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I had just recently
become a fan of actor Simon Baker having
watched and reviewed the first season of
his new TV series, “The Mentalist.”
He won both me and my wife over, so much
in fact that we recently turned to his earlier
series “The Guardian” to see
if we would enjoy him just as much. What
I didn’t realize was just how many
films this Australian actor has turned up
in. I started popping in discs to see if
I could pick him out.
His most recent star turn is the lead in
“Not Forgotten”, a little seen
film that recently turned up on DVD and
Bluray thanks to the folks at Starz (anchor
Bay). Even I had not heard of it until I
read the press release announcing its release.
Curious to see how Baker would do in a feature
film starring role I made sure to get my
requests in to review this one. What I thought
was going to be a decent low budget psychological
thriller actually ended up being a GREAT
low budget psychological thriller.
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In “Not Forgotten”, Baker stars as
Jack Bishop… an everyday kinda guy living
an everyday life. His everyday life includes spending
time with his wife (Paz Vega) and daughter (Chloe
Moretz) in a small Texas town, simply being family
that nothing exciting ever happens to. That is,
until the unthinkable happens. His daughter fails
to come home after a soccer practice and from
that moment on… Jack’s life is never
the same.
Right from the start, “Not Forgotten”
is an uncomfortable film to watch. Somewhat in
the vein of the recent “Taken” (though
the films are very different), viewers are faced
with the terror of a kidnapped child. As the father
of a 6 year old girl, I cannot begin to tell you
the ‘healthy’ paranoia I live with
making sure I know where my daughter is every
moment of the day. Movies like these and, even
worse, the myriad of news stories we see day after
day make me understand that at any moment some
sick, depraved dead man might take my daughter.
(I say dead man, because that is exactly what
he would be the moment I got my hands on him.
Forget the police, forget the courts… there
will be pain and suffering.)
Anyhow, back to “Not Forgotten.”
What is interesting about this film is that it
goes beyond the boundaries of being just a ‘kidnapped
child film’, and it does it well. As the
search grows for Jack’s daughter…
so do questions about his past. Keeping this review
spoiler free, I will only say that very few people
in this film are who they seem to be, and the
acting throughout is superb in that respect. Every
character is exactly who they seem to be…
until the revelations start to fly. The movie
also breaks into almost a different genre as it
becomes more and more surreal with the introduction
of black magic and the like.
Initially I was rather concerned about the twists
and turns that the film took, but I was quickly
swept up in the story and kept with it all the
way through to the extremely unconventional ending.
And I will say that this ending will not sit well
with everyone. Audiences hoping for a pretty package
all wrapped up with a bow may not accept or like
the way the film ends. I’m still not even
sure I like how it ended, however upon reflection
it seems like the only way it could have. I may
actually have to watch it a second time to fully
accept it.
The Bluray release that hit store shelves recently
offered up a decent picture, but awesome sound.
Admittedly I wasn’t thrilled with the video
presentation as it seemed muddy at times, but
this may have been more an issue with the actual
cinematography than the actual transfer. This
is not to say that the whole film looked bad,
but there were a handful of scenes that were a
tiny bit off-putting.
As for extra features, they are a little sparse.
But being that it is a lower budget film this
is to be expected. There is a commentary track
by Co-Writer/Producer/Director Dror Soref and
Co-Writer/Associate Producer Tomas Romero, which
is quite lively and full of interesting info.
Alternatively you’ll find a very brief behind
the scenes featurette and the trailer.
Directed by: Dror Soref
Starring: Simon Baker, Paz Vega, Michael DeLorenzo,
Chloe Moretz, Claire Forlani
Extras: Commentary by Co-Writer/Producer/Director
Dror Soref and Co-Writer/Associate Producer Tomas
Romero, Behind the Scenes Featurette
Specifications: 1080p (2.35:1), Dolby surround
5.1
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Release Date: 11/3/2009
MPAA Rating: R
http://www.notforgottenmovie.com
We'll give Not Forgotten a B-.
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