The Closer

Plot synopsis:
In the opening scene, 24-year-old Alice Ayres (Natalie Portman) and Dan Woolf (Jude Law) see each other for the first time from opposite sides of a street as they are walking toward each other among many other rush hour pedestrians. Alice is a young American stripper who just arrived in London, and Dan is an unsuccessful British writer who is on his way to work where he writes obituaries for a newspaper. Alice looks in the wrong direction as she crosses the street and is hit by a taxi cab right in front of Dan's eyes. After he rushes to her side, she smiles to him and says, "Hello, stranger." He takes her to the hospital where Alice is treated and released. Afterward, on the way to his office, they stop by Postman's Park, the same park that he and his father visited after his mother's death. Pausing in front of the office before he leaves her and goes to work, Dan reminds her that traffic in England tends to come on from the right, and on impulse, he asks her for her name. They soon become lovers.
A year later, though the two are in a relationship, Dan is straying. He has written a novel based on Alice's life and while being photographed to publicize it, he flirts with the American photographer Anna Cameron (Julia Roberts). Anna shares a kiss with Dan before finding out that Dan and Alice are in a relationship. Alice arrives and uses Anna's bathroom, leaving Anna and Dan alone again. Dan takes the chance to try to persuade Anna to have an affair with him but is cut short by Alice's return. Alice asks Anna if she can have her portrait taken as well. Anna agrees and Alice asks Dan to leave them alone during the photo shoot. While being photographed, she reveals to Anna that she overheard them, and she is photographed while still weeping over it. Alice does not reveal what she overheard to Dan, even as he spends a year stalking Anna.
Another year later, Dan enters a cybersex chat room and randomly meets Larry Gray (Clive Owen), a British dermatologist. With Anna still on his mind, Dan pretends to be her, and using the pretense that they will be having sex, Dan convinces Larry to meet at the aquarium (where Anna told Dan she often went). Larry goes to the rendezvous and has his rude awakening there. Anna tells Larry that a man who had pursued her, Dan, was most likely to blame for the setup. Soon, Anna and Larry become a couple and they refer to Dan as "Cupid" from then on.
Four months later, at Anna's photo exhibition, Larry meets Alice, whom he recognizes from the tearful photograph that is one of many being exhibited. Larry knows that Alice and Dan are a couple, from talking to Anna. Meanwhile, Dan convinces Anna to become involved with him. They begin cheating on their respective lovers for a year, even though Anna and Larry marry halfway through the year. Eventually Anna and Dan each confess the affair to their respective partners, leaving their relationships for one another.
Alice goes back to being a stripper, heartbroken by her loss. One day, Larry runs into her accidentally at the strip club and he (heart-broken himself) is convinced that she is the girl he met before. He asks her if her name is Alice, but no matter how much money he gives her, she keeps telling him her name is "Jane Jones." He asks her to have a one-night stand with him but she refuses. The line of questioning becomes pornographic, albeit without any explicit nudity.
Eventually, Larry convinces Anna to see him one last time; she agrees to sleep with him so that he will sign the divorce papers and leave her alone. Dan suspects the affair, to which Anna confesses, and following their argument, she returns to Larry. Distraught, Dan confronts Larry to try to get Anna back. Instead, Larry tells him Alice's whereabouts, and suggests that he go back to her. Suddenly, however, out of a sheer malicious impulse, he also tells him that he had a one-night stand with her.
Alice takes Dan back. Alice also decides that she wants to return to her home country and invites Dan to come with her and he agrees. While in a hotel room celebrating being back together (and noting that it has been four years when they first met on that London street when Alice was hit by a car in the opening scene), Dan asks her whether she had a one-night stand with Larry, she initially denies it. But when he insists on the truth, she suddenly tells him that she doesn't love him anymore and goes on to say that she did sleep with Larry. Dan reveals that Larry had already told him about the one-night stand but that he's already forgiven her. She insists that it's over and tells him to leave. The argument culminates in Dan slapping Alice.
In the end, Alice returns to New York alone. As she passes through the immigration checkpoint on her way back into the United States, a shot of her passport shows her real name to be Jane Rachel Jones. Thus she had lied about her name during her four-year relationship with Dan.
Back in London, Dan returns to Postman's Park, and to his surprise, notices the name "Alice Ayres" on a memorial that is dedicated to a young woman, "who by intrepid conduct" and at the cost of her young life, rescued three children from a fire. The final scene shows Alice/Jane walking on Broadway towards West 47th Street with male passers-by staring at her beauty. This completes the visual symmetry within the film as it echoes the opening scene where Alice/Jane and Dan are staring at each other on the sidewalks of London.

Tags: murder

Review:
2007), I feel it's time for me to commend every aspect of this series about an elite homicide squad.Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson (Kyra Segdewick) is consistently one of the most engaging television series characters I've seen in a very long time.
Deputy Chief Brenda Lee Johnson is the head of a elite detective unit that solves homicides, now here are a few things you should probably know.
If you're looking for that, look somewhere else.Watch the show for the charming character portrayed by Kyra Sedgewick, who looks like she's in over her head and a mess, but never really is.
Like Law and Order the show puts more focus on the cases themselves rather than the personal lives of the characters, but The Closer opens the door a little more.
The writers were also keen to make Brenda Johnson a real person, not some super-hero who always wins and always knows the every move of the bad guy; sometimes Brenda makes mistakes and pays for them and sometimes she is insecure about her looks or being freshly relocated to the big city of Los Angelos.
From the beginning episodes where Brenda's staff worked against her, sometimes with the expressed desire for her to fail, to the latest season where they appear to be firmly on her "side" there is an interesting dynamic in showing an intelligent and capable woman as authority-figure and the gradual and sometimes reluctant acceptance of her as the officers she works with see for themselves what she is bringing to the dept.The show brings a lot of elements of the classic mysteries, and uses clever reveals and intelligence as well as past personal experiences and leaps of intuition in solving crimes.
I didn't see the first episode of this series, but from the first time I watched it I could tell it would be one of my favorite shows.
I thoroughly enjoyed the 4-disc DVD set of the entire first season and will usurp sole possession of TV remote on June 12, 2007 so that my hubby won't be able to interrupt my sweet fix of watching my new favorite TV star in this season's debut episode.Here's to Kyra Sedgwick's Emmy for her stellar, spellbinding, hilarious, adorable portrayal of TV's newest heroine, Brenda Lee Johnson..
I have to say I've enjoyed just about every episode of the closer over it's 7 seasons.I especially like the way the initial hostility of the other detectives eventually turns into respect and finally into a willingness to do what it takes to help BLJ in some of her times of need.I also like that there's been a few episodes that are tongue in cheek - who can forget Provenza popping his little blue pill only to find a dead body in the bath tub, or the recent ep with Santa drinking his egg nog.Maybe things get sewn up a little too well at times, but she's also had a few cases get away from her.
Kyra Sedgwick is great as Brenda Johnoson a real true southern belle from Atlanta, GA with both charm, wit, grace, and intelligence who starts a new life in Los Angeles as a chief deputy detective.
Brenda also is very witty and smart when looking for clues upon the crime scene her investigative work is hands on, but underneath it all she never losses her southern charm and nice gentle ways.
Really this series is good a tribute to police detectives and their hard work of crime solving skills, even better it's nice to see the fine Kyra Sedgwick doing a role so well a real role model to every working woman!.
From the beginning episodes where Brenda's staff worked against her, sometimes with the expressed desire for her to fail, to the latest season where they appear to be firmly on her "side" there is an interesting dynamic in showing an intelligent and capable woman as authority-figure and the gradual and sometimes reluctant acceptance of her as the officers she works with see for themselves what she is bringing to the dept.
Each episode also allows the viewer to see some of the personal drama without being heavy-handed or too soap-opera, keeping a good balance between the police investigation and the people who are doing the investigation.I find it interesting, however, that most of the people I know who do not like the show are male and love similar stories where a male in the central authority and does the exact same things that Brenda does to close a case.
Each episode also allows the viewer to see some of the personal drama without being heavy-handed or too soap-opera, keeping a good balance between the police investigation and the people who are doing the investigation.I find it interesting, however, that most of the people I know who do not like the show are male and love similar stories where a male in the central authority and does the exact same things that Brenda does to close a case.
For someone who likes police drama, with realistic characters who are not always perfect, this is an excellent show to watch.
For someone who likes police drama, with realistic characters who are not always perfect, this is an excellent show to watch.
Kyra Sedgwick plays Brenda Lee Johnson brilliantly, and who can help but love her quirky mannerisms and genius?
I also love the show because it is funny (watching Johnson's staff react to her quirkiness is a trip), it makes you think, and the story lines are usually always excellent.
Just right.My sister-in-law with three small children watches very little television, but loved The Closer from the start - and then was thrilled to realize that Brenda's FBI love interest was a former college classmate.
I really think the new cable style of short seasons pushes shows like this to the utmost, making every episode highly watchable..
Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson (who often thinks rules don't apply to her and was brought in by Assistant Chief Will Pope/J.K.Simmons , her former boss in the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington D.C., with whom she had an affair) as the head of the Priority Homicide Division of the LAPD , which was created to focus on high profile cases .
Brenda runs the Priority Homicide Division of the LAPD with an unorthodox style , she is a well trained interrogator and has a great innate ability to get confessions and to read people resolving the city's toughest , most difficult , hardest cases .
He knows Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson/Sedgwick from when they both lived and worked in law enforcement in Washington D.C. He has been in L.A. for three years when the series begins and has a sister, Claire, who believes she is psychic.
Little else to be said.Kyra Sedgwick is Brenda Leigh Johnson, who comes to Los Angeles from Atlanta to run the Priority Homicide Division.
Chief Deputy Brenda Lee Johnson, along with her co-workers, family, victims and suspects are combined in story lines dramatically different from the popular CSI, Law and Order and copycats.
Her problems with her fiancé and parents may be a bit exaggerated and contrived at times, but Kyra Sedgwick carries Brenda Lee's life into the viewer's heart in such a way that any flaws are easily overlooked.
I don't doubt the talent of any of the cast and crew, it's just that after watching things like "the wire", I've come to expect great things from cop drama..
Think Ralph Fiennes in 'Schindler's List' or Michael Caine (*not* Sly Stallone) in 'Get Carter', and you may get the idea.While Detective Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson is not quite in Amon Goeth territory, she is undoubtedly one of those people who you're glad is 'on your side', and who you probably wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley, let alone on the other side of an "interview" table at Parker Center.As far as I'm concerned, she is a murderer (quite possibly a serial one), and my 'voice of conscience' tells me that the Philip Goldman character should nail her to the wall...in court.
And that's what makes good television.Of course, most great shows are the result of team-work, and this one is no exception: I've seen G.W. Bailey I don't know how many times, yet to me he is now Lt. Provenza; and the show has now been running long enough to get under the skin (as much as TV allows) of all the characters in the squad.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if some spin-off wasn't spawned based on him and Lt. Flynn (or indeed Det. Sanchez); and I'd certainly check out the first few episodes.My favourite character of all though is Captain Sharon Raydor - one of the best 'introduced' characters I can remember in a TV series – and I look forward to the battle of wits between her and Goldman (and maybe Johnson herself).I hope by now you can tell I'm a fan; and although I still think Brenda Leigh and her delicious "Thank you so much" should be on the other side of her own interrogation desk, it makes for great viewing.Keep 'em coming..
Good writing takes time as the writers and the actors get a chance to know their characters; the possible plots in L.A. are endless so I cannot wait for Monday nights.
Perhaps the southern bit is a little over the top, but I've lived in the south my entire life and think she does a great job with the accent and comes across as a "real" southern lady.
Every character is great, but Deputy Chief Brenda Lee Johnson takes the cake.
Kyra Sedgewick is superb, but what helps a lot is that her character Brenda Johnson is a breath of fresh air.
Brenda is what made me tune in again, not the fairly standard crimes.Another great plus is the excellent supporting cast, especially GW Bailey as Lt Provenza, who I hated for the first half of the season!
Kyra Sedgwick's Southern accent is so bad that I'm totally distracted from the plot, the action, and the other characters.
I'll tell 'ya, I enjoyed this show much better than I have the second season of The 4400 so far, and plan on scheduling the DVR for the whole series.It might be worth your time to check out a so-called southern *itch showing the LA crowd "how it's done".
Network: TNT; Genre: Crime/Mystery; Content Rating: TV-14 (adult content, language, some violence and gore); Available: DVD; Perspective: Contemporary (1 - 4); Seasons Reviewed: 2 seasons Brenda Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick) transfers to L.A. from Atlanta and becomes the new head of the Priority Homicide Division, much to the chagrin of her new team and male superiors.
Her vices of choice are Hostess brownies and a one-time indiscretion with a particular married man who now happens to be her boss (G.W. Bailey).I'm sorry, people, but I'm not buying "The Closer" at all.Kyra Sedgwick does a reasonably good job as one of TVs few flawed female heroines.
If all that wasn't contrived enough, creator James Duff fills out these cardboard peripheral characters with a cast that is strictly designed to appeal to everybody - well, everybody who just watches entertainment to see people who look like themselves.
Like all god cop shows the police work is largely nothing more than a reason to have some interesting characters hang out together; The way by which they catch the criminals is just the icing on the cake - In fact you might just as well compare it to Friends or Cheers as to Columbo - Don't get me wrong I'm a big Columbo fan but Columbo is such a loner that the references to the ever unseen Mrs Columbo are almost an in joke.
The closest cop show for me would probably be "NYPD Blue" - another great cast of characters but a bit more gritty.If proof were needed, I just watched the season 2 "big finale" where she has to deal with the CIA and a nuclear terrorist threat - It just left me wondering why the writers came up with such an improbable story line when I suspect that most fans would be just as happy watching the team track down a shoplifter provided only that we got some good lines and a warm feeling at the end.Looking forward to season 3 - The writers had better be careful with their character balancing because Provenza and Flyn are starting to steal the show!.
It's interesting to see the twists and turns as they try to zoom in on the underlying truth of the matter.For the episode that I just watched, concerning a boy that died during an emergency operation, I'm not sure I fully agreed with (deputy chief) Brenda's take on what happened, but I could understand where she was coming from.It's very well written, plotted, and acted.I wasn't a Kyra Sedgewick fan before, but I am now..
I just watched the last episode of the season 1 and Brenda proved that she is the best because her team was willing to stand by her.
(Ask any detective or forensic investigator and they'll tell you solving crimes is much more difficult since CSI first aired).On The Closer, the main character, Brenda Leigh Johnson, is supposed to have specialized interview training, but her most notable talent is the condescending tone of her voice when interviewing suspects.
But in heading it, Simmons reaches out of the department all the way to Atlanta for Deputy Chief Brenda Lee Johnson as beautifully played by Kyra Sedgwick.The fact the two of them were once romantically involved is of secondary importance.
In several weeks I watched all 7 Seasons and let me tell you this, although a few episodes are boring the whole Series is great.
Actually, the cast is padded out from other cop shows, like J.K. Simmons from Law & Order's many incarnations, and G.W. Bailey from the Police Academy movies!Oh, and people that worked on the show or who work for TNT really ought to recuse themselves from voting on the usefulness of user comments about this show (or is it the herd mentality at work?).
The story lines, actors/actresses, characters, and locations are fantastic.Kyra Sedgwick is not the actress I would have picked for "Brenda Lee", and I would like Chief Pope to leave the show permanently, but I enjoy the heck out of Flynn, Provenza, Sanchez, Daniels, and "Brenda's right-hand man" (whose name escapes me at the moment).I would love to see "Brenda's lover" have a more complete role in the future, as I just love "Fritzi".
Watching her eat her ding dong in episode 1 = the same in season 1's finale, and in conjunction with her character showing what I consider some dynamic acting ability in becoming Brenda the flake who may border on genius in her job lacks in the personal relations department tremendously.After 3 seasons though I think it is a good show that I'm assuming will grow since it ran for as many seasons as it did.
It is frustrating to see the people who seem to feel a new show, in particular it's pilot, should be able to stand up the the 4 and 5 year old shows that have had their opportunity to develop during their first season and then become among the top ten programs of the week.We have read comments about the character Kyra is portraying, and set aside the fact that we(at least I don't) don't need another character such as we see each week in Law & Order, CSI, etc.
But I know in one episode, he wanted to confess so he could go to jail, because he knew he was going to be killed by the Russian mafia if he showed his face again, but Brenda wouldn't let him, and the next day, he was found dead.Overall, this is a truly great show, and you shouldn't miss it..
I have not enjoyed a show more!Alas...I really hope TV guide never see's this comment-because each time I LOVE a show...they remove it from their line up.Please keep The Closer!It shows that women can use brains and sly woman-isms to beguile a bad guy/girl,into admitting a truth,She is ruthless in her attempt to find the real truth-and the last show of this past season was awesome.Ms. K puts women in a lead role.Without over powering male counter parts.Her attitude is real.Her acting wonderful.Her accent adorable.Horrah for Ms. K.I cannot say enough about this great show.If I were to pick the Emmys.This would be the one show that would win,"hands down"..
In "The Closer", Sedgwick is Brenda Johnson, a Los Angeles Deputy Police Chief who goes out among 'em and solves crimes in the kinda-sorta mean streets of L.A. more or less single handedly while her cadre of male detectives look on with chagrin.
The first few episodes of season one appear to be dedicated to fleshing out the very southern Brenda character - who is way below Sedgwick's abilities - while leaving plenty of hooks for future story lines should the series survive...which I doubt it will.
I really feel silly that I don't know these answers because I watch the show ALL the time!I love Kyra Sedgwick and all the men in her department.
In any case, her accent is so good that when I first saw the show, I remember thinking "I didn't know Kyra Sedgwick was southern!".
After being in the shadows of her much more popular husband Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick became a household name in this TV show as former CIA agent and Atlanta Ga transplant, Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson from the LAPD as she is a no nonsense and tough gal interrogation.Her name of the title is due to the fact she closes cases and that she also makes people confess in order to get a conviction and that she at first, made everybody's lives at the LAPD a living you know what.