Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Loui Blair It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

robert-temple-1 I have just seen this film for the first time, having missed it earlier. The film begins with a dramatic terrorist attack on Borough Market in London, involving a large van. As we all know, a dramatic terrorist attack on Borough market involving a large van subsequently took place. Copy cat? Inspired by an idea of? Coincidence? Psychic prophecy? We will never know. The film is very well directed, with excellent performances, and the pace never fails, as the tension is wound tighter and tighter. The terrorist attack really only sets the scene for the story which follows, which is entirely concerned with corruption within the British security services and what currently passes for 'the British justice system', a system which degenerates by the day. The story features a revoltingly corrupted Attorney General, which comes as no surprise, since I can think of a past one. John Broadbent is suitably menacing in that role, his eyes bulging with a terminally compromised personal morality. But the main target of the film is the establishment of the secret courts which have been instituted in Britain today, and which include not only the security courts such as the one shown in this film, but even the Court of Protection, in which invalids and children have their fates decided in secret, with their relatives being excluded from the process. My view is plain: there is no place for secrecy in the justice system, since as soon as the system ceases to be transparent, corruption and abuse are inevitable. This film is about such abuse. A young Turkish man with the unfortunate name of Erdogan (this film seems to have foreseen perhaps too much!) is accused of being the mastermind of the London terrorist attack. However, it transpires that he was all along an agent for the British security services, but he has been framed by them to cover up their mammoth cock-up which resulted in the deaths of more than 200 people. The terrifyingly icy security head is played by Anne-Marie Duff, who will just as soon kill you as look at you, and frequently does so. The horrifying 'secret justice' (or should I say secret injustice?) laid on by the officials is shown in minute detail, and everyone is under surveillance all the time. Welcome to modern Britain! Erdogan's previous defence attorney has 'committed suicide by jumping from a roof', but we later learn that he was murdered because he discovered too much. An American journalist is also murdered because she discovers too much. And that leaves the two remaining lawyers, played by Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall. They naively commence their duties, only to discover that the whole process is a sham, that Erdogan is a patsy, and people who interfere in the plan keep getting killed. Attempts are made to murder both of them. They keep trying to fight the corruption, but they are out-manouevred at every turn because of informers and intensive surveillance. Can those fearless fighters for justice get anywhere in their David and Goliath struggle? Or will the System crush them, and indeed succeed in killing one or both of them? But one thing is for sure, the British 'justice system' will continue to become increasingly corrupted, since once the rot sets it, it is terminal unless someone courageous and true steps forward to put a stop to it. But I see no signs of such a person at the moment. Waiting for someone to save the British justice system seems about as hopeless a cause as waiting for Elvis to return from the dead and sing 'Blue Suede Shoes' live at Wembley Stadium. John Crowley has done a superb job of directing this gripping thriller, and all his cast have done just as well as he, to produce a cautionary film for our time, which deserves as wide an audience as possible.

primaveranz This movie starts out with some promise, but rapidly deteriorates into a very formulaic and lazily-written attempt to ride the bandwagon of the war on terrorism and conspiracy theories. MI5 freely murders people left right and centre and in plain view to avoid embarrassment. You can spot the hidden baddies a mile off and Jim Broadbent is terribly miscast as the sinister Attorney General. The MI5 boss should never play Poker as her face contorts and she stutters whenever she is asked an awkward question. MI5 sends a single ham-fisted killer to take out an unarmed woman and fails. The security services rely on a teenage boy with a USB stick who apparently has more computer skills than all their specialists. There is zero chemistry between Bana and Hall - which probably explains why they don't end up in bed together (that fact is actually one of the strong points of the storyline). This is a shorthand, rushed and clumsy story,and the (usually strong) cast struggle to make anything of it. Such a waste of time and I'll bet the writer knew it when he handed it in.

kosmasp With movies that have that strong sense of surveillance you do ask yourself if and how it would be even possible to fight against those odds. That's movie magic for you, that it leaves a chance. Is that the case here too? You'll have to watch it to see. But it's not the best movie that with a theme like that. There have been way better movies, but Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall do their best in this and hold it to a good standard overall.Story moves along the lines you'd expect it to. Not too many "mistakes" or really crazy decisions by our characters, that might leave you bedazzled. The twist is pretty neat too. It's a tough topic, but obviously this pleads for a more open look behind the scenes of government and other official institutions. Will that happen? Is it interesting enough for a movie?

Rodrigo Allegretti Artioli Conspiracy theories. Espionage. Terrorist acts. All this is present in the film Closed Circuit. What are not present are depth in theories developed by the characters and explanations of crucial details of the film.Starring Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall, the film shows us a little of the British judicial system. This is perhaps one of the biggest flaws of the script. The lack of explanation of how this system works and how it is structured, does not allow us to get into the story, just accept what is shown.About the actors, Eric Bana is what to be expected for those who have seen his films. In contrast, Rebecca Hall shows the same talent seen in The Prestige (2006) and The Town (2010). Jim Broadbent gives us another opportunity to see his gift, even in fast appearances during a 90-minute film.The film wants to leave the place where it started, however the lack of surprising elements in the script makes everything back to the beginning. This is the same path that follows the protagonist throughout the story.