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The East

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The East (2013)

May. 31,2013
|
6.8
|
PG-13
| Drama Thriller
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An operative for an elite private intelligence firm finds her priorities irrevocably changed after she is tasked with infiltrating an anarchist group known for executing covert attacks upon major corporations.

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Matrixston
2013/05/31

Wow! Such a good movie.

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Executscan
2013/06/01

Expected more

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Plustown
2013/06/02

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

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Geraldine
2013/06/03

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

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The Movie Diorama
2013/06/04

As time presses on, humanity is typically viewed as the catalyst for the planet's destruction. Whether it be ravaging environments or destroying each other, it's a message that is at the forefront of many films. Some more subtle than others, it's a shame that The East settles for a more preachy method. A young operative is tasked with infiltrating an anarchist activist group where she soon starts to view their radical perspective as idealism as opposed to terrorism. The concept was there. The message was sound. Its purpose was accepted. It wants to be a thriller that makes you think, makes you ponder in self-enlightenment as you question your own actions against the environment. Elevating the dominance of anarchy in a libertarian society, it does make for an enthralling thought bubble. It's just unfortunate that the bubble pops halfway through the film. Batmanglij and Marling choose to focus on the humanity of these characters, the idea of external factors influencing your own perspective of a particular viewpoint. This is where the screenplay shines and really opens up to some intriguing premises. The first act was extremely promising, carefully constructing thrilling tension with hints of the spy sub-genre seeping through. Marling, Skarsgård, Page and Kebbell all portray believable characters that naturally suited the ecologist organisation they were running. We then get to a certain point in the film, the second jam to be precise, and the script shifts from what was a taut thriller into a preachy mess. "You are polluting our water", "corporate greed has corrupted society" or even "spy on us and we'll spy on you". Shoving these clumsy lines of dialogue in my face was not the way to go, and from there Batmanglij loses all sense of direction. The third act gets lost and becomes contrived, concluding in a very anti-climactic way. All the elements were there, and for half of the film they were executed with deftness. It just concedes in on itself and goes so far east that it went passed China.

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Prismark10
2013/06/05

In The East Brit Marling plays Jane, a former FBI agent now working in the private security sector.Jane has been assigned to infiltrate an eco anarchist group called The East who expose corporate wrongdoing and are escalating their actions. They have given a pharmaceutical company a dose of their own medicine. A chemical company who is poisoning the local water supply, the group took their executives out for a swim.The East is an inconsistent drama, verging on tedious at times. The anarchists often descend into bizarre behaviour as shown in the eating scenes. You lose any empathy with them and they just come across as over privileged rich kids, some with daddy issues than people having any real solidarity with ordinary folks who are victims of corporate abuse.

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jjcomet
2013/06/06

It's hard to assign a rating to film that I bailed on after about 40 minutes. Perhaps there is the chance that it got better as it progressed, but I didn't have the patience to slog through any more tedium for whatever reward was there. If the writer or director had made any effort to generate some sympathy for or identification with the main character the film might have been more palatable. However, we're given nothing. Who is this person? What is her personal story? Why is she joining this firm? What is her motivation? None of these questions are answered. As a consequence, it's hard to develop any feeling at all for her. She's a blank canvas. I found myself utterly indifferent to her fate, not really caring at all if she succeeded in whatever her mission was or if she was discovered and offed in the first 30 minutes.Beyond that, the portrayal of the "anarchist" environmental group was such a broad caricature and the dialogue so strained and clichéd that one wondered if the film was meant to praise the environmental movement or make it seem ridiculous. In the end, none of the characters seemed believable or sympathetic; they were almost allegorical figures. If I don't give a damn about the characters, ultimately I don't give a damn about the film.

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morrison-dylan-fan
2013/06/07

With a friend being a fan of the HBO series True Blood,I decided to take a look at what films Alexander Skarsgård (whose dad Stellan has also done some interesting work!)has made.Looking around on Ebay,I spotted a great-looking Thriller that Alexander Skarsgård had made with Ellen Page,which led to me getting ready to head east.The plot:Learning that an eco-terrorist group called The East are planning to attack three companies who they believe are heavily corrupt,a private intelligence firm decides to send agent Jane Owen undercover,in order to gain info on the group,which the firm can then use to build a relationship with the companies about to be attacked.Using the name Sarah Moss,Owen joins a gang of drifters suspected of being involved with The East.Struggling to delve deeper into The East,Owen secretly self- inflicts an arm injury,which leads to Owen being taken to an abandoned house in the woods where The East are based.As she heals up,the leaders of The East tell Owen that she can stay at the house for 2 days,before she has to re-join the drifters. Getting one of the members to quit by revealing that she is an undercover spy,The East find themselves one person down,just days before they are to attack the first company.Slowly gaining the groups trust,Owen starts to find herself looking away from the blue chip firms,and turning east.View on the film:Aiming for moral ambiguity,the screenplay (which was originally planned as a follow-up to A Civil Action,but got changed when John Travolta left the project) by co-writer/(along with actress Brit Marling)director Zal Batmanglij disappointingly shows no one at the companies/Owen's spy firm with any seeds of doubt,which leads to all of them looking like interchangeable "baddies" who are willing to do anything in order to bring the group down.Whilst they leave any complex aspects away from the baddies, Batmanglij & Marling brilliantly transform The East from a bunch of shady-looking hippies,into a slick ruthless machine,which is matched by Owen developing an increasing sense of doubt in her role of spying on The East.Putting the viewers feet deep in the muddy world of The East, Batmanglij and cinematographer Roman Vasyanov give the gangs hideout a tough,gritty appearance,as decaying greens and browns keep the group connected to a aw,rustic backdrop. Counting the earthy mood created by the group, Batmanglij & Roman Vasyanov give the companies an ultra-stylised appearance,which is placed over the oily decay hiding within.Entering the movie looking like a serial killer, Alexander Skarsgård gives a terrific performance as The East leader Benji,who Skarsgård reveals to have a burning passion for the group,with a surprisingly delicate precision in making sure that their message gets across. Joining Skarsgård, Toby Kebbell gives a great, nervous performance as Doc,whilst Ellen Page gives the film an excellent tough edge by giving a tense performance as Izzy.Along with being the co- writer,the very pretty Brit Marling gives a stunning performance as Owen,thanks to Marling allowing a strong sense of doubt to gradually seep into Owen,as Owen begins to look east.

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