After independent films too broad (The Guard) and perhaps too small (Higher Ground) comes this just right film about a real life Whistleblower. It stars Rachel Weisz as a Nebraska cop who went to work for a private defense contractor working with the United Nations to rebuild Bosnia’s police force after their civil war. Once there, she discovers her contractor is working with local sex trafficking rings for money and the U.N. are helping to cover it up. It’s somewhat predictable from there but since it’s based on true events I guess we can’t fault it for that.
What Works: I found this movie to be a better than decent film that shines a light on the problems within the hypocritical United Nations (which is quick to finger wag at the U.S. but has no interest in cleaning up its own house) and defense contractors run amok. The always great David Straitharn pops up for a few scenes as a mysterious ally for Weisz’s whistleblower as she tries her damnedest to get someone, ANY one to help her sort this mess out. Also, the film has a nice, paranoid atmosphere that goes great with the subtle creepiness of bombed out, rural Bosnia.
What Doesn’t Work: Rachel Weisz. In all her years starring in American movies, she has yet to master a convincing American accent, and fails royally here, giving her supposedly tough Nebraska cop less of a Midwestern twang and more of an unintentional speech impediment. Weisz works best as the adventurous sex siren in edgy, erotic indies (The Fountain, The Constant Gardener which she won an Oscar for) but isn’t right for this role of wholesome, quietly determined for justice Midwestern mom and cop. I couldn’t help but think what Kate Winslet would have done if cast instead.
What I Would Have Done Differently: Cast Kate Winslet.