Movie: Surveillance

It has taken Jennifer Lynch more than fifteen years to follow up her controversial directing debut “Boxing Helena”; and while “Surveillance” is not quite as perverse as her first film, it is still one sick and twisted little thriller.

Lynch, who may have gleaned some of her dark sensibilities from her father, “Blue Velvet” and “Twin Peaks” director David Lynch, certainly has a point-of-view all her own in “Surveillance.” It’s a tale of two FBI agents who are tracking a pair of spree killers who are rolling down the highway across an unnamed plains state, randomly murdering as they go. When the agents, played very convincingly by Bill Pullman and Julia Ormond, roll into a small town where the local police force has been shocked by the killers’ wanton murder of one of their own officers, a “Rashomon”-inspired investigation begins.

Ryan Simpkins runs from the killers in the thriller "Surveillance."

There’s the little girl (Ryan Simpkins) who witnessed not only the death of the officer, but much more; the strung-out junkie (pretty Pell James) whose story doesn’t exactly match the facts; and the dead officer’s partner (Kent Harper), whose wounds are both physical and emotional.

Lynch launches her gory, compelling thriller with a horrific scene, then shifts the tone into a cat-and-mouse game between the agents and the suspects, then goes right over the top with action again as her disquieting flick reaches a creepy, seat-squirming climax.

French Stewart plays a crazy cop in "Surveillance."

There’s much to like about this thriller, especially Julia Ormond’s terrific performance and the all-too-real depiction of small-town cops amusing themselves at the expense of travelers just passing by, suddenly and randomly changing their lives as they drive past along the seemingly endless highway that anchors the visuals of the story.

But be warned. “Surveillance” is not for the faint of heart. There are moments and images and human actions that will definitely disturb you, and that will stick in your mind’s eye long after the credits have rolled. Having said that, we have to admit that there’s something about this Jennifer Lynch film – like many of her father’s works that preceded her – that make us want to see what else she’s going to come up with as her career continues. Hopefully it will not take her fifteen more years to make her next movie.

Rated: R
Stars: Bill Pullman, Julia Ormond, Pell James, Ryan Simpkins, French Stewart, Kent Harper, Michael Ironside, Cheri Oteri
Director: Jennifer Lynch

Studio/Official Site: http://www.magnetreleasing.com/surveillance/