Survivor – Film Review
We live in a jungle. I mean, let’s face it, everywhere we are we face elimination on this place called Earth. It is always survival of the fittest, which is no different in James McTeguie’s latest flick Survivor.
The director known for films such as V for Vendetta and The Matrix once again pulled out all the necessary stops to give us another film worth watching. In Survivor we meet Kate Abbott (Milla Jovovich), a Foreign Service Officer working for the US Embassy in London, who tries to stop a terrorist attack in New York but instead gets ‘thrown under the bus’ when she is framed for the murder of her colleagues and other crimes.
What ensues is a game of cat and mouse after a restaurant bomb blast where Kate seeks the help of Nash ‘The Jackal’ also known as The Watchmaker played by Pierce Brosnan, not realising that she is the hunted and that he is the hunter. Despite his formidable reputation, the Watchmaker manages to screw up his foolproof plan to kill Kate. With the help of her colleagues Sam Parker (Dylan Mc Dermott) and Sally (Frances de la Tour) as well as a very special set of formidable skills, she manages to escape from ‘The Watchmaker’ and London Police Inspector Javert (James D’arcy), who is hellbent on catching her and having her punished for crime.
Despite some glitches here and there Survivor is thrilling because it is riddled with endless chase scenes which mostly generate suspense. Jovovich has been off the radar for a while now and most believe that Brosnan has passed his sell by date. I disagree because Brosnan proves that he is still very much the great actor he was when he played James Bond. Most people would expect below par acting from two of Hollywood’s screen darlings because of their ages but Jovovich and Brosnan are even more proof of the adage that wine does indeed get better with age. Jovovich who has played the role of a heroine in other films is not really too different here, just like always she gives it her all. I must say Brosnan playing a villain is really something we can all get used to because he plays his role effortlessly and with such grace giving viewers a good taste of something new. I will admit, I was not really sold on the title because it is such a cliché and has been used far too often to cover up hours of mediocrity in cinematography. However, I am glad I put my own prejudice aside because what I got to experience is something totally unexpected, an unexpected rush, a thrill and lots of anticipation as to what would happen next.
In the beginning it is somehow difficult to deduce what is happening in the film because there seems to be either too much or too little happening. This is where you apply your concentration, gear and buckle up for a thrill chase, where you will even find yourself talking to yourself saying things like “How could you be so dump” or “Oh my God, run he is right above you”. Let me just leave it there and pass my judgement on the film. It is not your typical C grade thriller, this one is really good despite borrowing from the plots of some of the 9/11 films. I advise you to watch it so you can see a different side to Brosnan and also so you can get entertained.
