With "Civic Duty", we find actor Brian Krause fresh off his stint on HBO's "Six Feet Under" starring as Terry Allen, a man definitely living a little too close to the edge of paranoid insanity. Recently fired from his accounting job, Allen finds that he has a little too much time on his hands. Already reeling from the loss of his job, he takes to watching his neighbors only to find his mental state further unraveling when a Middle Eastern man (Khaled Abol Naga) moves into the apartment next door. From the get go, Allen tags him a 'terrorist' and becomes determined to expose him at any cost. I found myself riding the fence with "Civic Duty." First of all, the premise was a fairly realistic one (at least at the beginning). Racial profiling has been an issue for some time, and though there are understandable reasons why it happens, when it is taken to the extreme it becomes dangerous and malicious. No matter how most of us will tout a lack of racism in our characters to the rafters, the truth of the matter is that we all have it inside of us in some form or another.

I myself am prejudiced against stupid people (which is a dangerous trait considering I live in Texas).

What has happened since the events of 9/11 is that our attention has been directed to those of Middle Eastern decent. While the truth of the matter is that less than 1% of Middle Easterners have any kind of terrorist ties, when we see them we get a little nervous. It's not fair, but since when is life fair? We're talking about an image that is pushed in the media, where it enters our brains into the lowest levels. It's like flinching every time someone swings a bat at you, no matter how much you trust the person, reflexes take over. This form of racial profiling is a form of a mental reflex.

The problem with the character in "Civic Duty" is that he lets the reflex completely take over, to the point of obsession. Whether or not the object of his obsession is really a terrorist or not (and I won't tell you here) becomes a moot point. It's the character's mental state and the lengths he goes to in order to 'prove' his suspicions that take front and center. Even the choices made by the director and cinematographer work together to deliver the film to the audience in such a way as to exacerbate Allen's state of mind. There are odd angles, stop motion, slow motion and speeded up shots all blended together to create a very paranoid set of visuals.

I was rather disappointed with Fox's DVD release for "Civic Duty" as there were no special features. Considering the subject matter, I imagine on top of commentaries and behind the scenes featurettes, there could have been any number of experts throwing out theories about this type of paranoia. Having opposing viewpoints would have been even more interesting.

"Civic Duty" was a film that could have been better. Elevated by the performances, especially that of Krause, the movie is only 'pretty good.' Tighter editing and a more credible ending would have definitely made it a better overall film.

Directed by: Jeff Renfroe
Starring: Peter Krause, Kari Matchett, Ian Tracey, Richard Schiff
Extras: None
Specifications: Widescreen (1.78:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: 10/9/2007
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R
Website

We'll give Civic Duty a C.