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When Federal Officers Elizabeth Anderson (Julie Ormond) and Sam Hallaway (Bill Pullman) arrive at Captain Billing's office, they have three sets of stories to figure out and a string of vicious murders to consider. One zealot cop, a strung out junkie and an eight year old girl all sit in testimony to the roadside rampage, but as the Feds begin to expose the fragile little details each witness conceals so carefully with a well practiced lie, they soon discover that uncovering the truth can come at a very big cost ...
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
A bloody and unpleasant story of serial killers and bullying cops hides within it another very effective tale. You feel something is not quite right, but there are so many untruths evident that one gets swamped by them. Watching it three days after "FRAILTY" made me realise (yet again) that American cinema is not just CGI and talking dogs.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
'Surveillance' is better than 'Boxing Helena', Jennifer Lynch's infamous directorial debut, and (as far as I know) her only previous film. However, that is faint praise given that BH deserved zero stars. Here, however, she has made a tense and violent drama/thriller about FBI agents trying to uncover the truth behind the deaths of several people including a local police officer.
The overall look and tone of the film is bleak - the police are shown to be utterly corrupt and criminal; the characters in general have few redeeming features. There are a few shift/twist/reveals, most of which are fairly obvious - and I am not a viewer who would usually claim to working out twists in advance! I found it quite disappointing, ultimately, that in most cases in the film, as with many modern releases, the filmmaker/writer's idea of drama is to have one actor point a gun at another, unarmed actor, and hold it there for a while, threatening them. This is neither original nor particularly interesting. The promise of insight into the nature of surveillance doesn't really happen either - one or two plot twists hinge on the CCTV of the police station, but that is about it - not really a fresh approach.
'Surveillance' passes the time well enough, but overall it's just not interesting or original enough to be memorable.
The overall look and tone of the film is bleak - the police are shown to be utterly corrupt and criminal; the characters in general have few redeeming features. There are a few shift/twist/reveals, most of which are fairly obvious - and I am not a viewer who would usually claim to working out twists in advance! I found it quite disappointing, ultimately, that in most cases in the film, as with many modern releases, the filmmaker/writer's idea of drama is to have one actor point a gun at another, unarmed actor, and hold it there for a while, threatening them. This is neither original nor particularly interesting. The promise of insight into the nature of surveillance doesn't really happen either - one or two plot twists hinge on the CCTV of the police station, but that is about it - not really a fresh approach.
'Surveillance' passes the time well enough, but overall it's just not interesting or original enough to be memorable.
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Within about 5 minutes of starting to watch Surveillance, you could be forgiven for thinking that you are watching another one of David Lynch's weird dissections of American society. However, when you realise that it is directed by his daughter Jennifer and David himself gets a producer credit, it easy to see his hand in much of the proceedings. Coming back from the deservedly critical disaster that was Boxing Helena was never going to be easy for Jennifer, but with Surveillance she has given us an intriguing film that is offbeat drama and dark thriller.
When federal officers Sam Hallaway (Bill Pullman) and Elizabeth Anderson (Julia Ormond) arrive at a police station outside Santa Fe to interview three witnesses to a series of horrific murders, nothing is as straightforward as it would first appear. A traumatized young girl (Ryan Simpkins), a junkie looking to get high (Pell James), and a strung out cop (Kent Harper) all have very different stories to tell as well as various secrets to hide, but as the agents set up their recording gear and video cameras, and the interviews begin, it quickly becomes apparent that something is not quite right.
It is impossible to say to much more without giving some if not all of the game away, but this is a superior thriller and weird drama that is both very involving and very unnerving at the same time. Many of the characters have that trademark David Lynch quirkiness, in particular Bill Pullman as Sam Hallaway turning in a very good performance as a genuinely "odd" individual, and French Stewart (of Third Rock From The Sun fame) as a police officer and victim of the killers who are stalking these roads who is only seen in a series of flashbacks but still gives a very arresting (no pun intended) performance.
But the real star of this film is the story, and the real fun is to be had in the telling of the tale. As the story unfolds in a series of flashbacks from three different perspectives, small details come into much shaper focus, and a surprising truth emerges. Co-written by Jennifer Lynch and Kent Harper (the same Kent Harper who plays one of the witnesses mentioned above) this is an involving and surprising tale that is very well told, with enough held back to make each little bit of new information that is painstakingly teased from the three witnesses of genuine interest and importance. The sense of wide open spaces where nothing much really happens is brilliantly conveyed through some great cinematography and a tidy script that can be surprisingly funny when it wants to be. Whilst not perfect, with some plot holes left gaping open by the end of the film and most of the characters slightly exaggerated (although this does actually work within the context of the movie), this is still a surprisingly involving movie.
When federal officers Sam Hallaway (Bill Pullman) and Elizabeth Anderson (Julia Ormond) arrive at a police station outside Santa Fe to interview three witnesses to a series of horrific murders, nothing is as straightforward as it would first appear. A traumatized young girl (Ryan Simpkins), a junkie looking to get high (Pell James), and a strung out cop (Kent Harper) all have very different stories to tell as well as various secrets to hide, but as the agents set up their recording gear and video cameras, and the interviews begin, it quickly becomes apparent that something is not quite right.
It is impossible to say to much more without giving some if not all of the game away, but this is a superior thriller and weird drama that is both very involving and very unnerving at the same time. Many of the characters have that trademark David Lynch quirkiness, in particular Bill Pullman as Sam Hallaway turning in a very good performance as a genuinely "odd" individual, and French Stewart (of Third Rock From The Sun fame) as a police officer and victim of the killers who are stalking these roads who is only seen in a series of flashbacks but still gives a very arresting (no pun intended) performance.
But the real star of this film is the story, and the real fun is to be had in the telling of the tale. As the story unfolds in a series of flashbacks from three different perspectives, small details come into much shaper focus, and a surprising truth emerges. Co-written by Jennifer Lynch and Kent Harper (the same Kent Harper who plays one of the witnesses mentioned above) this is an involving and surprising tale that is very well told, with enough held back to make each little bit of new information that is painstakingly teased from the three witnesses of genuine interest and importance. The sense of wide open spaces where nothing much really happens is brilliantly conveyed through some great cinematography and a tidy script that can be surprisingly funny when it wants to be. Whilst not perfect, with some plot holes left gaping open by the end of the film and most of the characters slightly exaggerated (although this does actually work within the context of the movie), this is still a surprisingly involving movie.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Convincing..
So the story tells about two FBI agents who arrive at Santa Fe to investigate the "accident" shown in the beginning, they begin to interrogate the "witnesses" as the story develops... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Juhani Jääskeläinen (Finland)
OK, But No Surprises
Whilst this is quite a well-made film, full of corrupt characters and a sleazy atmosphere, it's plot becomes clear within the first 5 minutes. Read more
Published 10 months ago by J. Ritchie
Nothing Much
I guess to follow in David Lynch's footsteps is quite a task. This film is not very good in my opinion. Read more
Published 12 months ago by words with wonder
Keep it under Surveillance.
I liked the twist in the plot & it made a good story. Well worth watching if you don't like the run of the mill films.
Published 17 months ago by M. J. Hinton
Don't miss the point of this movie
This is a great movie, but don't bother about the plot. That's not what matters here - it's the atmosphere, the sense of open space and vulnerability, the refusal to pander to... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Cricket
Blu-ray review
First of all you can buy this now as this blu-ray is region free and will play on UK machines with no problems whatsoever. Is it worth buying the blu-ray over the dvd? Read more
Published on 24 Mar 2010 by PJ Rankine
Perhaps I'm getting old
I found the Film deeply depressing. From the venal Policemen who we are led to believe are the bad guys, to some other characters who turn out to be even worse. Read more
Published on 11 Jan 2010 by D. Briggs
Awfull
Awfull. I just do not agree with the previous reviewers on this. Watching this I wanted a refund on the hour and a half of my life I had just wasted. Read more
Published on 8 Jan 2010 by Rosslock
Intriguing but fails to deliver its promise
Surveillance [DVD] [2008]
Directed by Jennifer Lynch (daughter of David, he of Mulholland Drive) "Surveillance" dramatises an investigation in flashbacks into a horrific... Read more
Directed by Jennifer Lynch (daughter of David, he of Mulholland Drive) "Surveillance" dramatises an investigation in flashbacks into a horrific... Read more
Published on 7 Oct 2009 by pointone
Tense Mystery
'Surveillance' is an independent mystery thriller directed by Jennifer Lynch who is the daughter of David Lynch (Director of 'Blue Velvet' & 'Mulholland Drive'). Read more
Published on 9 Sep 2009 by Mitun
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