Closed Circuit

Amazon.com Thriller Closed Circuit explores the modern web of surveillance--both the physical one, created by cameras watching our every move, and the political one, created by politicians who want to "protect" everyone by gathering data by every means possible. Martin (Eric Bana, Munich) and Claudia (Rebecca Hall) are lawyers simultaneously defending an accused terrorist; but due to concerns about national security, they're given different degrees of access to evidence. The most compelling part of the movie uses this facet of British law to strong narrative effect, as Martin and Claudia each try to dig through the case with different information. Unfortunately, most of the movie hinges on much more conventional plot devices, such as Martin and Claudia's secret history as lovers and whether the presumed terrorist is actually a double agent. Gradually, even the movie's central theme of surveillance falls away as Closed Circuit becomes a banal chase movie, with the hero and heroine trying to protect an innocent with crucial (yet irrelevant to the action of the movie) information. A lot of promise, some intriguing sequences, and a strong performance from Hall give the movie a good start, though. Also featuring Julia Stiles, Ciarán Hinds, and Jim Broadbent. --Bret Fetzer Product Description From the producers of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy comes a riveting and suspenseful mystery starring Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall. A high-profile terrorism case unexpectedly brings two exceptional lawyers (Bana and Hall) with a romantic past together on the defense team. They soon realize they've stepped into a dangerous web of cover-ups and lies, and their knowledge of the government's top-secret classified evidence has put their reputations and lives at stake. Co-starring Ciarán Hinds, Julia Stiles and Jim Broadbent, it's a non-stop, heart-racing guessing game that critics call "an entertaining conspiracy thriller." (Jocelyn Noveck, Associated Press) Bonus Content: Secrets Behind the Camera: Closed Circuit ]]>