Crimes of the Past

The story of a retired CIA agent and the daughter he abandoned 26 years ago plays more like a family relationship primer than a spy flick. Technically the film is seriously flawed. I could live with the black and white to color transitions representing past and present, but the shaky camera and in focus out of focus shots are nothing but a damn annoyance. The story is way too simplistic for a film involving espionage. The acting, even by usually reliable David Rasche and Eric Roberts, is uninspired, with the little granddaughter stealing every scene she appears in. Unless you are a big fan of the actors, steer clear. - MERK

This was an excellent film, which took me by surprise. The story and direction managed to masterfully blend the suspense of the spy genre film, while building wonderful characters and leaving you with something under your skin. The performances were outstanding! David Rasche, Eric Roberts and Elisabeth Rohm were brilliant! It was visually beautiful and the evocative. I was reminded in ways of Coppola's The Conversation, with Gene Hackman. Elisabeth Rohm was amazing. She created such a complex and rich character and should be awarded for it. I look forward to seeing the film again. It was excellent from start to finish.

Pretty good flick all around I have to say. My own taste would lean more on the CIA and Spy facet of the story. However that's because I happen to be more fascinated in that material. At the same time it was good to see a show like this for variation. Without giving away too much plot, I found the conclusion gratifying. Given the spirit of the storyline it paid off by coming full circle for the Josefina character. She gave a fine performance, I might add. And conceptually I felt the ending added credence to the film. That was my sense. Maybe it worked for me or anyone connected to the idea of memory and reflection of apparent. I hope that was vague enough. Actors and actresses were all very good too. Thanks.

When i faced the choice of watching this movie, I visited the IMDb page for guidance. Despite having a low rating, i decided to watch this movie because of the top comment that called it a 'superb movie'. Folks, let me be precise. This movie is a total waste of time and i am confused why the top reviewer ever called it superb at all? This movie is not even close to be called mediocre.

I wonder why the top review never got buried? The movie has got nothing in its credit to gain any rating. The acting was dead, the script was non-existent, the music wasn't even worth it at all.

If given an option again, I would prefer to watch Mickey Mouse's cartoons than this garbage of a movie.

People, don't bother to watch this one. I have had a very bad experience with this one and would never ever recommend this flick to anyone...

I just wish i could un-see this movie.

This is an intriguing film for me to view. I believe the acting was superb and it was also wonderfully filmed. I wasn't sure what to expect from the various reviews or even the storyline but overall the reason I ended up seeing the film was that I was enthralled with the notion of a character driven spy story. In my own way I also related to the struggle of the father connecting with his daughter after so many years. Which is not to say that I was a Spy, but I was away for a significant period of time and my business was confidential in nature and the demands were enormous which brought about a hindrance in the family, so the film was a cathartic experience for me. I very much enjoyed David Rasche's portrayal of the Spy character. I believe all the actors were very subtle and seemed to find some real keen notes. It was a well-told story and I am happy to have stumbled onto it.