BriarMoone
United States
[Watched (on Tubi)/Recviewed on Letterboxd 5/09/2021]
Like everyone is saying (on Letterboxd), "The Suspect" is a film that feels heavily influenced by the Paul Greengrass's "Bourne" films ("Supremacy" and "Ultimatum").
It's six years (circa 2013) too late to be accused of jumping on the hype train (like other American films, ah-la "Taken") and six years too old to be anything particularly entertaining or thrilling if you've seen the Bourne films and its imitators later down the line before this.
Despite being headlined by Gong Yoo (who, lathered up in the most egregious fake-n-bake, feels miscast as the stoic North Korean defector), I can't really find anything particularly positive to say about the film outside of its production values.
"The Suspect" lacks any of the subtlety or even so-called anti-government sentiment that Greengrass's "Bourne" films were accused of. If "Supremacy" and "Ultimatum" could be perceived as an indictment against American foreign policy because of their unflattering depiction of the US Government, "The Suspect" is rather the opposite despite featuring antagonists with government positions.
More to the point, I feel like I've been dropped into the middle of a story that had a film preceding this film's story. What's going and why I should exactly be rooting for or against anyone is a bit difficult to suss out even when I think I've gotten a handle on things.
Like everyone is saying (on Letterboxd), "The Suspect" is a film that feels heavily influenced by the Paul Greengrass's "Bourne" films ("Supremacy" and "Ultimatum").
It's six years (circa 2013) too late to be accused of jumping on the hype train (like other American films, ah-la "Taken") and six years too old to be anything particularly entertaining or thrilling if you've seen the Bourne films and its imitators later down the line before this.
Despite being headlined by Gong Yoo (who, lathered up in the most egregious fake-n-bake, feels miscast as the stoic North Korean defector), I can't really find anything particularly positive to say about the film outside of its production values.
"The Suspect" lacks any of the subtlety or even so-called anti-government sentiment that Greengrass's "Bourne" films were accused of. If "Supremacy" and "Ultimatum" could be perceived as an indictment against American foreign policy because of their unflattering depiction of the US Government, "The Suspect" is rather the opposite despite featuring antagonists with government positions.
More to the point, I feel like I've been dropped into the middle of a story that had a film preceding this film's story. What's going and why I should exactly be rooting for or against anyone is a bit difficult to suss out even when I think I've gotten a handle on things.
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