Some movies you just like because you like the storyline. Second Nature feels like it's a very good book that hasn't been filmed very well.
The film starts as if it were going to be a kind of 'Bourne Identity meets James Bond with a conscience' B-movie imitation. But halfway through, there's a twist and it's like it was written as a somewhat dramatic Monster of the Week episode of The X-Files. Very well written: A psychiatrist had developed technology to erase people's memories and thus change their personality and behavior as well. She was given the first attempt by the US government on a serial killer sentenced to death. She wanted to make the monster a good family man with a conscience. What the psychiatrist did not know, however, was that the CIA had hijacked her experiment. They reprogramed the serial killer into a secret agent tasked with executing hostile political killers. However, this failed because the serial killer nevertheless received a conscience from the psychiatrist and could therefore not kill on command.
The movie is filmed on a budget and the action stunts are rather weak. It's not unwatchable, but I've seen better in a lot of movies. The very good news is that mediocre filming doesn't spoil the fun. As the story unfolds, you are drawn into the characters' story, curious about their fate and asking yourself ethical questions, about the death penalty, about what makes a bad person a bad person and whether bad people can indeed get better. .
The acting was mostly good. Actor of the main character, Alec Baldwin is somewhat reminiscent of Timothy Dalton in style and appearance and that helped the film: he was realistic in his initial role as a secret agent with personal problems. Louise Lombard makes you think of Gillian Anderson so it all fits nicely in this cross between James Bond and The X Filles. Philip Jackson also puts in a nice performance, although after 1 viewing I am confused: is he playing a journalist, a treating doctor or a private detective? Something wrong with the plot though. I thought Powers Boothe was miscast for his role: he doesn't seem credible as a villain.
I give 8/10 because for me the plot is more important than the image quality. There are a lot of nicer movies out there, but they aren't always better written.
The film starts as if it were going to be a kind of 'Bourne Identity meets James Bond with a conscience' B-movie imitation. But halfway through, there's a twist and it's like it was written as a somewhat dramatic Monster of the Week episode of The X-Files. Very well written: A psychiatrist had developed technology to erase people's memories and thus change their personality and behavior as well. She was given the first attempt by the US government on a serial killer sentenced to death. She wanted to make the monster a good family man with a conscience. What the psychiatrist did not know, however, was that the CIA had hijacked her experiment. They reprogramed the serial killer into a secret agent tasked with executing hostile political killers. However, this failed because the serial killer nevertheless received a conscience from the psychiatrist and could therefore not kill on command.
The movie is filmed on a budget and the action stunts are rather weak. It's not unwatchable, but I've seen better in a lot of movies. The very good news is that mediocre filming doesn't spoil the fun. As the story unfolds, you are drawn into the characters' story, curious about their fate and asking yourself ethical questions, about the death penalty, about what makes a bad person a bad person and whether bad people can indeed get better. .
The acting was mostly good. Actor of the main character, Alec Baldwin is somewhat reminiscent of Timothy Dalton in style and appearance and that helped the film: he was realistic in his initial role as a secret agent with personal problems. Louise Lombard makes you think of Gillian Anderson so it all fits nicely in this cross between James Bond and The X Filles. Philip Jackson also puts in a nice performance, although after 1 viewing I am confused: is he playing a journalist, a treating doctor or a private detective? Something wrong with the plot though. I thought Powers Boothe was miscast for his role: he doesn't seem credible as a villain.
I give 8/10 because for me the plot is more important than the image quality. There are a lot of nicer movies out there, but they aren't always better written.