STORY:
The film starts begins with secret service agent Sean Bean being tasked with stopping a terrorist cell. He plays a tough veteran who bares a sort of resemblance to Liam Neeson in Taken. Naturally I assumed it would be 100 minutes of a government trained superman killing lots of baddies and was set to rant on about how this film has nothing original about it. Then it surprised me about twenty minutes in by cutting to the other lead character played by Abhin Galeya and follows his gradual path from student to suicide bomber. He isn't made out to be inherently evil like many TV terrorists are but instead just a kid who is slowly turned and brainwashed. The is juxtaposed with Sean Bean's brutal tactics including torture as he searches for him, making it very difficult to find a 'good guy' or a 'bad guy'. The story here, whilst being easy to watch and follow, is also very controversial and isn't afraid of going into issues that many film developers fear to tread. The overall idea may not be original but the story makes it stand out from many other films. 4/5
EXECUTION:
Having never heard of any of the actors apart from Sean Bean I was surprised at how good the acting was all round, I must give particular mention to Abhin Galeya who plays the young student turned suicide bomber exceptionally well. This film was made on quite a low budget but I respect that and although at times it is noticeable without all the special effects of other modern films, it did not affect the quality of the film. In fact it proves that you don't need cars exploding everywhere and mindless action with stunts and chases like many Hollywood producers seem to believe. Instead, this film relies on its writing which is believable and genuinely thought provoking. The action, in itself, is gritty and intense and certainly not glamorised with all the special effects which suits the style of the film. There were a few clichés and the ending of the film was executed poorly in my opinion but that did not take much away from the overall experience. 3/5
VERDICT:
I think many will agree that the Bourne trilogy was good but that we don't need hundreds a poorly written copies of them from lazy Hollywood producers. Cleanskin takes that formula and turns it on its head with an original story that mixes gritty action with realism. This is a film for those who want to watch a gritty action film but who appreciate a thought provoking story with subtleties which you just don't see in many other films these days. How this film sneaked in under the radar surprises me as it is definitely worth checking out as even if you don't enjoy it, you will certainly appreciate the controversies in this film. 4/5 + 3/5 = 7/10
The film starts begins with secret service agent Sean Bean being tasked with stopping a terrorist cell. He plays a tough veteran who bares a sort of resemblance to Liam Neeson in Taken. Naturally I assumed it would be 100 minutes of a government trained superman killing lots of baddies and was set to rant on about how this film has nothing original about it. Then it surprised me about twenty minutes in by cutting to the other lead character played by Abhin Galeya and follows his gradual path from student to suicide bomber. He isn't made out to be inherently evil like many TV terrorists are but instead just a kid who is slowly turned and brainwashed. The is juxtaposed with Sean Bean's brutal tactics including torture as he searches for him, making it very difficult to find a 'good guy' or a 'bad guy'. The story here, whilst being easy to watch and follow, is also very controversial and isn't afraid of going into issues that many film developers fear to tread. The overall idea may not be original but the story makes it stand out from many other films. 4/5
EXECUTION:
Having never heard of any of the actors apart from Sean Bean I was surprised at how good the acting was all round, I must give particular mention to Abhin Galeya who plays the young student turned suicide bomber exceptionally well. This film was made on quite a low budget but I respect that and although at times it is noticeable without all the special effects of other modern films, it did not affect the quality of the film. In fact it proves that you don't need cars exploding everywhere and mindless action with stunts and chases like many Hollywood producers seem to believe. Instead, this film relies on its writing which is believable and genuinely thought provoking. The action, in itself, is gritty and intense and certainly not glamorised with all the special effects which suits the style of the film. There were a few clichés and the ending of the film was executed poorly in my opinion but that did not take much away from the overall experience. 3/5
VERDICT:
I think many will agree that the Bourne trilogy was good but that we don't need hundreds a poorly written copies of them from lazy Hollywood producers. Cleanskin takes that formula and turns it on its head with an original story that mixes gritty action with realism. This is a film for those who want to watch a gritty action film but who appreciate a thought provoking story with subtleties which you just don't see in many other films these days. How this film sneaked in under the radar surprises me as it is definitely worth checking out as even if you don't enjoy it, you will certainly appreciate the controversies in this film. 4/5 + 3/5 = 7/10