There are many things you can’t help thinking about as you watch Sacrifice. ‘Where is this going?’, is the least of them. You keep hoping that somewhere in this cine-calamity, a very nice story will evolve, sweep you off your feet like Prince William and overturn your utter dismay.
Well, don’t be disappointed when you discover that the ‘Prince’ is already married and he ain’t sweeping nobody else off their feet. The story about an undercover cop getting involved in a dangerous drug ring has been done over and over again. So unless Sacrifice was going to add to it in its own unique way, the project was doomed from the start. And lo and behold, after 100 minutes, wasn’t it?
I have seen Cuba Gooding Jr. in better. So have I, Christian Slater. However, this movie was neither about them nor their performances as actors. It does not in anyway question the talents these actors possess. What you will see in Sacrifice, perchance, is simply symptomatic of what has become of the role of director in the industry today – ‘you can do it all!’
Yes you can, but really, no! You cannot!
This whole new evangelical movement of ‘you can do it all’ attitude wrongly inherited in its crudest form from the French word, ‘auteur’, is turning some good producers into bad directors and writers. Let me break the ice. It’s hard enough to direct a meaningful piece of cinema. So why tire yourself writing it (and some go as far as producing it too)? Only a few geniuses achieve the writer/director feat with flying colors. So why would you try?
The rule of thumb is, share the burden. Simply put, Damian Lee (writer and director) and the cinematographer on this project need to play catch-up real soon if they want to have a longer shelve life. They completely lack a sense of camera movement and they have no idea what an establishing shot entails – especially when people are inside a room – we have no perspective on where people are in relation to other people or the space itself.
I wouldn’t want to get into the dialogue but only to warn anyone who wants to see this movie to adequately prepare. Even if you were about to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge and you wanted something to keep your attention from it, Sacrifice is not it. You might want to call your grandparents and have a chat about the internet and emails!
All these contributed to knocking out some otherwise okay acting from the cast and left the performances defeated – arched like a bow over the bottom ring of a worn-out plot. One reviewer had this to say:
It’s not worth a rental fee and it’s definitely not worth the waste of electricity to power a TV!
But it still remains a choice. If you happen to find it interesting, please indulge us on FilmClique!
Genre: Action | Drama | Thriller
Director: Damian Lee
Writer: Damian Lee
Stars: Cuba Gooding Jr., Lara Daans and Christian Slater
I mean, really?? You are too nice to this movie!
I don’t know about you this but when I saw this movie I f**king enjoyed every bit of it! I think you’ve been too harsh on the crew. Also, a lot more people are becoming auteurs now and there are doing a very good job at it.
I wouldn’t say this was a great movie but it was very interesting to watch. I’d like to know what other people think up here.
This movie was average. It was watchable. But now that I read this I feel like slapping myself. Why did I watch it?
Yah. I thought this review was a little too harsh. Damian Lee, Cuba and Slater did a profound job. They need to commended espcially when people take the pains to make something that is fairly watchable.
I will admit that Sacrifice is not such a great movie. It’s certainly not a Bourne Ultimatum. But it’s neither ‘Yakomfre’! So, some credit where it’s due will be much in place?
I understand, Dear Cricket,
I am merely just another voice in a myriad of voices stating my opinion. I do not wish it to be entirely negative. My attempt is to provide a constructive enough criticism (with specific examples) of a movie I thought harbored so much potential but yet failed at delivering the final punch it needed to etch itself in the good books.
By so doing: first, I wish for my review to give people an idea of the movie. And secondly, to create a dialogue space for it’s discussion.
I think you probably liked the movie. So tell me. What did you like about it? Please oblige me (stole this line from Inglorious Basterds). Lol.