Tension and Release

Rating: 9/10 (2 April 2010)

What I liked about this film is that, even though there is a conventional plot to it, there were multiple simultaneous plot lines, all of which were developed superbly and with an eye to telling the story of Liv. The male protagonist doesn't really go through a major shift, besides having his mysteries solved, like Sherlock Holmes or Indiana Jones. Also, the rape of Liv was one of the most disturbing things I've seen in films, yet I didn't mind it being there (unlike in other films where I sometimes get the sense the filmmaker just has a fetish- "lust, caution"). The effect? Liv becomes a living breathing character. I liked her. I thought she was totally believable as a hateful lovable bad-ass.