Review of Awake

Clay Beresford is a young high-flying New York businessman with a beautiful fiancée, Sam Lockwood. He is also in need of a heart transplant. His overbearing mother wants him to be operated on by one of the country's top surgeons but Clay is determined that he will be treated by Dr Jack Harper; the doctor who first diagnosed his condition and has since become his friend. His unusual blood group has meant he has had to wait a while but finally; on the night after he marries Sam he gets to call he was waiting for, rushes to the hospital and prepped for surgery. He is given the anaesthetic but soon realises that something is terribly wrong… he is still awake but totally paralysed! He tries to think of other things but then he hears his friend talking to the other medical staff… in is their intension that Clay will never leave the room alive. As the story progresses he learns the extent of the conspiracy against him all the time knowing that there is nothing he can do about it.

While this film isn't exactly great it isn't bad either; there are plenty of red herrings to misdirect the viewer as well as some good twists… it is also a fair bit more disturbing than many horror films. The idea of being awake during major surgery is bad enough without the knowledge that one's doctor is intending to kill you. The way we see Clay having some sort of out-of-body experience to witness events taking place outside the operating theatre wasn't really necessary but it didn't spoil my enjoyment either. The cast does a decent enough job making us believe the somewhat far-fetched situation. Overall this is worth watching if you want a good scare without seeing a traditional horror movie… just don't watch it if you are awaiting surgery!