Quick hits: THE HUNTED & SUSPECT ZERO
April 14th, 2004
Script Review(s): THE HUNTED & SUSPECT ZERO
Review(s) by Honest Abe
WARNING: SPOILERS!
SUSPECT ZERO - (negative, minor spoilers)
Screenwriters: Dan Gordon, Paul Schrader, Zak Penn, Billy Ray
Man was I disappointed. The premise is quite interesting. What if you realized you had a serial killer who only killed other serial killers? What about the greater good? These are the questions pondered by FBI agent Thomas Mackelway, recently transferred to Wichita Falls, Kansas (zzzzzzzzzzzz, yeah yeah, I know). Anyways, what first seems to be a random series of murders are tied together by the fact that all the victims were themselves violent criminals. They led double lives that their own families didn't even know about. The killer himself is named O'Ryan and he begins a game of cat and mouse with Thomas, daring him to come after him, daring him to solve the puzzle he poses. Why would O'Ryan send tons of photos of missing people to Thomas? Is there some larger villain at play here? The notion that is only alluded to is that the original 'suspect zero' would be pure evil. Okay, slam on the brakes here. Did this script just enter metaphysical type territory? Well yes and no and therein lies the problem. The script doesn't know where it wants to go. First it would seem that O'Ryan is talking about a wave of pure evil threatening to engulf the entire country, the next minute, he's just talking about a some serial killer that is responsible for hundreds of random disappearnaces and murders that have no link to one another. My frustration (and yours) is gonna build to the point where I was reading the pages faster and faster hoping to get something that would make sense. Is O'Ryan more than he says he is? What is the connection between O'Ryan and some secret FBI experiment to have certain agents trained to "see" things simply by concentrating? Have the FBI concocted their own Jedi mind tricks??? Let me just skip to the end and say that the end result is a major major letdown. This was a disappointment of "Dallas" dream sequence porportions. One of the biggest disappointments I've read in the year that I've been providing you readers with my bottom line. I don't need to say anything else. The ending sucks. While Thomas is a compelling character, there is no payoff at the end. I'm sure the trailer will be quite creepy (just a hunch) and I don't know who's slated to star in this but regardless, wait for video if you're so inclined. Me? I'm dropping this like third period French...and that's the bottom line.
THE HUNTED (positive, minor spoilers)
Screenwriters: Art Monterastelli, David Griffiths, Peter Griffiths
Now this is more like it! Action! Fish out of water! FBI chicks in short skirts (I can dream so shut up!) What if you take a serial killer named Hallam (Benicio del Toro) who's at home in the woods and second to none in the art of camoflauge and bring him to the concrete jungle of Portland only to have him escape? Improvise, overcome, and adapt. That's exactly what our boy does and it's up to agent Abby Tucker (Connie Nielsen), as well as agents Dressler and Emerson to bring him back into custody. Helping them in their quest is Jay Banham (Tommy Lee Jones), a legendary tracker who apparently has a big fan in Hallam. A cat and mouse game begins between these two hunters as they continue to goade and evade each other. Hallam is all about the thrill of the hunt and is practically orgasmic at having a worthy foe on his heels. There's lots of action and lots of deaths. Hallam is a man who is sure about himself in every respect. Abby is no rookie though. She's quite adept at figuring out where he'll strike next. The read alone is top notch. The writing team of David and Peter Griffiths have created a top notch edge of your seat thriller. If I have one problem is the casting of Jones as Banham. Nothing against Jones, I think he's a superb actor, but do we need to see him chasing another fugitive? Also, he seems just a bit to old to provide a formidable foe to del Toro. By the way, I can just imagine del Toro devouring every scene he's in. Cocky and arrogant are second nature to Hallam. When the fight gets personal for Abby she lays it all on the line to get her man. I really can't say too much more except that I was interested in this before I got ahold of the script and now even more so, I'm psyched. Bottom line: Opening weekend? Hell yeah. Nothing like a good edge of your seat action thriller. Fugitive 3 this ain't! And that's the bottom line.
Review(s) by Honest Abe
WARNING: SPOILERS!
(05/24/01)
NOTE: The screenplays we review are often in development and may experience many rewrites, some could end up being completely different than what is reviewed here. It is our hope that our reviews generate more interest in the film. Thank you.
SUSPECT ZERO - (negative, minor spoilers)
Screenwriters: Dan Gordon, Paul Schrader, Zak Penn, Billy Ray
Man was I disappointed. The premise is quite interesting. What if you realized you had a serial killer who only killed other serial killers? What about the greater good? These are the questions pondered by FBI agent Thomas Mackelway, recently transferred to Wichita Falls, Kansas (zzzzzzzzzzzz, yeah yeah, I know). Anyways, what first seems to be a random series of murders are tied together by the fact that all the victims were themselves violent criminals. They led double lives that their own families didn't even know about. The killer himself is named O'Ryan and he begins a game of cat and mouse with Thomas, daring him to come after him, daring him to solve the puzzle he poses. Why would O'Ryan send tons of photos of missing people to Thomas? Is there some larger villain at play here? The notion that is only alluded to is that the original 'suspect zero' would be pure evil. Okay, slam on the brakes here. Did this script just enter metaphysical type territory? Well yes and no and therein lies the problem. The script doesn't know where it wants to go. First it would seem that O'Ryan is talking about a wave of pure evil threatening to engulf the entire country, the next minute, he's just talking about a some serial killer that is responsible for hundreds of random disappearnaces and murders that have no link to one another. My frustration (and yours) is gonna build to the point where I was reading the pages faster and faster hoping to get something that would make sense. Is O'Ryan more than he says he is? What is the connection between O'Ryan and some secret FBI experiment to have certain agents trained to "see" things simply by concentrating? Have the FBI concocted their own Jedi mind tricks??? Let me just skip to the end and say that the end result is a major major letdown. This was a disappointment of "Dallas" dream sequence porportions. One of the biggest disappointments I've read in the year that I've been providing you readers with my bottom line. I don't need to say anything else. The ending sucks. While Thomas is a compelling character, there is no payoff at the end. I'm sure the trailer will be quite creepy (just a hunch) and I don't know who's slated to star in this but regardless, wait for video if you're so inclined. Me? I'm dropping this like third period French...and that's the bottom line.
THE HUNTED (positive, minor spoilers)
Screenwriters: Art Monterastelli, David Griffiths, Peter Griffiths
Now this is more like it! Action! Fish out of water! FBI chicks in short skirts (I can dream so shut up!) What if you take a serial killer named Hallam (Benicio del Toro) who's at home in the woods and second to none in the art of camoflauge and bring him to the concrete jungle of Portland only to have him escape? Improvise, overcome, and adapt. That's exactly what our boy does and it's up to agent Abby Tucker (Connie Nielsen), as well as agents Dressler and Emerson to bring him back into custody. Helping them in their quest is Jay Banham (Tommy Lee Jones), a legendary tracker who apparently has a big fan in Hallam. A cat and mouse game begins between these two hunters as they continue to goade and evade each other. Hallam is all about the thrill of the hunt and is practically orgasmic at having a worthy foe on his heels. There's lots of action and lots of deaths. Hallam is a man who is sure about himself in every respect. Abby is no rookie though. She's quite adept at figuring out where he'll strike next. The read alone is top notch. The writing team of David and Peter Griffiths have created a top notch edge of your seat thriller. If I have one problem is the casting of Jones as Banham. Nothing against Jones, I think he's a superb actor, but do we need to see him chasing another fugitive? Also, he seems just a bit to old to provide a formidable foe to del Toro. By the way, I can just imagine del Toro devouring every scene he's in. Cocky and arrogant are second nature to Hallam. When the fight gets personal for Abby she lays it all on the line to get her man. I really can't say too much more except that I was interested in this before I got ahold of the script and now even more so, I'm psyched. Bottom line: Opening weekend? Hell yeah. Nothing like a good edge of your seat action thriller. Fugitive 3 this ain't! And that's the bottom line.
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