The Runner (I) (2015) User Reviews

It's not that bad

[mohamadnhd · 6/10 · 9 August 2015]

the problem with this picture in my opinion is Nicolas Cage !

don't get me wrong , I don't mean his performance but the audience has a problem with him , it's like : oh this movie starring Cage , just give it 1 star !

this movie is about characters and I always liked this kind of movies , the movie takes place in 2010 , first scenes shows the aftermath of BP oil spill accident... Cage is an idealistic congress man from Louisiana called Colin Price who aspires to be nominated for the senate , he was defending the rights of fishers whose works were damaged because of the accident , and suddenly his reputation was ruined by sexual scandal with a fisherman's wife ! His wife left him , he resigned from the congress but continued his charity works to support the fishermen... Cage was not bad , he delivers a good performance for his role..

Peter Fonda as Colin Price's father , he was very good written character and his performance was very good...

Connie Nielsen as Deborah Price was not special and not bad in the same time..

Sarah Paulson as Kate Haber , I liked her role in the second half of the movie

the problem with this picture is that when you have these elements and these characters you could have done much better scenario..

sorry for my bad English..

Better Than I Anticipated

[larrys3 · 6/10 · 26 August 2015]

With all the poor reviews from critics that I've seen on this film, plus its low rating on IMDb I was expecting very little here, so I was somewhat surprised that it turned out to be a reasonably decent watch. It does have many unlikable characters and it's not going to win feel-good movie of the year, but the acting is solid led by Cage and Sarah Paulson, and the story was engaging enough to keep my attention.

Nicolas Cage can portray flawed characters as well as anyone, and he does so here as Colin Pryce, a Congressman from a Louisiana coastal district. He's from a family line of politicians, with his father (Peter Fonda) having been a revered Mayor of New Orleans years ago.

After the disastrous 2010 BP oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico, Congressman Pryce's popularity soars after he gives impassioned testimony, on Capitol Hill, asking for help for the people in his constituency, and he's being seriously being considered as a Senate candidate for Louisiana.

However, his extra-marital dalliance with a young woman is exposed in a closed circuit elevator video and, of course, ends up going viral on the net. Pryce decides to resign and ends up working as a pro bono attorney for citizen claimants against BP, and comes upon all the frustrations associated with bureaucracy and getting a large corporation to pay up. This will lead to Pryce's return to drinking after being sober for 16 years, as well as sparking divorce papers from his high powered and ambitious wife Deborah (Connie Nielsen).

After some time has elapsed, Pryce will have to decide whether to "jump in bed" with the manipulative oil companies and re-enter the political world, or continue on the benevolent path he's been on. I might mention the very talented actress Sarah Paulson adds quite a lot to the movie, as a former consultant and friend of Pryce, and later a possible love interest.

All in all, as some reviewers here have noted this film exceeded low expectations and became, in my opinion, a reasonably decent watch. I thought it was a good writing and directorial debut for Austin Stark, who's been a producer for a number of excellent films in the past.

The movie is just OK, allowing Nicolas Cage to be a lot better in it.

[subxerogravity · 5/10 · 12 August 2015]

Fully engulfing itself to mimic real situations, a congressmen attempting to save the fishermen of Louisiana who just suffered a crisis from an oil spill attempts to use this to run for senate, but a scandal ruins his chances, but he still has a cause to finish while fighting his personal demons.

It's a great political drama, but I feel it suffers by exploiting real life events trying to pull on our heart strings for sentimental value. If the fishermen where army troops, it would be an exploitation film rather than a political drama. It also suffers form a lot of down time where nothing is really happening and moving too slowly for nothing to be going on.

The movie is a tangled weave about how good deeds by positive people can be over shadowed by a media scandal that exploit their negative vices.

It's an interesting look on how politics work and the necessaries of certain evils and how that works.

The Runner is a different point of view on a familiar story. It's a bit grim when you soak it all in, but once again the slow pace and the stretching out of a story that could have been told in less than 90mins made it dull and incoherent at times weakening all the good qualities.

It's too bad, cause Cage could have used a good movie were he's putting to use the acting chops that won him an Oscar.

Cage plays a man struggling with personal demons, some his own vices. Some vices pass down from his father, played by Peter Fonda who becomes the center of attention the moment he comes on screen.

Overall, it's not a bad picture, but it could have been better.

An almost engaging character study brought down by stock writing and uninspired direction.

[lnvicta · 4/10 · 14 February 2019]

In The Runner, Nicolas Cage plays a Louisiana politician who has to deal with a sex scandal and other personal issues. His performance is appropriately subdued and introspective; he also uses a Southern accent fairly convincingly. This is as close to watching Cage play Frank Underwood as we will ever get. The supporting cast is good too.

The problems lie in the production value. It looks cheap, the supporting characters are underwritten, and the direction is just baffling. There are so many unnecessary closeups, shot after shot, and it's all flat - no visual flair whatsoever. It doesn't help that the pacing is sluggish, so there's no way for the movie to gather momentum. It starts off running in quicksand and never gets out. There are brief moments where you care about the characters and that's solely because of the actors.

It could have been an engaging character study if there was a liveliness to the filmmaking and some semblance of pace. As far as Nic Cage performances, this is definitely one of his better recent ones. But it's not worth sitting through this slog of a movie.

Extremely dull

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 9 August 2020]

THE RUNNER is an extremely boring and talky little Nicolas Cage, non-trashy unlike the rest of his recent work, but certainly without many reasons to tune in (unless, for some unfathomable reason, you're actually a fan of the star). He plays a do-gooding politician striving to build a career in the wake of the BP oil disaster, but who instead finds himself caught up in personal conflict and disaster. It's one of those films that you watch wondering why you should care, because the characters are thinly-drawn and lacklustre and the lack of incident makes this extremely dull. Supporting actors include a rare non-crazy role for Sarah Paulson alongside Connie Nielsen and old-timer Peter Fonda.

extremely dull and boring (and redundant)

[digdog-785-717538 · 4/10 · 15 August 2015]

this is the dull and boring story of the BP oil spill, seen through the eyes of a local congressman.

Cage is an idealistic (don't get hyped) congressman who fights for the little people. He takes on the oil giants but faces obstacles. Some character flaws are thrown in to make the film more interesting (yet they never weigh in to the story).

Then the obstacles prove to be too much and he has to sell out to try to survive.

That's it. This is the whole film.

I imagine at some point the writers decided this was a good subject to discuss, akin to what An Incovenient Truth did years earlier. Sure, i was as shocked as everyone else about the oil spill, but in the end this "film" seems to be more of a dramatised documentary aimed at informing those 5-6 Americans left on the planet who are not aware that the spill happened, or that Big Oil has money in politics, of said facts.

In other words, if you are not a complete moron and can figure out these very basic fact by yourself, like everyone else on the planet, you don't need The Runner.

No need to push this review any further. Don't watch it, it's horrible.

My Vote: 4/10 - waste of good film; no wait, not film, digital tape. Film is an oil by-product.

Real

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 1 March 2016]

Politicians are humans too. In case you were wondering or didn't know, this movie makes this clear. Though it does so, by using a lot of clichés. Still I take any decent role that Cage is putting out there and this certainly is one of them. While predictable and not as earnest as a recent politician who might be the front runner for the Democrats after President Obamas turn is over, the character portrayed by Nicolas Cage is charming, despite or maybe even because of his flaws and faults.

Having said that, there is a bit of sugar coating going on here (though not in the department of nudity, in case you were wondering), and it might feel a bit out of touch for some. Still the flow of the movie is nice and it works (mostly) ...

Great Movie - Don't Listen to the Naysayers..

[m1965 · 24 January 2020]

I have been avoiding this movie for years solely based on the IMDB rating.

I'm here to tell you it's a lie. How somebody could give this less than 6 or 7 is beyond me.

This movie is about courage and life's many realities.

It's rare Hollywood creates an honest movie, but this is one of them.

If you want a well acted movie, with great dialog and a boatload of honesty - watch this movie. You won't be disappointed.

Not a good movie.

[richlong2569 · 1/10 · 9 August 2015]

Nothing interesting happens in this movie, nothing. It opens with some BP Oil disaster nonsense and the aftermath of what happened to communities etc. with Cage playing a Congressman doing what he can for them. Unfortunately Cage's character is a bit flawed, but this is hardly shown in an interesting way whatsoever, and a later scandal happens its actually hard to understand what the big deal was. The editing is terrible, the story is boring, the plot is poorly executed, not that there is one really as nothing interesting happens at all. The wife is a boring character, in fact, I'd say there are NO interesting characters in this movie whatsoever. Now, I do actually like Cage in certain movies, he can act really maniacal at times which is what we love him for etc. but here any 'actor' could have taken this role and done just as well. This is a slow moving, bore-fest. Even the music is bad. I'd say the direction was spot on, if the tone of this movie was meant to put you to sleep. Give this one a miss.

Quality Nic Cage Performance in a Timely Personal and Political Story

[LeonLouisRicci · 7/10 · 14 September 2015]

Currently, the always Willing to Work Nicolas Cage is in "The Dog House" and can't seem to Catch a Break from Movie Fans and Fickle Critics. He is Attacked and "You Tubed" Ad Nauseum for Over Acting and the general Goofiness of His Movies these Days.

So here, He Pulls Back and Delivers an Emotional, Yet Restrained, Performance that is His Best in a while. Working with a Rookie Director and a Low-Budget Cage manages to Take Hold of the Film's Message and comes up with a Flawed Character that is Noble and convincingly Real.

The Story is that of a Congressman who is doing the Work of and for His District, when the BP Oil Spill Tragically Ruins the Lives of the Folks He Represents. Making an Appeal in Congress for Everyone's Help with a "From the Heart" Speech, the unknown Politician is Propelled to the National Spotlight. An Ideal Time to make a Run for the Senate.

But, an Extramarital Affair is Caught on Camera and now, despite doing Everything else Commendably, is Forced to Resign and leaves in Disgrace. Now Working Pro Bono for the Folks (Again), His former Alcohol Abuse returns and now His Personal Life along with His Career is Spiraling Out of Control.

A mix of Political and Personal Struggles are here in this Timely Tale and Cage is Helped along with a Supporting Cast of Peter Fonda, Sarah Paulson, and Connie Nielson. The Movie makes the most of its Heart Rending Story and Everyone Involved Contributes.

Overall, Forget the Nic Cage Bashers for once and leave the Bandwagon for Cage has Defied Your Expectations and preconceived Hate. This is Quality Story Telling, a Warts and All Story of Complex Real Life Situations that Neither Capitulates to the Modern Trend of "Thriller" Tropes or Sinks to Slimy Exploitation.

Boring storyline! 2/10

[leonblackwood · 2/10 · 10 January 2016]

Review: What a totally boring film! I was expecting something slightly interesting about this political drama but it just turned out to be another let down from Nicolas Cage. The pace of the film is slow and I personally lost interest, 5 minutes into the film. Cage plays politician, Colin Pryce, whose fighting for help from BP and the US government during the 2010 BP oil spill. Due to his womanising, he's forced to leave his political life behind and he seeks comfort from alcohol, which he previously had problems with. After splitting from his wife, he tries to help the families who are struggling to make a living in the fishing industry but no one takes him seriously because of his widely publicised personal life. He then gets the funding from a rich benefactor who wants him to go back into politics so he can help BP during the spillage crisis, so he's left with the decision to either help the people or to continue his political career against his own personal morals. And that's were the movie ends... Very uninteresting! Cage does show a little bit of emotion, during a speech about the problems that the BP spillage has caused the families but apart from that, the performances were extremely average. The storyline doesn't really go anywhere and the director didn't introduce any interesting characters to perk up the bland concept. Anyway, this movie definitely gets the thumbs down from me but on the plus side, my expectations wasn't that high because Cage hasn't made a decent film for ages. Disappointing!

Round-Up: I'm starting to think that Nicolas Cage doesn't read his scripts before he stars in these low budget movies because they have all been pretty awful. At 52 years old, but looking much older, he still has time to regenerate his career to an Oscar standard but he has to stop starring in this mediocre movies, alongside C-Class actors. He does have another National Treasure in development but apart from that, he doesn't have any promising projects in the pipeline. It just seems like he's thrown in the towel at a time when Hollywood needs some decent actors. Anyway, this movie was directed by Austin Stark who has only directed 2 shorts in his whole career. You can tell that he hasn't had that much experience behind the camera because he missed out key elements in the storyline. For his first project, he was lucky to get Nicolas Cage on board but he didn't take full advantage of the opportunity.

Budget: $6million Worldwide Gross: N/A

I recommend this movie to people who are into their dramatic movies starring Nicolas Cage, Sarah Paulson, Peter Fonda and Connie Nielsen. 2/10

Important story, excellent cast

[hagurny · 9/10 · 7 August 2015]

I always appreciate films that juxtapose important issues with a fictional human element. The Runner successfully did that, mixing a documentary insight into the BP oil spill's effects while also remaining a character study of a corrupt politician. This film came at the right time – the spill happened 5 years ago, and people have forgotten about the trauma it caused. I hope this film reminds people of the spill's lasting effects. Nicolas Cage is a mesmerizing actor, who has done a ton of crap lately, but here he displayed that he can still act. Similar to Joe, Cage strayed away from his typical madman role, playing a vulnerable and human version of Frank Underwood (House of Cards). There are a few other good character actors in this, especially Peter Fonda. The movie runs on the short side – it's definitely worth a watch.

While not all of the political angles pan out, there's strong performance by the cast, including Nicolas Cage who delivers one of his better works in recent years.

[quincytheodore · 6/10 · 5 November 2015]

The Runner is not the typical mystery thriller or clumsy action movie Nicolas Cage has been known for these past few years. This is a much deeper take on political drama as well as private ups and downs of a man's life. The cumulative acting prowess succeeds in presenting an appealing drama, but its varying interweaving subplots might be too cumbersome to fully develop.

Story revolves around the incident of oil spill, then proceeds towards its aftermath as Senator Pryce (Nicolas Cage) is plagued by series of scandals. It's a compelling subject as a backdrop against the private life of the Senator, as it displays the man in front of public eyes along with his more honest thoughts and apprehensions.

Nicolas Cage has his finer performance in years, this is far more in-depth and intimate dive on a character than practically his half dozen previous roles of cheap action hero or investigator. It's the way he puts on the flaws that make the politician character more identifiable. The supporting characters perform excellently as well, providing different aspects of relationship that Pryce must compensate or struggle with.

The actors, despite having different screen time, present interesting subplots. However, this also hampers the pace as not every tangled story angle wrap up nicely. It's almost like a politician who promises too many things, some of them might be delivered, the rest could just be awkwardly shoehorned in. It's commendable to showcase multiple aspect of the drama, even displaying the man's vices, yet the transition between these subplots is sometimes jarring.

It may have several flaws, but The Runner is a decent absorbing drama and also a step up on Nicolas Cage's slumping resume.

Wow did you see the make up on cage and the rest

[lopezpatricia-06139 · 1/10 · 1 August 2020]

This film is about a dreadful man whom cheated on his wife then resigned. Then sold his soul and went back on his beliefs to be a senator . And to boot it was incredibly boring. Also couldn't stop looking at cage and the dreadful make up he was wearing.

No bashing intended

[Bright0001 · 4/10 · 25 February 2016]

I like Nic Cage. Not really as an actor, but I just enjoy seeing him in movies and in general they are pretty enjoyable.

But this.

This is just a cheap rip-off of House of Cards with a horrible, horrible story. The protagonist is a mix of Peter Russo and Frank Underwood, trying to convince us we have a charismatic, mighty person in front of us like Underwood, while attempting to give him the emotional level and the development of Russo.

And this is just horrible.

Cage just isn't capable of transmitting this level of emotion to the viewer (first scene where he cried we started to laugh - literally), as the writer isn't capable of delivering any kind of believable plot and character decisions.

So I just say it like it is: Even though I like Cage, this movie is not good. I would neither recommend buying, nor watching it. You'll waste your time.

Typical Political Drama

[Floated2 · 3/10 · 5 April 2016]

The Runner starring Nicolas Cage. While The Runner is just another mundane campaign trailblazer, Nicolas Cage still has some gas left in the tank. When the film bad, it's hard to watch. But because Cage is almost able to save The Runner completely on his own – despite the help of Peter Fonda, Connie Nielsen, and Sarah Paulson, we're able to walk away with a glimmer of hope for future Nic Cage features. Unfortunately, that's about the only thing we can remain stoked about once Stark's character dissection comes to an end. The film stables for a while and is predictable for this case of a film. It is more seen as a slow paced political drama, underneath its release which was limited then went straight to video through some places. There are reasons for this. However, do not expect nothing more than a typical run of the mill drama.

Cage does Erin Brockovich........

[FlashCallahan · 5/10 · 15 August 2015]

An embarrassing video threatens the career of an idealistic Louisiana congressman who dreams of running for the Senate. After all, the video features him having a little bit of cheeky cheeky with a fishermans wife.

But what makes this video the final twist of the knife, is the fact that the congressman is vying to his people to help fishermen and others who's careers are threatened by the 2010 BP oil spillage.....

It's that age old problem isn't it? No matter how many people you try to help, no matter how much help you provide and how much you live up to your promises,someone's always got a bit of dirt on you, and your family. And it doesn't help that your dad had a similar problem when he was a congressmen....

The film is literally a mix of Erin Brockovich meets one of those dodgy erotic thrillers that your dad used to rent from the video shop and keep at the back of the TV, and not as good that concept sounds.

Cage reins his performance in for the most part of the film, which is always a negative, because all us true Cage fans love us a bit of mental, shouty Cage, so we still have evidence for the non-believers that there is some redeeming factors his films.

So the film isn't terrible, it's quite interesting from the point of the actual story, but the narrative was done to death in the nineties, a sex scandal ruins someone's career. Whoop-De-Doo. If this was made in the nineties in the wake of David Mellor or Paddy Ashdown, and used a different environmental disaster as a backdrop, it would have been something of a success, and would have most definitely starred Michael Douglas.

So it's a strange change of course for Cage, it's not a film you'd expect him to be in, but you have to pay your huge bills Nic don't you?

Halfway through the film, Peter Fonda turns up and steals everything everybody does from then whenever he's on screen, and I've been waiting for this reunion since Ghost Rider.

So the film consists of Cage talking importantly on stage, Cage talking importantly on TV. Scandal!!! A slap from Nielsen, Fonda, slight redemption, and then scouting along in civvies talking to the fisherman.

So all in all, it's not a terrible movie, as said before it has a message, and some interesting facts, but for true Cage fans, it's like watching paint dry.

UNCHARTERED WATERS

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 20 June 2019]

This is historical fiction told during the backdrop of the BP oil spill. The theme of the film is about how corporate money dominates politics and policies. Peter Fonda who plays the father of the main character seems to pick and chose films with a message in his autumn years.

Colin Pryce (Nicolas Cage) is a Louisiana representative who gives a passionate speech about the spill and becomes a politician being whispered about for a senate seat. Pryce sincerely wants to help the people in his district and believes oil is old technology. Soon after he rejects a BP offer, his name is associated with a sex scandal. The film labors on and on. Pryce is a jogger, which ties into the poorly developed title, i.e. someone who runs for office and from his past.

Connie Nielsen who played Deborah Pryce did an excellent job as the woman behind the man, who is also an attorney, i.e. she doesn't bake cookies. Cage gives us a Cage performance for better or worse. The problem with the film is that it shows corporate influence as being something secret, when in fact Americans see it happen openly with most not caring who buys politicians, even when it is Donald Trump. Recap: A laborious plot to achieve a weak theme with Nicolas Cage.

Guide: F-bomb. implied sex. No nudity.

Lightweight drama of a flawed New Orleans politician.

[TxMike · 16 November 2015]

I found this movie on Netflix streaming. I watched it because I like Nic Cage and the story is set in and mostly filmed in New Orleans. It was home to me for a time and I always enjoy visiting it, even if the visit consists of scenes in a movie.

Nicolas Cage is Colin Pryce, he is a US Congressman with a weakness. He has a strong sex drive and can't seem to resist a juicy affair.

The story is set right after the massive BP blow out and oil spill in the Gulf in 2010. In addition to being a Congressman Pryce is an attorney and forms a group to work to achieve appropriate relief for the businessmen and fishermen damaged by the spill.

This is a very mediocre movie, none of the characters are worth rooting for, and the restitution from BP isn't treated in any depth. So it really comes down to, do you like to see Nic Cage, and to a lesser extent, Peter Fonda who is good as his dad, a former politician. Connie Nielsen is also good as Colin's wife, Deborah Pryce, who treats him and his escapades much as we figure Hillary might have with Bill when he was in the news for all the wrong reasons. Not much here, I see it is the work of an inexperienced scriptwriter and it shows. You just can't make an excellent movie from a mediocre script.

SPOILERS: When it comes to light that Colin was having an ongoing affair with a woman, a black woman, and the wife of one of the fishermen, he is pressured into resigning from Congress. He goes on to work for the people and Louisiana to get restitution and that good work makes him popular again. Meanwhile the Senator gets into a scandal so Colin decides to run for the Senate seat and wins.

Me and politics ... bad combination. And after seeing this Cage movie ... I hate it even more

[peterp-450-298716 · 3/10 · 20 February 2016]

"I'm running for Senate to move things forward, not only for this great state of Louisiana, for this great country."

Every time I tend to give Nicolas Cage yet another chance to prove to me why I admired him in the past. What a pleasure it was to see him at work in "Matchstick Men". How impressive he was with his unforgettable role in "Leaving Las Vegas". Admittedly, in the past there were also a few crappy films with him starring in it. Recent years he manages to participate in one failure after the other. Just look at "Ghost Rider", "Tokarev" and "Outcast". The only noticeable better movie between all these is "Joe" (although I still need to see it). The rest is just sad. That's why Cage looks more sad in each released movie. Just look at the cover of "The Runner". Those tired, tormented, sad eyes speak volumes.

"The Runner" isn't really such a movie that introduces the revival of Cage's film career. And yet I respect Cage for his courage to participate in a politically charged film like this. Because to be honest, politic isn't really an exciting topic to fill a feature film. Politic is boring, sometimes unworldly, incomprehensible and uninteresting to me. It's therefore not surprising that these are also the characteristics of this political drama. The title of the film is a bit misleading. It's not that Cage runs around to provide financial support for local fisheries. Nor that he swiftly runs from one lover to another. Or that it has a symbolic meaning when it comes to his flight out of alcoholism. It simply refers to the daily habit of Congressman Colin Price (Nicolas Cage), to put on a pair of running shoes every morning, so he can go jog a bit.

It's all about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico where an explosion on an oil rig caused oil streaming into the sea for months. Southern states like Louisiana and Alabama were hit by this oil spill. Price is a congressman in Louisiana and he's concerned about the fate of the local fishermen and industries. In an emotional plea during an television interview, he draws attention to the economic consequences of this environmental disaster. At once he's the center of attention and his employees see this as an opportunity to let his political career grow. Unfortunately some surveillance recordings are revealed with compromising images of this congressman with an African American young lady in an elevator. Price is truly concerned about these fishermen because she's the wife of an African American fisherman. His political career hits rock bottom and before he knows it, he's looking again at the bottom of a whiskey bottle. Typical American. At least the man tries to do something for the hard-working working man and before you know it, the media comes up with some facts related to the man's private life.

The only ray of light in this unnecessary film, filled with political drivel and unabashed corruption, is the magnificent acting by Peter Fonda. He plays Colin's father and he's also a former politician who has swum through difficult waters (oil-free in his case). He also has an enormous alcohol problem. The relationship between both hard-boiled politicians isn't so good. And you can say that's an understatement. There are some wonderful acting moments between father and son. But for the rest, this film is as dead as the fish in the oiled seawater. Apparently politicians are energetic. A trait this film really doesn't possess. Lets hope Cage looks a bit more cheerful in his next film !

More reviews here : http://bit.ly/1KIdQMT

nic cage. runs for senate post BP oil spill

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 22 December 2021]

Nic cage is congressman pryce, just after the BP oil spill off the florida and louisiana. Coast. Brought to you by the school of overacting. Pryce works very hard to get the cleanup operation the workers and supplies that they need. He's very visible. But he also has some secrets and bad habits in his daily life. Which his voters might not like, if he runs for the senate. A lot of the story centers on his run for senate and what his constituents may or may not think about his personal and political life. Co-stars sarah paulson, peter fonda. It's okay. Interesting personal story, mixed in with the history of the devastatubg oil spill. Written and directed by austin stark. Cage is so much better in moonstruck... watch that instead.

Drama? This is suppose to be a drama? Who are they kiddin'?!

[imseeg · 3/10 · 2 June 2022]

Man oh man, I have been bingewatching Nicholas Cage movies (the latest ones) and I am getting depressed by the inferior quality of these B-movies Nicholas Cage has been starring in lately.

The bad: this is suppose to be a drama. It is NOT. Not even close.

Cheap looking photography. Rubbish direction. Average (or below) supporting actors. This is not a movie, this could (at best) have been a tv movie (a very bad one).

Nicholas Cage does his best, but even his performance isnt noteworthy. Let's forget this was ever made...

Thought provoking, well acted character study

[LucylovesDesi · 9/10 · 18 August 2015]

I don't know what the problem is with movies these days other than it seems that only fast paced, herky jerky camera work and shock value entertainment draws the masses in..... but this movie was very, very good and sadly, terribly overlooked. Maybe it was overlooked because Nic Cage isn't on the flavor of the month list anymore but it's a shame that it was totally ignored by the critics and audience both.

Cage did a wonderful job of playing a conflicted, somewhat tortured train wreck waiting to happen but good hearted politician who truly cares about the people he represents during the BP oil spill in the gulf. He delivers a truly human and well measured performance and you couldn't see the "acting" in his performance one iota. To me, that's a very good, if not great performance.

On a side note, I loved the music in the movie. Especially the Tom Waits song "Picture in a Frame".

Well done, Nicolas!

Slow Burn

[damianphelps · 5/10 · 15 December 2020]

This movie is the polar opposite of every Cage film for the last 20 years (pretty much). Its a subdued movie with a subdued Cage performance. It is not his most exciting movie but it does tell a reasonable, and somewhat realistic, story regarding the compromise of politics and the unrealistic expectation that public officials are flawless human beings.

Paulson is good in this (and everything else she does!) and Honda delivers I guess what we have come to expect from him in the later years.

This movie is not the Cage film to test out the sound of your home theatre on, but it is a good film.

Definitely worth watching

[mikky_elf · 9/10 · 16 August 2015]

I don't know what's wrong with film critics these days, but it's another good movie a lot of them decided to kill... It may be a low budget one, but Nic Cage shines (as basically always... because he is an outstanding actor, whether someone likes it or not) and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. The plot is decent, all actors did a good job and you can immediately relate to the main characters. Also, it's a pretty precise sketch of not only how how the politics work, but also how a lot of relationships work... in case somebody didn't know. Definitely time well spent and a must watch if you're tired of the Hunger Games and the kind...