Seeking Justice is a Nicolas Cage film, which for me is actually a pretty big plus from the get-go. Nicolas Cage has some good films and some bad films, but he's one of those actors that's always entertaining to me (whether in the way he intended to be or not). It also stars Guy Pearce, which is funny since I just saw him in Iron Man 3.
I actually rather liked this one, so in keeping with my usual style when I like I film, I'm not going to do a long review here so as to avoid discussing the movie too deeply and possibly spoiling it for someone.
The general idea of the film is that there's a secret organization that comes to people whose loved ones have been victims of a severe crime--rape, murder, etc.--and offers to trade them a favor for a favor. The organization will eliminate the criminal who hurt the person's loved one, but will then call on the person to do a task or two later on. Will Gerard (Cage) is an English teacher whose wife is raped and badly beaten, and he's found by Simon (Pearce), a member of the organization who makes him the offer. Distraught over what happened to his wife, Will accepts the offer, but when it comes time for him to do favors for the organization, he balks, especially when the "simple tasks" escalate and he's ordered to kill a man and make it look like a suicide. He starts to look for a way out.
What Seeking Justice presents quite well is the situation of a pretty normal guy caught up in a bad situation. Will isn't some experienced cop or anybody with any experience in dealing with dangerous situations. He's an English teacher--just your average joe who is way over his head. Cage does a great job portraying that, and never, ever acts overly capable in a situation. He's disoriented, confused, and just kind of stumbling through events--but he's managing to keep stumbling forward towards a solution, and there's a definite feeling that he's moving things along rather than just being swept up in the current. It's a nice bit of writing, acting, and directing. I've seen a number of films and read a number of books where a supposedly normal guy gets caught in danger and somehow starts acting like he knows exactly what to do...you don't get that here, and it's refreshing. Will isn't capable of cool and calm plotting or focused action stunts...he's driven to his wits' end, afraid, and just trying to find a way through. This comes through even in the film's action sequences--mostly chases--in which Will takes action without being an action hero. He moves in a confused, panicky manner, only barely succeeds at a number of actions, and has plans utterly fail on him from time to time (I loved one bit where it looks like he's going to go for an action movie "drive past the speeding train just in time and leave the cops in the dust" but he doesn't even remotely get there in time despite gunning it, so he's forced to stop and come up with a plan B).
The cast is strong. Cage does a great job of portraying a guy who is trying to stay focused and find solutions but is really in a state near panic pretty much all the time. He has a way of showing tension, paranoia, and fear, and his Will frequently threatens to break down entirely. He's a man who is too weak to deal with what's going on but knows he doesn't have anyone else to deal with it for him. Pearce plays a good manipulator in Simon, who manages to always sound like your best friend even while he's asking for terrible things. It's utterly believable that Simon could talk people into accepting his offer, and then talk them into helping him out with his dark deeds. He finds people at the end of their rope and then pushes them to go someplace they ordinarily wouldn't. January Jones plays Laura Gerard, Will's wife, and does an excellent job as a woman who goes from confident to broken and slowly climbs back up again over the course of the film. It's interesting that despite what happened to her, she gradually comes to seem the stronger and more stable one in the relationship--she's forced to be stronger because Will is getting so erratic. The supporting cast members often play only small roles, but bring a lot of depth when they're on camera. I don't have any complaints on the acting.
This isn't a perfect film, though. I don't want to go into detail, but as the movie draws to a close it moves a little too closely to a "good vs evil" plot rather than a "good and law-abiding vs possibly also good but law-breaking" angle that might have been more interesting. The organization itself really doesn't end up explored nearly as much as you'd think, and their involvement in the film ends up somewhat unsatisfying. But in particular, what's wrong is that the ending just seems...sudden. It feels like there are still several twists left that could be pulled in, or more complexities for Will to fumble his way through, and then...the movie's just done. Things are wrapped up in a pretty nice scene, but it kind of feels like there's something missing. Not in a "how'd they even get here?" kind of way, but in a "I wanted more from this conflict" kind of way. It doesn't help that though the immediate plot is resolved, it feels like there are still a lot of issues open that are just left hanging. The ending sequence just feels a little flat and abrupt, and there are loyalties that don't feel adequately explored.
That's all I'm going to say with this one, as this is one I can suggest someone might enjoy non-ironically. Seeking Justice is a pretty fun film with a flawed final act that doesn't ruin the movie. Your mileage may vary, but in no way do I feel this one was worthy of the term "terrible." It had a good concept, some good acting and action, and was overall a fun way to spend an evening.
So, thanks, Michele! Might not have been your intent, but I appreciate the pick!
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