Unthinkable

Date of review: 6 April 2014

It's been almost two months now since my last film review and this one is for a film which, as far as I can recall, I added to my watchlist not long after I first subscribed to LoveFilm last August. The film is Unthinkable.

If I could sum this film up in one word, it would be "Wow!" because that was exactly my reaction when the film ended. It is pretty clear from the film poster and the 18 rating that this isn't light entertainment and from early on in the film right until the end, it makes for very intense watching.

Firstly, if you're uncomfortable with scenes of torture then I suggest you avoid this one; there are several scenes of brutal torture and dismemberment shown in pretty graphic detail. There are a few other scenes of extreme violence depicted also and so you need to have a certain level of tolerance in order to sit through this film.

If you can stomach the violence though then this is by all means a fantastic film to watch. The film starts with an American man recording a video announcing that he has placed 3 nuclear bombs, each in different cities, that will detonate at the end of the week unless his demands are met. We then follow the investigation of a senior FBI counter-terrorism officer (played by Carrie-Anne Moss) who is ordered, along with her supervisor, to assist the US army with finding the bombs.

The film casts Samuel L Jackson as "H", a specialist interrogator who, despite the grisly nature of his work, counterbalances the serious tone of the film with some occasional humour. Michael Sheen plays the role of the terrorism suspect and in my opinion all 3 leading cast members give an excellent performance in this film. It's a tense journey from start to finish and one that left me feeling pleasantly astonished.

All in all, if you've the stomach to bear the scenes of violence and torture and you're in the mood for something intense then this is truly a great film to watch.