Chain Reaction

I think it was Roger Moore (or maybe Michael Caine) who, when asked about some rotten film he made, said he didn't recall the film but he did the house it paid for. Well, clearly that philosophy was not just limited to the 1970s. Here we have another such film featuring the slightly unkempt Keanu Reeves ("Eddie") who is working with fellow scientist "Lily" (Rachel Weisz) on some revolutionary green technological advances. Next thing, his father is found with a plastic bag over his head, things start exploding and the two are wanted by the FBI for murder, treason - just about every crime in the book. What now ensues is the usual manhunt drama with a truly off-form Brian Cox ("Collier") and a slightly more benign "Shannon" (Morgan Freeman - not playing the President this time) in hot pursuit. The plot is simple, yet the attempts to introduce red herrings - whom can they trust, etc? - merely serve to clutter it all up. Somebody somewhere decided this couldn't just be an action thriller, it had to have some worthier purpose. Well, I am afraid that just fell flat. Keanu is a handsome man, and in many, many of his roles that carries his somewhat limited acting abilities; well not here and Weisz doesn't really turn up either. That said, the production standards are decent, and there is plenty of action to keep the thing moving along but the formula is tired and I was pretty bored after the first fifteen minutes. The film managed to sustain that ennui quite successfully, too.