Hey folks, Harry here
Hey, Harry, Paul Revere again, with another review from the Boston Film Festival. Today was the slowest day of the festival, with only two films playing despite five screens being set aside for the festival. I wonder if it might not be a good idea to push this festival back a couple of weeks, not only getting it out of the way of Toronto and Venice, but to give the students a chance to get settled in first? Just a thought.
On to "Collusion". Like with many con movies, writer/director/producer Richard Burridge keeps the actual plot hidden, and the movie can seem maddeningly vague at times, though not in an arch or oblique way - there's no going on about "having to meet The Guy to get The Thing so that The Plan can go on". Indeed, if not for the title and a bit of opening narration, you might not immediately recognize this as a con story. With it, though, the movie becomes something of a puzzle - which characters are working together, and what are their goals? In a happy departure from the usual con artist conventions, there's not an obvious con that's being worked only to lead up to a double cross (does that surprise anyone any more?).
The players are well-played, especially considering how deliberately non-communicative they can be. Jack Littlemore (Aden Gillett) is in art security, although he's evidently got more experience in participating in art-related crimes than preventing them; he's earnest-seeming but withdrawn. Sally Waterville (Kate Ashfield) is his lover, a sexy, ambitious gal currently playing the part of a reporter but with a porn movie in her background. Darren Headway (Daniel Lapaine) is a loudmouth with some connection to Jack in his past which Jack won't tell anyone about. Serena Ames (Jessica Brooks) is his girlfriend, the somewhat aloof daughter of paranoid media czar Herbert Ames (Leslie Phillips). Mary Dolphin (Imogen Stubbs) is divorcing Jack (with an ugly custody battle), and works as Herbert's lawyer.
Kate Ashfield's performance really stands out. Sally assumes many roles in the movie, with even more costume changes, but is never submerged in them. The temptation to make Sally a better actor than she is must have been strong, but she winds up with a distinct personality, rather than being a cipher. The story is tight, and frequently droll, and the soundtrack is good, if somewhat familiar-sounding.
Tonight's showing was the film's American debut (filming in London only finished in July), and it's currently without distribution. That shouldn't last long, though - it's a solid genre movie despite a fairly low price tag, and should draw interest at the more industry-oriented festivals (Mr. Burridge seemed plesaed to premiere it here, though, since he felt the film had New England roots, being based on a story by Henry James and a screenplay modeled on the works of George V. Higgins).
Paul Revere
