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Simply Perfect

Good concept, poorly executed.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

the line between good and evil. the war. in all its forms. the appearances. and the deep roots of the story in our contemporary every day reality. few motifs for define this film as special. for the inspired grow up of story. for performances. for ambiguity who gives, at the end, an impressive revelation. for the atmosphere of play. for the states of Matjin who reflects the fears of us. for the cold verdict. and, sure, for violence who is not more than convincing spice for a film who could be a warning or just precise reflection of reality.

The weak link of this otherwise pretty good movie is Ryan Phillipe His character is kidnapped and being held captive, and during that captivity, he is the victim of torture, and while we're shown some pretty damned convincing torture during this movie, Mr. Phillipe is totally unconvincing as the victim of this torture.The crew that is doing this torture are absolutely great- they are actually good actors, and their actions reflect the complexity of their roles and their corresponding abilities as actors. On the other hand, watching Ryan Phillipe in this is like watching Rob Schneider attempting drama, and that would definitely not be for the faint of heart.

Well, although I had missed about ten minutes of the film I found it really interesting, with very good performances, especially on the part of Laurence Fishburne. However there is something hanging concerning the plot. Something has bothered me. Martin is presented in the film as an idealist, a dreamer who is trying to help the people in underdeveloped countries. However he seems to be involved in a scheme according to which innocent people will be killed. It is taken for granted that the CIA as well as the terrorists are accustomed to such tactics but they are not the tactics of an idealist. An idealist might sacrifice themselves but not innocent people. Yet it is worth seeing it.

"Martijn (Ryan Phillippe), an idealistic Dutch pianist, travels to Morocco to help start a food program for malnourished children. Within moments of his arrival, however, Martijn is abducted by a group of terrorists, injected with a debilitating drug, and imprisoned. Under threat of death, the young man engages in a mental chess match with Ahmat (Laurence Fishburne), trying to learn his captor's true objective and avoid a horrible fate," according to the Lions Gate synopsis.Mr. Phillippe is the star here. Looking model-perfect, with eyebrows plucked to perfection, may be why Mr. Fishburne questions his sexuality. Phillippe answers, "Not everyone in Amsterdam is gay… it's like saying every Muslim is a terrorist." Touché. For a supposedly Muslim lass, Gina Torres is painted well enough to arouse… suspicions. The torture here is that she and Fishburne intend to periodically remove Phillippe's fingers if he doesn't cooperate… And, he's a tough sell.***** Five Fingers (4/28/06) Laurence Malkin ~ Ryan Phillippe, Laurence Fishburne, Gina Torres, Touriya Haoud