In "Seeking Justice" (aka "Justice"), a deeply shocked and distraught man who's going through, probably the most difficult period of his life, is tempted to accept a morally dubious solution to his problems. After some soul searching, he decides to accept the offer, but by doing so, sets off a chain of events that put him in extreme danger as he realises that the agreement he was a party to, was without doubt, a deal with the devil.
Will Gerard (Nicolas Cage) is a happily married high school teacher in New Orleans whose wife Laura (January Jones) is a cellist in a classical orchestra. After Laura is horrifically raped, robbed and beaten by an unknown assailant, Will sits in a hospital waiting room desperate for further information about his wife's condition. In his distressed state, he's approached by a mysterious stranger called Simon (Guy Pearce) who seems to be remarkably knowledgeable, as not only does he know about the attack on Laura, but also he knows the identity of the rapist who's a recently paroled, repeat-offender.
The very calm and persuasive Simon explains that going through a court case could be a dreadful ordeal for Laura and even if her attacker is convicted, it's likely that he'd only be given a very short sentence. He then adds that all this could be avoided as he could arrange for Laura's assailant to be "taken care of" on the understanding that Will would reciprocate by doing a favour for Simon at some indefinite point in the future. After some deliberation, Will agrees to the proposal and the execution is duly carried out.
Some months later, Will is asked to repay his debt by killing an alleged child pornographer but when he finds that he can't bring himself to do it, Simon's organisation threatens him and Will and Laura have to go on the run.
Director Roger Donaldson successfully builds up numerous moments of tension and paranoia (especially when it becomes clear that Simon's organisation is part of a large conspiracy that even includes higher ranking police officers). A really lively pace is maintained throughout and the action sequences are choreographed with great skill and style.
Nicolas Cage, in a rather measured performance by his standards, is excellent as a decent guy who finds that he's in over his head after making a decision which he knows is expedient rather than ethical and Guy Pearce is superbly controlled and menacing as a leading member of a shadowy vigilante syndicate. With consistently good performances from its supporting cast and a particularly intriguing plot, this movie about violence, victims and vigilantes is very entertaining and remains engaging from start to finish.
Will Gerard (Nicolas Cage) is a happily married high school teacher in New Orleans whose wife Laura (January Jones) is a cellist in a classical orchestra. After Laura is horrifically raped, robbed and beaten by an unknown assailant, Will sits in a hospital waiting room desperate for further information about his wife's condition. In his distressed state, he's approached by a mysterious stranger called Simon (Guy Pearce) who seems to be remarkably knowledgeable, as not only does he know about the attack on Laura, but also he knows the identity of the rapist who's a recently paroled, repeat-offender.
The very calm and persuasive Simon explains that going through a court case could be a dreadful ordeal for Laura and even if her attacker is convicted, it's likely that he'd only be given a very short sentence. He then adds that all this could be avoided as he could arrange for Laura's assailant to be "taken care of" on the understanding that Will would reciprocate by doing a favour for Simon at some indefinite point in the future. After some deliberation, Will agrees to the proposal and the execution is duly carried out.
Some months later, Will is asked to repay his debt by killing an alleged child pornographer but when he finds that he can't bring himself to do it, Simon's organisation threatens him and Will and Laura have to go on the run.
Director Roger Donaldson successfully builds up numerous moments of tension and paranoia (especially when it becomes clear that Simon's organisation is part of a large conspiracy that even includes higher ranking police officers). A really lively pace is maintained throughout and the action sequences are choreographed with great skill and style.
Nicolas Cage, in a rather measured performance by his standards, is excellent as a decent guy who finds that he's in over his head after making a decision which he knows is expedient rather than ethical and Guy Pearce is superbly controlled and menacing as a leading member of a shadowy vigilante syndicate. With consistently good performances from its supporting cast and a particularly intriguing plot, this movie about violence, victims and vigilantes is very entertaining and remains engaging from start to finish.