One of my favorite parts about this job is the fact that here and there I get to watch movies that I would have otherwise been oblivious to. I love the fact that I get exposed to new directors, new actors, new plots and new movies before the lay audience. I admit, sometimes those movies I watch should have remained in oblivion, but that is not the case with Iqbal Ahmed’s thriller ‘The Answer’.
The first item to address complaint about this film is the “Saw meets The Fugitive” tagline in the press release. I can get on board with it being akin to ‘The Fugitive’ but I didn’t really see any parallels or even allusions to ‘Saw’. That, however, is not a bad thing, but misleading. I found the film to be and they even squeezed in a little romance (but I’ll talk more about that last one later).
I have actually found it somewhat difficult to do a review of this film. Not because I didn’t enjoy it or that it had an anaemic plot, but merely because there wasn’t a whole lot I didn’t really enjoy. Saying the cast was good, the story was good, the filming was good, the soundtrack was good…… is all true, but it doesn’t make for a very exciting review.
I must make special mention of the two lead actors: Austin Hebert and Alexis Carra. I thought that they were both fantastic and I even looked up on IMDB to see what other projects they have been a part of so I could watch more. I think that they both knew what they wanted to bring to the character and nailed it. Here and there, the little minutia of the characters was a bit muddled, but I blame that on the fact that every film needs a romantic element. I love a good romance just as much as anyone else, but too often I watch a movie or show and the romance feels wedged into the plot to appease a larger audience. The only issues I had with any character or plot point was when they were trying to be romantic and develop sexual tension amidst trying to find the answer while being hunted. Romance in movies is great and I like it, but it shouldn’t be a necessity in every story.
I was truly drawn in to this plot. It was full of surprises, humor and had a very real feeling of tension. I love the idea behind it and the execution of that idea was even better. I highly recommend checking out ‘The Answer’.
Studio: High Octane Pictures
Director: Iqbal Ahmed
Cast : Austin Hébert, Alexis Carra, and David S. Lee
