Closed Circuit - C+

Rated R, 96 minutes

Glossy but detached thriller "Closed Circuit" lacks mystery

Eric Bana

The bland, unoriginal "Closed Circuit" is a British political thriller about the lack of privacy we have in changing technological world. Though well-cast and handsomely filmed, it's a slow-moving, unoriginal take on a subject that's been better handled before. Following a mysterious explosion in a busy London market, the police swoop in, a suspect is detained, and the country prepares for one of the most high-profile trials in British history. Two exceptional lawyers (Eric Bana, Rebecca Hall) with a romantic past step into a dangerous web of secrets and lies, and when evidence points to a possible British Secret Service cover up, it’s not just their reputations but their lives that are at stake. Part thriller and part romance, "Closed Circuit" is directed by Jim Crowley ("Intermission") and written by Steven Knight of "Eastern Promises" fame, and while the slick film has a few nice twists and turns, it isn't exactly a revelatory look at such a timely subject. Crowley also doesn't do much with the romantic angles such a handsome couple as Bana and Hall, and as a result it comes across as too cold and detached. "Closed Circuit," with a generic title and premise, is better skipped. After all, they know you will anyway.

Wes's Grade: C+