I was initially drawn to this title purely to see Lee Evans in a serious role, (for those not that familiar with him, he is well known in the UK, for his hyperactive/sweaty comedy acts)and what i got was certainly not what i expected.
The story of the film revolves around Evans character, initially tried for a triple murder, the prosecution cannot convict him due to a technicality, he is subsequently released, however due to the trial and tribulations during his ordeal, he is convinced unknown forces are persecuting him, this leads him to withdraw into an extremely paranoid cycle of self analysis and suspicion. To stop a replay of being accused, he monitors himself 24 hours a day 7 days a week on digital video, keeping a vast archive of tapes monitoring his every move, however when there is a new murder connecting himself and the victim the tapes in his archive that can exonerate him have mysteriously vanished.
Evans' acting in a serious Psycho Thriller was good, very good. He gave depth to an extremely traumatised character, whereas a less physical actor would not have been able to portray what mental and physical trauma his character had gone through Evans executes the necessary actions with ease. However whilst Evans role is a sight to behold, the film itself is quite visually distinctive and asks questions rather than just relaying a story.
The post reality TV dystopia that programmes such as Big Brother and Pop Idol has littered our screens with is responsible for demonization and propaganda character assassination of the unfortunate individuals that appear on them. A well constructed edit or a sympathetic strategically placed piece of music has turned for or against the people that inhabit these programmes, without trying to paint a unbiased view of them, this is something that is continuously echoed throughout freeze frame. The crux of the story centres on the missing tapes, which can exonerate him, these are just a few hours long in context to the amount of footage he has on himself, with this important information missing it basically 'edits' an alternative story to what could be a completely different set of events.
The film does however have certain flaws to it, the actual plot and subsequent outcome of the film do stretch the imagination and at times whilst the film is visually stunning, it can overwhelm at the same time, the other actors merely operate as plot devices adding little to the whole of the film, this is Evans film and his alone, i wait in anticipation for his next serious role.
The story of the film revolves around Evans character, initially tried for a triple murder, the prosecution cannot convict him due to a technicality, he is subsequently released, however due to the trial and tribulations during his ordeal, he is convinced unknown forces are persecuting him, this leads him to withdraw into an extremely paranoid cycle of self analysis and suspicion. To stop a replay of being accused, he monitors himself 24 hours a day 7 days a week on digital video, keeping a vast archive of tapes monitoring his every move, however when there is a new murder connecting himself and the victim the tapes in his archive that can exonerate him have mysteriously vanished.
Evans' acting in a serious Psycho Thriller was good, very good. He gave depth to an extremely traumatised character, whereas a less physical actor would not have been able to portray what mental and physical trauma his character had gone through Evans executes the necessary actions with ease. However whilst Evans role is a sight to behold, the film itself is quite visually distinctive and asks questions rather than just relaying a story.
The post reality TV dystopia that programmes such as Big Brother and Pop Idol has littered our screens with is responsible for demonization and propaganda character assassination of the unfortunate individuals that appear on them. A well constructed edit or a sympathetic strategically placed piece of music has turned for or against the people that inhabit these programmes, without trying to paint a unbiased view of them, this is something that is continuously echoed throughout freeze frame. The crux of the story centres on the missing tapes, which can exonerate him, these are just a few hours long in context to the amount of footage he has on himself, with this important information missing it basically 'edits' an alternative story to what could be a completely different set of events.
The film does however have certain flaws to it, the actual plot and subsequent outcome of the film do stretch the imagination and at times whilst the film is visually stunning, it can overwhelm at the same time, the other actors merely operate as plot devices adding little to the whole of the film, this is Evans film and his alone, i wait in anticipation for his next serious role.