Inhale (2010)

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

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

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

A one note concept where all the action is directed toward a central driving theme and a marginally melodramatic premise that never transcends the anticipated. The story is populated with under developed characterizations except in the case of the Mexicans who are reduced to mere stereotypes that are more cartoonish than human. Mexico generally is presented as a hellhole littered with beaters, bandits, lovable tykes wielding pistols and whorehouses which is apparently the terror one must endure to obtain an organ transplant pronto. No serious examination, other than cursory explanations, are posed regarding the origin or ethics of said internal organs as long as our lovable little muffin gets hers until the conclusion when we get steamrolled by the inevitable moral predicament. We can only imagine a stream of Mexican citizens with surgical scars saying " we don't need no stinkin' kidneys ". At some point there are of course home based drug factories with unsavory types and machine gun massacres but I don't exactly know why. An initial subplot involving the protagonist-attorney's relationship with a client implying grave portent is dropped altogether. The actors are skilled pros who give it their best and are engaging even if the material is essentially one dimensional. The film is well paced which helps gloss over the deficiencies. A heavy handed public service announcement with a pensive soundtrack wrap up this downer.

Spoilers coming up so reader beware. Okay the movie was engaging and really kept my attention until the last 15 Min's. Then this movie became something that we would all like to tell ourselves we would do if we were in the situation, save the child they were going to use as the donor for your own child.I'm going to be honest like I wish others would be, I would save my kid. The father Paul is shady the whole movie defending a convicted pedophile against one of the parents of his victim who shot him. I say way to go for that dad he was willing to do anything for his kid. That is how I thought our main character was evolving, taking to off from the case. Following every lead, going to Mexico, trying to do anything to save his daughter. I knew something bad was going to happen as soon as he said he need the organ in a day. I was guessing that it would be his side kick that they killed, but he acted like he had no clue anything illegal was going to happen. When everything he did in Mexico was illegal he thought finding an organ in a day would be by the book. Oh come on get real. I know it was wrong how they were getting the organ but to still pay the money to save a stranger and let your own baby die. I would have had to sell everything I own to afford this surgery and I would do it for my kid no questions asked but not a stranger. Maybe people with $250.000 cash sitting around can afford to be this generous, the type of shady lawyer he was I expect he found away to write it off in taxes. For the average person this would have been everything they had by begging, saving, borrowing gone and a funeral to pay for on top of it.After watching a movie like John Q with Denzel Washington, a father that was willing to sacrifice himself to get an organ for his son. I cry every time I watch that movie it shows me the kind of parent I hope I can be if I was in the same terrible situation. I Inhale is a movie I would not recommend or ever watch again. It is like old yellow, if you watch it turn it off when the prep the daughter for surgery and imagine a happy ending. I wish I had.

Every now and again a film comes along that you watch as a "matter of course" and get blown away by. This is such a film. I did not expect a great deal from the back of the DVD but figured it was worth a watch.The premise sounds corny but the cast really pull it out of the bag. I found myself immersed in the film which doesn't happen very often. The last time I was this engrossed was Schindlers List which I think says it all.Watchitsoon!

Kudos to sam shepard, dermot mulroney, diane kruger and rosana arquette for probably taking a massive pay cut to appear in such a low budget movie. Actors clearly do choose roles carefully. This is compelling viewing and great work by unknown director Baltasar Kormakur.A word of warning to any parents, this is harrowing stuff to anyone who has young kids but its a story that does need to be told.The director creates an intricate web of the Mexican underworld, clinics and police all involved in the illegal organ trade and at the end, the father has a "sophie's choice' decision to make, one that will surprise most movie watchers.They must have shot all of the Mexico scenes in the same 3 sets and its clear, money was tight here, this was barely distributed but this shouldn't detract from a compelling and thought provoking movie