Director: Ben Affleck
Starring: Ben Affleck, Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson
Running Time: 106 minutes
Synopsis: Mark Kimball (Ben Affleck) is an independent candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles. With election day approaching, he navigates financial pressures with campaign manager Sam (Steven Yuen). Meanwhile, Mark's wife Abigail (Kerry Washington) is having a secret affair. Their child Denny is cared for by housekeeper Cecilia (Adriana Paz), whose partner Ramon (Luis Geraldo Mendez) is a proud handyman but an illegal alien in the US. Mark's world is upended when Denny is kidnapped and held for a $7 million ransom. Sam calls upon shadowy high-priced fixer Dayle Burton (Gillian Anderson) to resolve the crisis, but many unexpected twists await.
What Works Well: This slick thriller builds tension with taut pacing, several surprises, and an icy Gillian Anderson performance. The foundational cracks in the relationship between Mark and Abigail (he is keeping money secrets, she is cheating) provide a crackle in the pair's reaction to the kidnapping, while Dayle's all-business approach to crisis management adds a riveting core of emotionless efficiency. Housekeeper Cecilia and her partner Ramon grow in prominence as the clock ticks down.
What Does Not Work As Well: The limited information about the kidnapper leaves the drama short of a worthwhile villain. A couple of scenes hint at budget limitations, notably an under-staged but supposedly pivotal public campaign event. The plot is overburdened with sub-themes, including the status of immigrants, the class divide, campaign finance, a fractured marriage, and corruption embedded in money-fueled power. Unsurprisingly, the resolutions fall short, and the postscript to the kidnapping ordeal is particularly unconvincing.
Key Quote:
Dayle: Power creates leverage, and leverage dictates outcomes.
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