John Crowley's Closed Circuit, starring Eric Bana, is a murky vision of blind justice
CLOSED CIRCUIT: A Muslim suspected of a London bomb attack and what at first seems straightforward turns into a murky vision of blind justice
Leigh Paatsch
Don't miss out on the headlines from Leigh Paatsch. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Director:John Crowley (Intermission)
Starring:Eric Bana, Rebecca Hall, Denis Moschitto, Jim Broadbent, Ciaran Hinds
Rated: M
Rating: 3 stars
AFTER a terrorist bomb attack on a crowded London market, there is only one suspect.
His name is Farroukh (Denis Moschitto). He is a Muslim. The public want him tried and locked up ASAP.
Which suits the government just fine. The sooner there is a figure on which to pin the whole blame, the quicker the question mark on British national security policy will go away.
Farroukh's defence is handled by Martin (Eric Bana) and Claudia (Rebecca Hall), two bickering barristers who are clearly not on the same page. All interested parties expect a one-way ticket to life in jail as the only possible result.
Of course, there wouldn't be a film here if there wasn't a crazy conspiracy theory waiting in the wings, ready to descend at any moment.
When it does finally drop - courtesy of Martin and Claudia snooping where they should not - Closed Circuit locks into a gritty groove which keeps everything ticking over nicely.
This thriller must be respected for diving headlong into complicated legal territory without confusing or cheating the viewer. However, there is also a tendency to get generic under pressure that undoes much of this good work.
Speaking of work, Bana's wonky posh British accent could have used some.