Shaky cam ruins a good film

Rating: 7/10 (31 July 2004)

A very solid entry into the espionage thriller category that could have been a lot more if the audience were actually able to watch the movie. Instead, anytime the action picks up we are subjected to the sort of camera-work one expects from a high school kid at a kegger. The fight choreography may be brilliant and the car chases stunning but you'll never know because all that makes it to the screen is a series of lightning fast jerky shots of blurry motion.
This camera style is not "hip" or "cool" or whatever the director thought it was. It does not pull us into the action, or make us feel like we are there. Instead it brings an enormous sense of frustration and anger as we endure another fight scene and another chase scene so blurred and poorly shot that we can't even tell who the combatants are.
Another installment in this series is inevitable. Here's to hoping they find a different director.