Review of The Factory (2012) by Robyn N — 20 Feb 2013

"The Factory", directed by Morgan O'Neill attempts to be clever with a ludicrous storyline, and the results are less than satisfying. Mike Fletcher (John Cusack) is a detective in Buffalo, NY where prostitutes have gone missing over a period of several years without a trace. His daughter is the next to be abducted (who is not a prostitute but just looked like one on a street corner) and will stop at nothing to find her. It has the feel of a film that's trying so hard to be cunning and smart, has a couple of moments, but the story quickly unravels into stupidity and senselessness.

John Cusack's performance in "The Factory" is decidedly mediocre. This sort of dark role is more-and-more becoming the norm for him. Jennifer Carpenter is simply playing a nicer, softer version of her role from Dexter, and doesn't bring anything very interesting to her performance. By the end of the movie, we learn why the film is entitled "The Factory", but very early on we realize that it looks like something which came off of an assembly line.

I can't say I love the twist ending, but at least it does something--unlike the rest of the boring, predictable plot. The twist itself is actually also quite predictable, given the writers foolishly toss in an unnecessary plot detail that raises a red flag early on. That said, nothing about "The Factory" is truly horrible -- the cast alone helps rein in the pedestrian script.