
In this film, many may choose to go that way saying this is where the cut in ‘Detained’ has the only logical approximation to a rational human activity in that it bears quite a little relationship, It is however completely relevant to mention that the film does have its free & Goofy Escapism aspects. Starting off I guess with the plot of ”The Usual Suspects” and adding in quite an interesting antagonistic character who knows, perhaps is even there in the room at this very moment, “Detained” is full of twists and turns such that it becomes unhealthy to dismiss one as having the antagonistic character’s story as having been overly done. Yup, it’s a story about idiots who do everything the stupid way which clearly needs no explanation. But the whole idiocy of its one-location setting becomes quite comically exquisite it begins with a handful of idiots facing either an impossible scenario or a conundrum and then they start bashing each other up, with most of them dying in the process.
Abbie Cornish, whom I consider as one of the most underrated actresses in Jane Campion’s Bright Star, plays the role of Rebecca Kamen who for all intents and purposes, seems to be regaining consciousness while in police custody. Or is she? From the initial scenes of Detained, it is rather apparent that something is amiss with the setup, however, I was not able to ascertain if it was just a bad film in its entirety or just a clumsily built edifice. I suppose this bit could be a spoiler but since it has come so early in the part of the narrative, I do not think that one can give away too much when I say that Rebecca is not in a police station as one would think. There are more sinister things happening.
When Rebecca finally gets up, she learns that a cyclist was almost murdered due to a hit and run and she has been the one behind the wheel. What doesn’t make any sense is the fact that a woman who was blacked out drunk and had absolutely no clue whether she was in a crash or not is being pestered by lots of questions. To put it rather mildly, it is one of several occasions where the audience has to pretend. It is not as if there are no other ways. Rebecca is actually first placed in a holding cell with the older drug addict Silas Weir Mitchell and a fellow inmate Josephine Lindegaard, before she asks such questions and annoyed everyone with them. One thing leads to another, and as a result of the gunshot, she gets punched in order to stop putting up with her and tries to bribe them with cash.
What she considers best as her investigator, is interrupted and the display goes dark – only at this point it becomes evident this entire sketch is classless beyond belief and being scripted by some Avery “Laz Alonso of the Boys.” With the aid of the enraging Jovan, who is posing as the infamous Keyser Soze, well, it turns out that Avery is also possibly hired by him.
It feels to me like my exposure to theatre is what shapes my sentiments, but do I have a penchant for a thriller set in a single location? So zeroing in on one or various characters and simply letting them loose to see what magic springs out of the chaos. Overseeing director Mucci seems to be in tune with his audience as he along with Murci’s vision knows what the core cast is vital for which is also one of the critical elements for successful versions of this sub-genre. To say I would want far too many instances in which he does not get to enjoy himself as much as he gets to in his Prime Video experience would be excessive However, what works is the range of the extended ensemble of “Ridiculous Suspects. Moon Bloodgood who portrays hard-nosed police and Justin H. Min (“After Yang”) who likely is Rebecca’s lawyer in the film do know their roles very well. But as there are other low-end budget movie options casting diversity seems to be a losing battle in the boards of composition. But this one is rather blunt where a number of actors clearly seem to relish their premise hoping as well the audience would.
In the end, after everything has been resolved, there is a moment when someone says, “Not entirely certain what the point is as well,” which was hilarious to me. Yup, “Detained” makes no sense whatsoever if one considers the reversals and turns in the plot of the film, and I believe it is possible to make this film in a way that is less raw and more fashionable in the sense of taking the edges off and making it more simply hard edgy and realistic. Still, there is almost something pleasant about a B-movie that is never embarrassed to be a B-movie. But I think it’s not “The Usual Suspects”, nor is “The Usual Idiots”, but it’s still, amusing.
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