User reviews

I generally agree with other reviews of this film in terms of weak writing and lugubrious direction. I am rating it higher primarily because it actually has real actors in the cast, hence you can watch it without having a gag-reflex. Also, the cinematography was better than average in this genre.

While there was nothing original in the plot structure, the moral ambiguity expressed through several key characters was somewhat refreshing...though, not fully resolved.

Sadly, the fine actor, Andy Garcia, is not properly exploited in this film. He comes across less than fully dimensional. The director went to a gold mine and barely got silver.

In the end, not a waste of the viewer's time, but more an appetizer than an entrée.

On the surface, this contemporary assault on corporate maleficence is enough to make its point. But the subject matter is a complicated affair that is lacking in this movie that feels rushed.

Messing about in third world countries and designing destinies built on precious resources and manipulating the environment is a heavy undertaking and the suffering of the population by these all too insensitive entities is a problem that is beginning to take shape and needs to be addressed.

It is attempted here as an action film with scruples and it does have its heart in the right place. But the very low budget and the glossy attempt to intertwine multi-national business interest and investigative journalism is a bit too much to maintain in this noble but shallow effort.

The name Actors are probably here for their moral support and do add a level of authenticity to the cause, but there just isn't enough depth pursued or motivations on either side to justify the broad concept that it is at hand here.

It plays like a short story or a magazine article. Enough to tantalize an interest in the matter but not enough to be at all convincing. It does open up the subject and allows some light if not insight into this very disturbing situation.

A Dark Truth (2012)

An ambitious movie, intending more than it achieves. At stake is a critique of the corporate cornering of water rights in the Third World. This is a real problem, and deserves better than this by Hollywood, if a big movie is the way to go about it. (A far better attempt, and a far better movie, is "También la lluvia", or "Even the Rain," set in Bolivia and starring Gael García Bernal.)

The really great actor here is Forest Whitaker, who has a fairly small role as a South American rebel leader with a true conscience. The lead actor is the ever-struggling (if sincere) Andy Garcia, who is a retired South American CIA man with a quasi-political radio talk show to keep him and his troubled wife and child alive and very well.

You can smell the connection that has to be made here, between Whitaker's jungle world of righteous rebellion and Garcia's safely withdrawn world of buried political misdeeds. The third world (narratively) is the big water purification company itself, with a slightly evil corporate head and his slow-to-wake sister who finally realizes the corporation their father started is corrupt and murderous. This third leg of the triangle is complex, and a bit unconvincing with its too-easy array of killers and corporate spies and Ecuadorian accomplices all a cell phone call away.

I might make clear here the movie is not a dud but it's very troubled, both formally (editing and writing issues, mostly) and in terms of its purported content. That is, ultra-violent scenes of mass murder are used over and over again to press home how ruthless and bloody the corporate heads are, safe in their glassed offices in Toronto. (Yes, the corporation is Canadian, which I guess is a nice novelty since Canadians are so famously nice.) The actual problem of water use and clean water supplies for the villages shown is never explored. Instead we have people running and getting gunned down with weirdly nonsensical abandon. A lot.

The more you dwell on this the more you realize the movie makers are as evil as the corporate bosses they are portraying. They use this horrifying cinematic mayhem to draw you in and make you (in theory) sympathize with the rebels, and with the ordinary people who just want to live and have clean water. Well, of course! So then we get back to Garcia drawn to the jungle to single-handedly (with a revolver) save these rebels from the advancing army troops. (Yes, Andy Garcia plays the Matt Damon character here, which is really quite funny at times, and not on purpose.)

So eventually you see through all the seriousness to a pretty poorly cobbled together movie with lots of overlapping plots and some very very fast solutions to messy problems (like getting the wanted rebel leader out of Ecuador on an airplane without a blink). I'd skip this mess for lots of reasons. And go see "Even the Rain" with its much gentler flaws.

The casting of the movie is incredible. Which is always the case when a message is being delivered. It's not too much on the nose here or at least it is incorporated into the story quite good. The actors you know do what they can. Eva Longoria might have the least to do (especially considering her name/weight). It's nice seeing some old familiar faces in a movie, where they try to build character.

There is quite a bit of cliché in this, but you wouldn't/couldn't expect otherwise. Kevin Durand has a great little role in it and he makes his decision, no matter how small or big they are, actually work. Apart from that it's mostly the Andy Garcia show, with some added drama by Kara Unger and Forrest Whitacker. A nice little drama, with a lot of action in it.

This is the first I've seen of movies on the particular subject of what major international corporations such as Bectel are doing to underdeveloped countries as regards their water. Well done treatment, great cast, excellent acting. No hamming or sensationalism, no gratuitous violence (not that there isn't enough to tell the story). Perhaps other reviewers don't consider water as exciting as blood diamonds or oil or uranium. Perhaps it's not. But it's certainly more important. This fictional presentation of the issue is a good start toward expanding popular awareness of one of the biggest problems facing us in this new century.

Not water shortages, critical though they are. Rather, soulless, nationless corporate greed. Seven out of ten.

A Dark Truth (2012)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

A real misfire of a film about a South American town where a large group of people become sick after sewage gets in their drinking water. To cover up the crime the military executes the survivors but a couple (Forest Whitaker, Eva Longoria) survive and soon an ex-CIA agent (Andy Garcia) is trying to rescue them and get their story out. A DARK TRUTH is a really bad movie in several ways but a lot of the blame has to go to writer-director Damian Lee who just doesn't come up with a very interesting story or a good way to tell it. There are so many problems with the story itself that you have to wonder why he elected to go with a fake story instead of getting something real. This is basically just a message picture where once again greed turns people into evil monsters over a natural resource. The problem is that the film just wants to preach its message without giving us a story or characters to really care about. The film bounces around from the jungles to the high-top people trying to cover up the crime and also gives us flashbacks to the CIA agent working as a radio host giving off various speeches. None of this comes together in any way, shape or form and in the end this movie just ends up dragging to the point where the viewer will be wanting to hit the stop button. It doesn't help that there are some pretty boring directorial choices and especially when it comes to the editing. Just check out the scenes between Garcia and his wife were the edits back and forth between them are so annoying that you just want to scream. I will say that the performances are better than average but then again we've got a group of professionals here. With that said, their work can't come close to saving this turkey.

There are some decent high profile actors in this turkey. Do they really need the money that badly? Are they doing a favor for a friend - "Hey, my kid is directing this movie, would you be in it for me? I'll do one for your next year . . . . " Maybe the whole project looks different before the cameras actually start rolling.

The direction in this is terrible. The pace is ridiculously show and the look is very stagey. "You two stand over there and take turns reading these sentences."

It is filled with self-important, self-righteous, overwrought people who have all been horribly wronged by an evil corporation and a corrupt government. Woah. That's original. Really hard hitting stuff. Corporations are evil. We would be so much better off in the world without them.

Too bad. I was looking forward in particular to see Kim Coates outside of his Sons of Anarchy role, Andy Garcia is a good actor, and I am a huge fan of Forest Whitaker. But this thing was dumb, dumb, dumb. Poorly written, poorly directed. Decent production values. It looks professional. That's the only reason I gave it the three stars.

"A Dark Truth" from 2012 was coproduced by Andy Garcia and Kim Coates, and they both have lead roles, along with Debra Unger, Forest Whitaker, Eva Longoria, Kevin Durand, and Lara Daans.

We've all seen the old chestnut about the ex-secret agent, operative, art thief, bank robber, gambling cheat, etc., drawn back into one more situation. In this case, it's Jack Begosian (Garcia) who is a former CIA operative. He now has a talk show that deals with big issues.

Bruce Swinton (Coates) runs a large corporation, and the company has run into major problems in a local African community. It has caused incredible bloodshed. The company, naturally, would like to keep this quiet. His sister Morgan (Unger) is also a shareholder, and she wants to know what went on there, but her brother plays it down. She pays Begosian to go and find the eco-terrorist Francisco Francis (Whitaker) to find out.

The company bigwigs have hired someone of their own -- an assassin (Durand) who listens in on conversations Morgan and Begosian has, so that he can kill Francis when he comes to the U.S....and also Bruce's sister and Begosian.

I have no problem believing that corporations are capable of this type of thing -- in fact, they're probably doing it -- in this case, privatizing water rights in underdeveloped countries, which ultimately deprives poor people of water. In fact, I think Bectel is doing something like that now. I want to add that companies like this have probably helped a lot of countries as well, but their ultimate goal is profit. Isn't it always.

This is an excellent subject but it's hastily and sloppily told. Someone on this board said the violence wasn't gratuitous. No, it wasn't gratuitous but in some parts it was non-stop. The subject isn't gone into very deeply, and in the end, the whole thing seems simplistic.

Andy Garcia's character has a family, which is complete filler. Garcia is good but we don't find out that much about him. Forest Whitaker does a good job as Francisco, a gentle man caught in violent circumstances. Eva Longoria plays his wife. It's a small role but she's fine.

I believe Garcia and Coates wanted to tell an important story here - unfortunately, since it only made $5,000, I doubt very many people saw it. Until a "Blood Diamond" or "Syriana" type, expensive film is made about water rights, it's not going to get the right sort of attention.

Ultimately it all leaves one depressed and discouraged. There is so much corruption everywhere. How sad that we can't all treat one another like human beings.

This is one of the best corporate scandal movies ever made. This time it involves a Canadian company rather than a standard typical stereotype American one.

Worldwide travelers like me will appreciate the international realistic business environment exposure that includes Canada, South Africa and Ecuador. Plot twists and turns do not disappoint. Scenes look very realistic and portray how real life business and living conditions exist in these parts of the world.

The performances are outstanding. Andy Garcia gives perhaps his best acting performance yet in his career. Forest Whitaker is equally as impressive shining again as an actor playing another convincing international role character.

Please do yourself a favor and watch this movie. It entertains and delivers so it should not be missed.

I watched this movie as a movie. I didn't see it as propaganda for...whatever, nor did I confuse it with a documentary.

As a movie, I enjoyed it. I thought it was primarily a human story about two people who regretted actions in their past and were struggling to move forward from there, wanting to do better, but not entirely sure how. It was clearly done on a budget, but the story kept my interest, the characters had depth, and the acting was well above average. If you are looking for an action-packed, fast-paced thriller, you will probably be disappointed, but it does have action and it does have thrills, and the story moves along at a reasonable pace.

Talk about convoluted, slow, plodding, boring to tears, predictable, and a complete waste of time...then you're talking about "A dark truth". I was hoping there were some redeeming values or at else something I could say positive about this movie, and I'm hard pressed to come up with anything. I guess one good thing was it lasted less than 2 hours, does that count? I'm often amazed why decent actors and actresses take on roles in movies like this where the scripts are so weak, the story is boring, and the writing is pathetic junk, I guess it must be for the love of money because there could be no other reason for a decent actor to be in this one. This movie makes two in row for Eva Longoria, her retched performance in "The Baytown Outlaws" along with this masterful crafted acting job puts her in the truly "Desperate housewife" needs money category. I guess maybe she really can't act and is just another pretty face in Hollywood, judging by the roles she accepts "desperate" defines her career. One last thing for you to consider, the dialog in this movie is nothing less than ridiculous, and it's like the director told the actors to deliver their lines in slow motion. That may seem like a silly comment until you actually try to watch this film, I guarantee you'll know what I mean after trying to view this sleep induced attempt.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

A water firm has fitted a faulty pump in a village in Ecuador, that has caused an outbreak of typhus that started with the general population, before moving on to the military, who went berserk and started shooting the inhabitants. Former CIA agent turned talk show host Jack Begosian (Andy Garcia) is approached to travel to Ecuador and find rebel leader Francisco Francis (Forest Whitaker) who broke in to their offices and took some sensitive data. But with their dirty secret potentially being exposed, the company will stop at nothing to seek a more favorable outcome.

Corporate corruption is at the heart of this above average straight to DVD thriller, which casts an intelligent glance over how the names and brands we've come to love have a dark reality behind them. From the outset, it's clear we're dealing with a superior effort from a very hit and miss crop, with ambition and scope sourly lacking from many other such entries, providing some serious food for thought and really requiring your attention throughout.

But what really makes it stand out is the lead performance from Garcia, who proves you can still care about your work even if the pay isn't so good and it will raise your profile a lot less. He injects his role here with a steely, quiet intensity that somehow manages to hold your attention throughout. Co star Whitaker also refuses to sleepwalk through his role, and a host of other co stars, including Eva Longoria, add a nice topping to the cake. All of this is wonderful, even in light of the relentlessly heavy, humourless tone.

This is the kind of more high scale production that is sadly being pushed to the sidelines in these recessionary times, in favour of more low brow, bigger budget crowd pleasing stuff. In more favourable times, it would have gotten the theatrical release it at least deserved. ***

A-List Actors in a B-Movie, what a waste of talent. Damian Lee is not well known for directing, writing or as Producer of good Movies. How is it possible that Forest Whitaker and Andy Garcia even know Lee? And how come they play in this movie? Only explanation they must have lost a bet or something. I mean we have seen this from Cuba Gooding Jr. Best Actor in a Supporting Role 1996 and since then played in several disappointing Films. Same is true for Nicolas Cage, Oscar-winning actor who played several B- Movies. And now Garcia and Whitaker. Don't actors have agents? And shouldn't they protect them from movies like this? There are already too much bad movies out there, there is no need to do more.

Very well put together. It kept us at edge from beginning to end.

Very well acted. Andy Garcia's face displayed pain, dilemma and at the same time internal strength. Forest Whitaker reminded me of Nelson Mandela, caring about the people rather than himself. Eva Longoria played her limited role very well. Deborah Kara Unger was good but could have shown more emotion, such as anger, passion.

Premise of the movie is possible, thus making the movie realistic. It also confirmed how right the cause was that natural resources, like water, belong to the people, not to private industries and government.

The end of the movie showed that there is good in most of us.

Should have more movies like this. Very worth seeing!

A typhus outbreak occurs in Tayca, Ecuador from Clearbec's failed water treatment plant. Francisco Francis (Forest Whitaker) is on the run with his wife Mia (Eva Longoria) and kids after stealing files from the local Clearbec office. The military is on a rampage. Renaldo and his boss Tony Green (Steven Bauer) tells corporate head Bruce (Kim Coates) in Toronto about the stolen files. Renaldo also goes on the run after the military starts shooting. He ends up back in Toronto and confronts executive Morgan Swinton (Deborah Kara Unger) by committing suicide publicly. Bruce keeps the water treatment failure from his sister Morgan and gunman Tor (Kevin Durand) is hired. Morgan recruits radio host ex-CIA Jack Begosian (Andy García) to investigate the situation.

There are so many great actors but this is simply a bad movie. It's odd that these actors seem to be working in different places and don't get scenes all together. The plot goes everywhere and at a snail's pace. It's both commendable and a fatal flaw to have a Toronto corporate headquarter. At least, they're not doing a Toronto for New York switch. The production is lower level although the ambition may be a globe-spanning action thriller. The two main locations give a jarring disconnected cheap feel to the movie. The shooting style is static. This really doesn't work.

I recently watched A Dark Truth (2012) on Tubi. The storyline revolves around a government special operations employee who has retired, is haunted by the ghosts from his past, and shares his perspectives from historical experiences on the radio. When he's presented with a new mission he initially has no interest in until he realizes it might be the only way to confront the skeletons in his closet.

Directed by Damian Lee (Sacrifice), the film features a talented cast, including Andy Garcia (The Godfather Part III), Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland), Kim Coates (Sons of Anarchy), Deborah Kara Unger (The Game) and Lara Daans (King of Sorrow).

The movie offers a realistic and compelling storyline. The characters are portrayed authentically, with Andy Garcia delivering an outstanding performance as a character torn by inner demons, self-loathing, yet confident and determined. Forest Whitaker's portrayal is perfectly desperate, hesitant, and determined, and the collision of their two worlds is executed flawlessly. The action sequences are impressive, with Garcia displaying a surprising combination of suddenness, calmness, intensity, and ferocity. The ending feels realistic and provides a satisfying resolution.

In conclusion, A Dark Truth is an underrated film with a worthwhile premise and intriguing characters. I would rate it 6.5-7/10 and recommend giving it a watch.

Whatever vices or virtues this movie has, it is a paean of really vicious hate propaganda against free market economics. The corporation in the story is blamed for an atrocious massacre which is actually committed by the Ecuadorian army, for a typhus outbreak and for the usual, general perversity and greediness that corporations are characterized with in this type of hate propaganda.

I can only imagine what an Ecuadorian would think of the way his country is portrayed in this garbage can full of lies disguised as fiction.

I would avoid watching this kind of trash if I could see it coming. Why don't movie reviews routinely include a commentary on the propaganda content of movies like this?

This is one of those films that was obviously a labor of love for many of the folks involved. There are some incredible performances, and a great and believable story here. It's the kind of story that deserves to be a cherished bedtime story of the modern age - one of knights in tarnished armor who do what is within their power to resist the relentless pull of greed, selfishness, and fear - and surprisingly live to tell the tale, on a broadcast network no less! One only prays the hope conveyed here is realistic.

I am amazed that reviews of under 10 lines are not accepted. It seems that IMDb has decreed that brevity is not the soul of wit, and only when we drone on and on and on about our particular spin can we be deemed worthy of immortalization in their hallowed database. Thus having achieved immortality, I bid thee, "Adieu".

This is an absolute great movie.

It's a big Hollywood cliché about the bad companies leaders who can indirectly kill people if that can give their more money and power.

BUT the poor citizens can fight back and get them in court.

But it's very enjoyable.

Lot of action, lot of thrill, and a bit of love.

Conclusion : money rules everything, but fight makes freedom.

It's a very good film with plenty of emotions.

I loved it.

If you like to fight for the truth, the jungle, the adventure and the special forces, watch this film.

When Any Garcia, Forest Whitaker, and Eva Longoria lend their names to a movie, you normally expect greatness. I don't have words for how completely awful this movie is. Yes, it has a point, but it takes wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too long to get there. It's as if it was written by a 5 year old child, and acted out by his kindergarten friends. Being from Toronto Canada, I was hoping for a lot more out of a Canadian movie, but this just further stereotypes that we can't make a decent movie in Canada. It literally took me 3 tries to make it through this atrocity. I'd be embarrassed to put my name to this. What a joke. For the love of god people, don't waste your time. Go watch "Hansel and Gretel Get Baked" instead. At least it has character.