Review of Anna (2013) by Boo_Radley — 07 Jun 2014

Yeah, no.

If you're a Mark Strong fan waiting to see him in a decent lead role for once, this isn't it. The hackneyed plot is full of holes, the atmosphere is syrupy with clichés, and the overused Freudian shtick is embarrassing. Strong has enough presence to make this 98 minute film an adequate way to pass the commute if you're watching on an iphone, but otherwise I wouldn't bother. It's a wannabe 'Inception' with no substance. The characters aren't sympathetic or compelling. They don't even relate to one another in a coherent or believable manner, and it leaves them all looking a little like cardboard cutouts. The plot resolution is a cheat rather than a twist, and some elements of the story are still pretty opaque. The movies was filmed in Spain with mostly British actors. It seemed totally unnecessary to set the story in a nameless American Gotham and force everyone to adopt unconvincing American accents, just to accommodate the least experienced actress on set, neophyte Taissa Farmiga. All they had to do was give her an American father or something. In conclusion, "Anna" is an elegant flop, and Mark Strong needs a new agent.