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DVD Review: Echelon Theory By Kim Sabshin  |
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If you watch a lot of movies, you know that the idea of “technology with a mind of its own” isn’t new. Even so, some movies with this premise are captivating and original, while others just fall flat. Unfortunately, Greg Marcks’ Echelon Conspiracy falls into the latter category by failing to deliver anything that is truly new.
Echelon Conspiracy stars Shane West as Max Peterson, an American computer and security guru who receives an anonymous gift on a business trip to Thailand: a phone that texts him messages which save his life and repeatedly win him big money at a casino in the Czech Republic. Predictably enough, his string of luck doesn’t go unnoticed.
While in the casino, Max draws the attention of powerful figures who are understandably suspicious: the casino’s head of security (Ed Burns) and its owner (Jonathan Pryce). As it becomes clear that the situation could spell grave danger for Max, a tough but good-at-heart FBI agent (Ving Rhames) and the head of the NSA (Martin Sheen) join the fray and work to discover who is behind the increasingly sinister text messages.
The acting itself is nothing special, but the cast isn’t given much to work with. West doesn’t exactly shine, but neither does the material. None of the dialogue is particularly witty, save when viewers learn that “there are no Radio Shacks in Prague, only Yuri”, referring to a Russian technology guru (Sergey Gubanov) who helps out West’s character. Tamara Feldman is also on hand as Kamila, the requisite but generic sexy sidekick.
Some things about this movie do seem promising: you have the initially naïve young guy who ends up in over his head thanks to a 21st-century version of Big Brother, and the possibility for a lot of special effects and high-tech chase scenes. However, nothing makes this movie more than an action movie with a bunch of gadgets. It’s drawn a lot of comparisons to Eagle Eye, even though Echelon Conspiracy was actually filmed before Eagle Eye. Since I haven’t seen the latter film, I can’t speak for the similarities – but be warned.
Echelon Conspiracy’s biggest flaws lie in its inconsistencies. Even though Max is skilled in technology, he blindly follows instructions given in anonymous text messages without thinking that something less than savory might be behind them. Without revealing too much here, the ending is also difficult to buy: it relies upon technophobia and Orwellian fears of all-powerful government, minus any of the prophetic sense of 1984.
Along those lines, it doesn’t take a political scientist to point out Marcks’ criticism of “certain” 21st century policies. The Patriot Act is old news and everything that this movie has to say has already been said in much more subtle and/or clever words. Yes, technology can be dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands, and Echelon Conspiracy was filmed back when Bush was still in office. Even so, this is taking it too far and the movie simply falls into the realm of overly heavy-handed criticism that doesn’t really work.
Overall, Echelon Conspiracy is a generic action thriller that tries to double as a social critic, but fails in doing so. I think that if this movie came out about seven years ago, it might – and I repeat, might - not seem so much like an outdated parody, but this is wishful thinking. The final verdict: if you’re looking for something to watch late at night when you’re bored, rent this movie. Otherwise, you should look elsewhere.
Rating: 2/5
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