Nicolas Cage has made some great movies and some bad. The
sad truth is that lately he's made more mediocre films than ever. Perhaps
that's because he's been making them at such a frantic pace or at least it
seems that way. In any event his latest thriller SEEKING JUSTICE offers a
decent night's entertainment but still finds itself in that so so stack of Cage
films.
In the film Cage plays Will Gerard, an English teacher in an
inner city school who is married to Laura (January Jones), a cellist with the
local symphony. One night after practice while Will is playing chess with his
best friend Jimmy (Harold Perrineau), Laura is attacked and raped when she gets
to her car.
Sitting in the hospital waiting room filled with dread and
despair over the event Will is approached by a man sitting nearby. Introducing
himself as Simon (Guy Pearce) he tells Will that this is not the first time
this man has raped someone. He has the man's picture and shows him to Will.
Then he offers him a chance for justice. He tells Will he might ask him for a
favor in the future, no questions asked. In return, Simon and a group of like
minded individuals will take care of the rapist. All he has to do is give them
a predetermined sign.
Will makes the choice and gives the sign. Several days later
he is given a picture of the rapist who was shot and killed that night. The
months go on and Will and Laura move forward. Then one day Simon shows up and
asks Will if he's ready to repay his debt. When he thinks it involves his
killing someone else, Will reneges on the deal. But Simon forces his hand and
lets Will know he's willing to put Laura in danger if he doesn't go along.
Will agrees and is instructed to meet a man they identify as
a child molester on an overpass near the highway. Unable to bring himself to
kill the man he tries to talk to him but the man attempts to fight Will and
accidentally falls onto the street below to his death. While it appears Will
has honored the contract, he later finds the police looking for him to arrest
him for the murder. It turns out the man wasn't a molester at all but a new
reporter.
Avoiding the police and digging deeper, Will finds out the
man knew something about the group that Simon is in charge of. On the run and
trying to find a way out, Will follows the clues as to who this group is and
how high up they go. With helps along the way, he tries to find a way out of
the predicament he's gotten himself into.
The movie offers a decent mystery here and a chase that last
long enough and not too long to keep the action moving forward. The cast is
excellent with the exception of Cage I'm sorry to say. Cage just doesn't feel
like the meek type, the milk toast who finds it in himself to take on this
group. It's not that his acting is bad but the casting of Cage in this role
leaves a lot to be desired.
As with any good thriller there are plenty of plot twists
going on here. Some you may see coming while others will catch you off guard.
All in all it's an entertaining film that will keep you guessing. It may not be
Cage's best film but is by far not his worst.
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