Confidential Informant

Is this a joke? Seriously, is this really a joke? Because honestly it was so beyond bad. From the bad color correction, to the poorly written dialogue and acting to the constant music overlapping trying to cover up a horrible movie.

What happened to Mel Gibson? He seems to be doing nothing but b-movies now.

I don't think I bought a single character in this film. And the distracting "music video" editing made it even worse, as if it couldn't get any worse.

There was NOTHING believable about this film, not a single thing.

How did this get green lit? Nick Stahl as a cop? I mean, maybe a drug addict, but not a cop.

This is a BIG NO from me..

There must be two different movies with the same title based on the glowing reviews that are here. It's a horrible movie and I couldn't even watch the whole thing. An hour in and Mel has about 5 lines and a few minutes of screen time. His delivery lacks any effort at all. The soundtrack is annoying - too loud most of the time and rather than adding to the movie it is distracting. The acting is wooden and lacks any emotion or believability. The script is so predictable. Don't waste your time on this one. There are far better movies out there. Sad tp see actors like Mel taking on roles like this.

This is another one of those endless Lionsgate movies which cast one star (Mel Gibson is this case -- who seems to be making a lot of these movies lately) that are churned out, for what audience I dont know.

I cannot imagine that this was released in movie theatres. Maybe internationally and streamed here? Beats me.

There's also some B level actor who's been in a TV cop series who shows up in this. It's clear that the movie is Gibsen's money-for-nothing film. He's barely in it and obviously got paid solely for his star power. Kate Boswirth is there too but she has little to do except show up and pretend to cry.

In all, the film reaks of cheapness and poor directing.

While the plot is sound and the subject worthwhile, the execution falls flat in nearly every aspect. Good actors can only do so much with a script that borders on juvenile - quite likely the worst script Michael Kaycheck has put his name on - it seems to be more of a Law and Order episode cowritten by Brooke Nasser and convoluted by the directorial overreach of Michael Oblowitz. All in all a terrible collaboration. As for the cast, great acting by all throughout, which is especially noteworthy given the aforementioned script and amateurish direction. Maybe Oblowitz should stick to short films and music videos if this is the best he can do given such a cast.

I feel bad for the stellar cast that sadly, even they couldn't save this poorly executed mess. I really liked the concept of the story - apparently it's based on actual events (as per closing credits), and in the hands of a better filmmaker, this story could've and should've shined.

But sadly, experienced cinematographer, and producer and director of this film, Michael Oblowitz - with an astonishing 36 prior directorial credits, still hasn't learned how to make a compelling, viewable and engaging film. As a cinematographer, he failed miserably with his choices of horrible color palettes, murky lighting, outdated slow-mo shots and bad camera angles, and he failed even more with his horrible directing, laughable action choreography, shoddy camera work, lackluster editing, and even worse cast direction. His slow pacing made the normally comfortable 88 min runtime feel never-ending.

All these flaws and lack of cinematic creativity, as well as the constant overbearing and unfitting score, hindered what could have been an impactful and suspense-filled narrative. A fifth grade drama class could come up with a better film. I think Oblowitz should find a new hobby, like basket-weaving, and leave filmmaking to those who have the knack. It's a very generous 5/10 all going to the amazing cast who tried their best with what they had to work with. Even if you're a fan like I am of Gibson, Purcell, and the always stunning Kate Bosworth, do yourself a favor and skip this cringe-worthy production, it's not worth your time.

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