The Factory (2012)

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Lot of good actors in this one. It was interesting with a twist I didn't see coming.

Gary (Dallas Roberts) has a hobby. He kidnaps prostitutes and impregnates them. He also kills a "pre-op transgender prostitute." (The best surprise is no surprise.) Mike Fletcher (John Cusack) and Kelsey Walker (Jennifer Carpenter) are two Buffalo detectives assigned to find the missing girls. This is not a who-dun-it. We see the culprit. The first part of the film establishes character and dysfunctional relationships. When Abby (Mae Whitman), Mike's prostitute looking daughter, becomes the latest missing victim, Mike crosses the line to find her.First off, I love John Cusack, but he is no Liam Neeson. This doesn't have the action level or intensity of "Taken", or even "Taken 2." We watch as Mike tries to locate his daughter as well as we see his daughter being "cared for," so there is no feel of urgency for the audience as there is for Mike who is trying to piece things together. There is also a flashback sequence that pops up from time to time. This ties to a twist which made the film er, um...silly.The movie is a "B" grade crime/drama/thriller. Might work as a rental. Soundtrack played "Shuffle off to Buffalo" for no apparent reason other than the fact it has the word "Buffalo" in it. Fairly lame.Parental Guide: F-bombs, sex?, no nudity.

Mike (John Cusack) is a Buffalo police detective on the hunt for a serial killer. Kelsey (Jennifer Carpenter) is his partner. On a snowy night, his daughter Abby (Mae Whitman) is taken. The killer Carl (Dallas Roberts) collects these girls in his basement to impregnate them.It's yet another dark serial killer movie. It works on that level. Around the midway point, I started to have doubts about this movie. It seems that people were not reasonable in dismissing his investigation. He's making progress, and yet he's always told to get some sleep. It felt like the movie was deliberately putting up obstacles where none was warranted. I can see why people would dislike the ending, but I think it salvaged the movie. It made the middle more reasonable. And it made the movie more interesting. The level of gore is reasonable. In today's world, this is relatively tame. The subject may be grotesque, but they don't show much of it. It's pretty watchable except for the most squeamish.

From the very start, reading the description here on IMDb, I thought I had this movie figured out. Typical "cop makes it personal" story because the criminal involves his family. Well, maybe that describes this movie, but doesn't define it. There are several twists in the plot that I couldn't guess (and I am fairly good at that) and I couldn't have come up with the ending at all. I found John Cusack's performance very real, but just adequate. I have seen him do better filling in and rounding out a character. I hadn't seen any of the other actors so they were unknown to me. There are a few parts of the story and background that might require a bit more of a suspension of disbelief than some viewers can give, but if you can get through the rough parts in the script, you will be rewarded at the end. Overall, a very well paced, well edited, well directed film that should have received more attention than it did. A good pick for "movie night".