jamesfairburn

From beginning to end I was caught up in the atmosphere and characters of this film. It harked back to some of the feel of 70's thrillers like Thunderbolt and Lightfoot but was its own film entirely. Jeff Bridges is interesting to watch even if he is getting up from a chair! Chris Pine also holds his own. Special mention should go to the cinematography and location work. It really captured the downtrodden locale and empty landscapes well. I also enjoyed a lot of the bit parts in the film, which seemed to be particularly well cast.

Ultimately it was just a solid script and direction to match. See on a big screen!

Not knowing much about this story I was naturally intrigued to watch this doc. In a way, its a shame that even a few of the major elements of plot are given away in the promotion for the film, because its clear the film makers approach is to not take the viewer's preconceptions of the story as given, and the initial pace setting up the context and characters reflects this. It is an amazing story, and for the most part well told in an atmospheric noir fashion.

Personally, I am in favor of some kind of initial build up, as most modern docs, and fiction films too, have a pretty rushed pace. I liked the tone and eerie atmosphere in the first half, especially when we hear from some pretty amazing secret tape recordings. But I also feel that in the second half something was missing, I wanted to hear more about the couple's experiences in North Korea and I get the sense that much was left on the cutting room floor. Perhaps there will be a directors cut?

Overall, it is a pretty compelling documentary worth your time, as so much of it simply beggars belief, but I do wonder if a more interesting approach to the story could have been found. Having seen the excellent Listen to Me Marlon, could the film makers could have achieved the same kind of effect, just using tapes and movies?

One thing though, if you are going to watch it, don't read anything more about the story, just do it.