyer—who dies suddenly the day before Erdogan’s case is to be tried.  The Attorney General brings in the brilliant, driven Martin Rose (Bana)—a former lover of Claudia’s and a tenacious competitor to boot.  The two lawyers make a secret pact to work together in bringing the truth to light.

Even with the help of Martin’s amiable colleague Devlin (Hinds)—things become rather cloak & dagger very quickly as they discover that Erdogan may have been working for MI5—a fact not denied by sinister National Security Agent Nazrul Sharma (Ahmed)—who is not above harassing Erdogan’s family nor the defense lawyers themselves.  To prove a point, American journalist Joanna Reece (Stiles)—who has been collaborating with Martin—is found dead via mysterious circumstances.  Oh, the intrigue!

Erdogan’s son is bought in to testify during closed session and he too becomes a target…as those sinister forces try to stifle the whole affair—now stepping up to the attempted assassination of Claudia herself.  Getting Erdogan’s son to safety Martin, Martin and Claudia realize that no one can be trusted with the truth…

THE CRITIQUE

Terrorism.  Political intrigue.  Governments who cannot be trusted.  Idiosyncratic criminal justice systems.  Attractive British lawyers.  Most of these facets presented in the mediocre CLOSED CIRCUIT are as timely as they are hot-button in our post 9/11 world.  Too bad a broad screenplay and brief 96-minute running time give this one short drift.

What happened?  The movie was written by prolific British scribe Steven Knight (Eastern Promises, Dirty Pretty Things, Redemption)—who, with this screenplay, (and to which I paraphrase per the production notes), tried to bring to light the problems with the current British judicial system.  Good idea—but outside of the United Kingdom…who really cares?

Wait, let me retract that last statement—as the British are responsible for a grand litany of important items: a popular language, the Magna Carta, the concept of Common Law, William Shakespeare, Sir Winston Churchill, Hammer Films, 007, The Beatles, Benny Hill, Monty Python and Kate Beckinsale…so thanks, mates!  Especially for Kate.

But to be fair, Knight crafts a timely script and posits scenarios reminiscent of the superior All The President’s Men (1976) and the inferior State Of Play (Kevin MacDonald’s 2009 movie remade from David Yates’ 2003 British TV mini-series).  However, what appears on screen is a very broad story arc containing partial characterizations (performed by good actors, natch) and a brief runtime that actually left me wanting more movie.  Go figure…

Helmed with arid competency by Irish director John Crowley (Intermission, Boy A, Is Anybody There)—himself a theater guy—CLOSED CIRCUIT has the bones of a theatrical production, based on the blocking of both the camera and the actors within the frame.  Droll, stately, elegant, zzzzzz…

I wanted more kinesis from director Crowley—but at least he is abetted by both his veteran British cutter Lucia Zucchetti (Intermission, Boy A, The Queen)…bringing some kinesis to the proceedings via a taut editing schema that combines 35mm film sequences with surveillance video footage; and solid industrial/sterile widescreen-lensing by ace Brazilian cinematographer Adriano Goldman (City Of Men, Jane Eyre, The Company You Keep, August: Osage County).

The all-star cast is perfectly competent within the anemic screenplay structure though American actress Julia Stiles is quite underutilized.  Besides the intense Bana (terrific in the superior Spielberg-helmed Munich), earnest work by the intelligent and attractive Hall, supporting cameos by the talented but underutilized Hinds & Broadbent—the standout here is British-Pakistani hip-hop artist-via-Oxford graduate Riz Ahmed…bringing real menace to his sinister role as an MI5 operative.  This kid has a future on-camera.

Production values for this $30 million (boxoffice.com) UK-USA production are pro across the board.  In the end, however, I wish this movie had more to offer than just technical largesse.  At least I’m still grateful for Kate Beckinsale.

THE BOTTOM LINE

A paranoid thriller for the new Millennium, CLOSED CIRCUIT posits timely questions and scenarios yet leaves us rather indifferent about their outcomes.  A good cast, solid technical facets and the lure of political intrigue saves this one from being a complete dud—but this road has been travelled before by better films and filmmakers.

 

 

IMDB:                 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2218003/

Wikipedia:          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed_Circuit_(2013_film)

Official Site:       http://www.focusfeatures.com/closed_circuit