Director Robert Rodriguez was a big deal in the 90s but his career seems to have stalled creatively since he started making the Spy Kids movies. He returns with this sci fi mystery starring Ben Affleck as Danny Rourke, a detective in Austin, Texas. When Danny starts investigating a heist, he believes it is linked to the previous abduction of his seven year old daughter.
There is a strong start with a perplexing and thrilling attempted bank robbery. The apparent ability of the mastermind to control others with hypnosis adds a novel twist. Rourke, now set up, goes on the run with witness Diana Cruz (Alice Braga) and I thought it was going to be a tight and tense chase movie.
But as the explanation of what is really happening is revealed, the jeopardy is pretty much eliminated. The action slows, the visuals become more and more Inception like and the events become more and more ridiculous to the point that the ending makes no sense. Not one to elevate Rodriguez back into the big leagues.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10