Agent of Influence
The title of this movie, “Agent of Influence” runs a bit flat for a piece of this magnitude. I have to say that right away because it’s totally unforgettable, but the film isn’t, which alone can be a major drawback. But, title aside, the rest of the movie was well planned, and the cut-scenes were choreographed perfectly. Initially, “Kate” and “Dean” don’t have the drop-dead looks of Hollywood, but they sneak up on you like friends and before you know, they’re quite attractive by the end—that’s genuine.
The scores for the film worked well, but that was no surprise really because the introduction starts with the camera gliding with the blanket of snow. And even though the people weren’t visible at first, the music prepared the audience for an exciting scene. The way it started out large and closing in and ended in the somewhat opposite way was a nice touch.
The way the couple met was classy and fun with the gum—very original, and the way it glued the end together was spectacular. Showing them as futile enemies from the get-go was a bold adventure, but it paid off well, especially when he shot her.
Some of the fight scenes weren’t edited together well, and it seemed as if enough time and effort weren’t evident there. The Russian soldiers clamoring through the woods and brush were a fairly good touch. Another portion in speaking of the Russians was for some reason their faces weren’t shown until the end at a distance just before they were cut down. This failed to show the integrity of their actions, which started off ambitious.
The cinematography was excellent combined with the angles and shots—tasteful and expressive. The scenery and sound with the wide shots “smelled” fresh enough to give the viewer a sense of the chilly air. The kicks and slugs were right on the money as far as the sounds go, but the “thwacking” punches were louder than the others, and it didn’t wash out well combined. Their expressions, grunts, etc. were spot on. It appeared awkward when she was holding the knife as if she was uncomfortable with the blade – perhaps afraid of hurting the other actor?
The costumes and make-up fit the film well except for when the couple kicked and punched incessantly without blood until the shot when they were finished fighting. Speaking of fighting, both the coach and acting team hit that on the head. The fact that so much practice went into the fighting scenes before managing to duke it out on the spotless snow says a lot for what everyone put into this film.
The couple seemed genuinely as the type of couple people look at the mall with jealousy. They were matched for height, age, fitness – it made sense they would be a couple, and their chemistry was magical on set. During the card game, the touch of having her hold the Queen of Hearts was a cute little subliminal twist. And then when he announces the next game is War, it speeds back to the killing grounds. Nice. This writer knows the drill. But when he took a picture with the sun setting behind them, that wouldn’t work well for the camera, as they’d be silhouetted in the photo.
The rollercoaster of emotion was set with the score, the actors, etc., but I think the climax could have a greater build at that point, rather than throughout. Not to say it should have been boring, rather that the climax could have more build. The slo-mo of the beginning of the standoff was astounding with the natural light, but the gunshots were too good, meaning the couple took out the entire team with one shot each and avoiding any injury at all for themselves.
All in all, I can see this talent going a very long way! The sad part is that when so much time and effort is put into learning the fight moves so well that the imperfect editing takes away from the work of others. As a team, each part needs to work his or her hardest because in film, you’re only as good as the worst member. Even as high as the end score was, it certainly could have been higher.
