One of the rare gems hidden deep in the lineup of the 2015 Philadelphia Film Festival was Atom Egoyan's chilling drama, Remember. The film features a recent Oscar winner, 2013 Best Supporting Actor Christopher Plummer (Beginners), who delivers another superb and memorable performance.
After the recent passing of his wife, elderly dementia patient Zev Gutman (Plummer) is reminded by his friend and follow resident at the retirement home, Max Rosenbaum (Martin Landau), about a pact they made. Therefore, with the aid of Max, Zev escapes the facility and embarks on a vengeful mission of locating and murdering the former Nazi soldier who killed their families in Auschwitz during World War II.
Leading man Christopher Plummer gives a spellbinding performance as a befuddled dementia patient dead pressed on carrying out his plan of revenge. Although Zev's journey to identifying the Nazi soldier comes with its ups and downs, all in all Remember culminates with a gripping and tense finale that sticks with the audience long after the credits roll.
Stars: 3 stars out of 4
Grade: B
Another fine selection from this year's festival was the U.K. action-thriller, Kilo Two Bravo. The debut feature from Paul Katis marks an impressive showing from the budding filmmaker. He uses his modest resources wonderfully in this unforgettable heart-pounding war movie.
Set around the Kajaki Dam in Afghanistan during 2006, a trio of U.K. soldiers set off to engage Taliban forces and find themselves trapped in a mine field. After an explosion alerts them of their surroundings and takes the limbs from one of the soldiers, they rely on the assistance of their unit to help rescue them from this unstable environment where the slightest misstep could cost them their lives.
Easily matching the intensity of Kathryn Bigelow's Best Picture winner, The Hurt Locker, Katis' Kilo Two Bravo is a suspenseful edge of your seat thrill ride that never wavers. Relentless in its discomfort for the audience, this harrowing true story is both a tale of unfortunate sadness and remarkable bravery. Supported by a phenomenal turn from Game of Thrones' Mark Stanley, Kilo Two Bravo is an overlooked festival darling that warrants nationwide distribution.
Stars: 3 stars out of 4
Grade: B
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