The Interview (1998)

THE INTERVIEW ( rating, * * * * out of 5 )

Edward Flemming, (Hugo Weaving) is a seemingly everyday guy a little bit down on his luck. In the early hours of the morning, his door is broken down and he is arrested for a crime he apparently knows nothing about.

Detective Sergeant John Steele, (Tony Martin) a cop with a dubious reputation, conducts a series of interviews searching for the truth. As time ticks by, it becomes obvious all is not as it seems. Does Edward have a confession to make? Is he innocent? Or is Steele stepping way over the line?

Writer/director Craig Monahan, with help in the script department by Gordon Davie, construct a tense and absorbing movie which is punctuated by a menacing soundtrack composed and performed by David Hirschfelder.

This is stylish film-making at its best. Lush production values, elegant lighting, the skilful manipulation of slow motion, all combine to take the discerning viewer on a strange and mysterious ride.

Everything about this movie works - fine acting, expert writing and imaginative directing. Craig Monahan moves the story slowly but surely - deft handling of mood and atmosphere.

This film has to be really watched as the usual over-the-top bells and whistles are traded for innuendo and simmering tension. The longer this film went, the more it felt like a return to classic film noir where true movie-making was about absorbing an audience with story and character.

'The Interview' has many surreal qualities due to its intelligent subtleties. However, if these elements are missed, it will undoubtedly fall a little flat.

My only real criticism is that the ending was a little unsatisfying. The movie built up such viewer unease that the finale just fell away almost making the whole exercise pointless. This aside, 'The Interview' is a rare film and should not be missed.

The reality is that this film is not for everyone due to its strict attention demand on the audience. If you're looking for a film where you can slip your brain into neutral then give this one a miss. However, if a sharp thriller where the narrative is driven by deception is your bag, then 'The Interview' will not displease.

Fmovies: It's always a good feeling to be combing through the DVDs at such a barren wasteland of product like Blockbuster and suddenly come across something that looks like of interesting: Hugo Weaving, of the Matrix and V for Vendetta, in a film with a title that immediately rings of Kafka (duh) and the premise sounding like a riff on something one might find in the Usual Suspects, only without the huge cast of characters. Watching it, it's something like finding a little hidden treasure in the mystery movie genre. It's not perfect, but it's got dynamite acting and a sense of suspense that makes one guess and second guess and guess again on the status of this guy Edward Fleming, and by proxy the stone-cold cop interrogating him.

It starts off like classic Kafka, updated for modern times, but the opening scenes are where the Trial comparison ends... mostly. Fleming is told he's being accused of car theft, which he flat-out denies. After being badgered for a spell to confess he finally asks for a lawyer, who tells him that he really doesn't have that much to worry about. From then on it becomes a kind of weird guessing game on the end of the detectives - did he really commit these *other* crimes he's suddenly admitting to, or is it all just an act? What kind of hell will freeze over if he's just putting on the brash results-oriented detective John Steele?

Part of the joy of the piece, very much like a chamber drama or something Sidney Lumet might have made back in the 1970's, is seeing the actors at work. Primarily it's the Hugo Weaving show, as he shows that he's much more than the stone-faced-ham of The Matrix, as he's sympathetic, confused, devious, almost charming, and finally really perplexing. But another part of what makes the Interview so fascinating is that the director, first-timer Craig Monahan, lets us as the audience decide for ourselves really.

While the last shot of the film may reveal a little too much and lessen the ambiguity that's built up (but oh, what a great final shot it is), we get to really participate in this mystery - or is it even a mystery at all and are the detectives being duped by a guy who has it in for them? How you feel about harsh interrogation techniques (though not outright torture in this case save for lack of food), or about the nature of this guy Fleming, depends on how you really view it.

And yet if you'd rather not take part in the intellectual mind-game of the proceeding, it's still got crackerjack dialog and a very good supporting performance by Tony Martin as John Steele. It's also got the good graces of not treating its audience like a bunch of cliché-hungry morons: neither of the two protagonists is entirely good or bad in the traditional sense, and right or wrong is blurred throughout. I was hooked from start to finish.

A superbly crafted, completely compelling character-driven thriller, I I was on the edge of my seat throughout the whole film. The film is extremely clever, and without giving anything away, I am truly amazed at how skilfully the director, Craig Monahan, is able to manipulate the audience. What a ride! And the fact that all this tension, all this manipulating takes place among four walls, is nothing short of remarkable. Also, the acting - Hugo Weaving in particular - is excellent. No wonder this film won 3 Aussie Oscars. I highly recommend it if you haven't already seen it. Can't wait to see Craig Monahan's next pic.

The Interview fmovies. "The Interview" dedicates most of it's run time to a police interview (Aussie for interrogation) of a suspect in a stolen car case. The interview is supposed to be a process where questions are asked and answered in an attempt to discern the truth of a matter. In this film, however, one question leads to another and another and so on until the truth seems inextricably buried and the usually clear line between good and evil becomes blurred beyond recognition. An dark, claustrophobic, artfully presented all-business psychodrama out of Australia, "The Interview" will prove an enjoyable watch for those into mind game flicks. With good acting by all, special kudos to Weaving for an excellent performance.

What an excellent movie. Do not pass this one by: although it's virtually static (most of it takes place in a police station interview room, and most of what's left occurs in other portions of the same station) it is absolutely riveting. I wonder how many viewers of this movie shared my thoughts immediately afterwards: why in the world don't we see more movies of this calibre?

Agent Smith (actually named Eddie Fleming in this film) is taking a nap when the police barge in, trash his apartment, intimidate him, arrest him, and throw him into an "interview room" accusing him of car theft. Soon a charge of murder is added and Fleming is really at a loss of what to do. At a loss, that is, until the story takes a few twists and we see that "the interview" is really a fierce battle of wits with strings being pulled from every direction...

The title may be a bit misleading for American audiences as it means "interrogation" not the type of interview you have for a prospective job position. That aside, this is a fantastic film that deserves notice. Hugo Weaving with the rest of the cast gives a terrific performance and the script could hardly offer more when coupled with Craig Monahan's direction. Taking place in only a few rooms of a police station for pretty much the whole length of the film, yet there is a genuine suspense and the film space feels as open as the expanse of the mystery at hand rather than cramped like the setting.

All in all, this is one terrific little film that should be worth any movie watcher's time. 10/10

Not Rated, but contains occasional profanity