Default (2014) Reviews

• Good Suspense Film But Too Much Shaky Camera

  SadnessNeverGoes2014-10-25

  Directed by Simon Brand default 2014 is a good suspense film but there are many problems with it first of all the shaky camera technique i hate this style except the Bourne trilogy this was not needed here but surprisingly it turned out well enough for the viewer to tolerate the project. I expected some ghosts & Steven Seagal style too just like the previous IMDb reviewer mentioned it that this is a different film but comes with flaws specially when bad guys shoot someone you don't know where the bullets are going the camera is tilted down most of the time,the sound editing is useless the loud noises overshadow the dialogs,the plane is on the ground its not in air if your are expecting some James Bond stunts from this then you will be disappointed. The Plot:some news crew in Seychelles have finished the shooting they are about to leave when Somali pirates hijack the plane but have weird demands they don't want money all they want is some publicity & coverage they choose Frank Saltzman a famous journalist on gun point to help them out. There was a huge debate going on between Saltzman & Atlas bout religion,terrorism & politics & how he wants to free his brother from USA atlas does make a solid point here by asking the hostages what difference does it make if you are terrorized by a man who will kill in the name of god or just a regular person who wants cash who are you most afraid of. The Cast:all of these actors did good job keeping it real & not overdoing it specially David Oyelowo the guy is seriously talented i have seen many films of him including jack reacher with tom cruise,& Katherine Moennig looks more beautiful then ever here with new haircut. The slow pace will be boring for some people but it is better then most films out there. Overall Default 2014 is a nice one time watch just keep expectations below & you will enjoy it my rating is 4/10.

• We'll erase it baby, I promise.

  nogodnomasters2018-03-12

  After a 16 year old Somali pirate is captured and taken to NYC for trial, a group of Somali pirates highjack an airliner with a news crew on it. Atlas (David Oyelowo) the leader of the crew has an interview with Frank Saltzman (Greg Callahan) a long time revered reporter. Most of the film is shot from hand held cameras, but for the most part they were mounted so you don't get motion sickness watching the film. The production looks at how the media covers different stories and the careful Orwellian word usage to describe things. The movie spends a lot of time discussing the use of of the word pirate vs. terrorism. Are pirates who just want money and not have a political agenda terrorists too? After all they create terror. And what about young kids involved? What is their story? The film in part, attempts to discuss the blight of poverty in Somalia without spending any money or time to film there. The movie takes too long to develop and once it does, it still goes slow, because the only real entertainment is the ending which becomes anti-climatic because we had to endure too much boring filler material to get there. Guide: F-bomb (multiple languages). No sex or nudity.

• Heart of Darkness

  timlin-42014-10-25

  This is an interesting variation of the found-footage movie: instead of facing ghosts, aliens, or trolls, this time "the crew" faces pirates who hold them hostage on a plane. And indeed the highlights of the movie are when it approaches horror. The acting is OK, the characters aren't too annoying, and while they don't make the wisest choices, your hand probably won't hurt too much from hitting your screen to slap some sense into them. But the budget isn't too lavish so the action is a little clunky, and most of the movie is confined to one space. Of course the bad guys have to be humanized, and there are psychological games, and some kind of plot twist, but overall the movie was pretty effective. The attempt to shove in a lefty political moral does strain the viewer's patience, though I guess now it's practically a requirement for the script format.

• Worst movie

  estebanz012014-10-29

  One of the most awful movies I ever seen. A weird intro with annoying camera movements. One of the worst footage, a history so predictable and unnecessary scenes. No doubt one of the worst. Since the beginning it's hard to understand who are the characters, why they are in Africa and why all the argument happened. I hate the camera movement. It's possible to play with that effects to make it more real, but using that option so excessive it's stupid and fuzzy. I don't know, but this movie is really, really awful. Finally, one of the most annoying things of this movie is the end. Guess which final will be and you'll win.