BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
I don’t have a “favorite actor”. I love film and television, but I can’t definitively say that one actor is my all-time favorite. If I had to narrow it down, John Cusack would be in the top of the contenders. I’m also a fan of Nicolas Cage. I don’t see all ten movies he releases every year, but he’s consistently entertaining and good. These two come together in this under-the-radar thriller based on a real story and written and directed by Scott Walker. The supporting cast sees Vanessa Hudgens, 50 Cent, Katherine LaNasa, Radha Mitchell, Dean Norris, Kurt Fuller, Kevin Dunn, and a slew of other familiar and talented performers. This movie is dark. It’s tone is just bleak and the story pretty much jumps right in. It’s about a creepy serial killer who was on a rampage in Alaska. For 13 years he’d almost ceremonially murder young women. The movie gets into a young 17 year old escaping his torture and trying to work with a cop to take him down. It’s not as cut and dry as that, but it’s a plot you have to experience unravel to really appreciate. It’s a well written story that engages the viewer for an uncomfortable ride. It keeps you on the edge of your seat and the movie flies by. Nicolas Cage is fun as the detective on the search and John Cusack is awesome as the psychotic freak that was Robert Hanson. Cusack doesn’t get to go in this direction very often so it was a pleasure to see his demeanor crumble like it does. He was a real villain. He’s not an over the top Batman character or a Die Hard one-liner type. He’s a real person who has the capability to take lives and do horrible things. It’s just unsettling. I recommend this movie, but it’s not one you’d want to rewatch over and over. I’ll watch it again in the future, but not so soon. Still trying to shake off some of the “ick”. B+
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