Five Fingers

There are so many films out there that i guess the ending or work out the twist. This wasn't one of them. This film, if given the chance, is edge of the seat stuff for a proper film fan. I tried to guess the twist many times and was way off every time. It does start slow but give it a chance, it will drag you in and leave you guessing. The brilliant performances from phillipe and fishburne shine through. If you want fast pace action and explosions this film isn't for you but if you enjoy a film that makes you think and guess, watch it. I give this film 8 out of 10 for the simple fact that its different and that you will NOT guess the ending.

"Five Fingers" is a great psychological thriller, which takes place mainly inside a torture room. The story is about Martijn (Phillipe), a young Dutch idealist who goes to Morocco to finance a food program from money he has embezzled; his cause is encouraged by his Moroccan girlfriend, Saadia (Haoud). However, as soon as he reaches Rabat, he gets abducted by a terrorist group, led by a dark character played by Lawrence Fishburne, who believes that Martijn has come there with a sinister purpose. They interrogate him harshly, and although in the beginning he tries to explain his mission, he subsequently decides to change his story. What is the truth, then?

Malkin provides us with a carefully crafted claustrophobic setting, with the tension gradually building up as the abductors play cat and mouse with Martijn. In this theatrical atmosphere, all actors give good performances, and are even moderately successful in applying their respective accents (Dutch, Arabic).

However, the best thing of all is the clever ending, which of course I am not going to reveal here. From that alone, the film deserves an 8/10.

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.

I recently watched Five Fingers (2006) on Tubi. The film follows a Dutch man who travels to Morocco to set up a food bank. Shortly after his arrival, he is kidnapped by an infamous "enemy of the state" who suspects the man has ulterior motives and is working for someone else. The domestic terrorist then begins torturing him to uncover the truth.

Directed by Laurence Malkin (Soul Assassin), Five Fingers stars Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix), Ryan Phillippe (Crash), Colm Meaney (Layer Cake), Gina Torres (The Matrix Revolutions), and Touriya Haoud.

This is one of those movies that's quite average in most aspects, but it still keeps you interested in finding out what will happen next and who is playing whom. The story is a long game of cat and mouse, with solid dialogue and average torture scenes. While the premise behind the torture sequences is okay, they could have been executed better. The film features multiple twists and turns as more details emerge about who is telling the truth, and the ending is both rewarding and a fun conclusion. There's just enough here to make it worth watching at least once.

In conclusion, Five Fingers is a fairly average espionage thriller, but it has enough worthwhile elements to make it worth a viewing. I'd give it a 6/10.

Of course, I could watch just about anything with Lawrence Fishburne in it, but here, his performance and skill as an actor really shines.

That's not to detract from the others in this film. All of the principal actors delivered absolutely excellent, convincing character performances.

The story itself is a bit controversial, to say the least. It's not that I doubt this sort of "extreme" rendition occurs in current times, but there are various threads in this story which could be debated.

Of course, I won't explain the outcome here, you'll have to see this film for yourself for that. But it does deliver an "outside the box" outcome which is certainly different than most films of this genre'.

In a way, it does remind me a bit of the film "Unthinkable", another look into the murky world of extreme rendition, covert operations with a dark twist, and so on.

I would suggest seeing this. Even if you don't buy the implications of the story, the acting in this work is first rate.