Civic Duty (2006)

I love this movie so much

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Admirable film.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

after 9-11 this movie now more than ever really seems to him home, a man in an average neighborhood sees a man of Middle Eastern desent move in to the neighborhood,, after a while our average man, starts to see some things happen that make his mind start to wonder. is the middle eastern man up to something, is he a terrorist. he goes on a journey to find out just what is going on. he eventually get's into the man's house and does some snooping around to see if he can gain information on the man and what he does for a living,, a very thought provoking poignant movie that makes you wander about you're neighbor and what he or she is really up to , or if they say who they are who they really are.. this movie kind of reminds me of Arlington Road.. kind of creepy yet very good to watch, an very terse thriller that will keep you on the edge of you're seat.

Honestly I started up this movie and though "ah man, my wife got another crappy movie from Netflix." I am surprised to say that, although this movie does have a lot of kinks in it as far as believability is concerned, it does manage to get the viewer wondering what will happen next...I guess. I usually don't have any patience for movies, so if you also have a short fuse when it comes to watching one, you'd better steer clear of this one. It might not grab your attention or make you care soon enough, if at all. I definitely wasn't extremely thrilled with it until the ending which really wasn't too bad. Definitely a good movie to watch if there's just nothing on TV. Did this review sound mediocre? Well, that's kind of how the movie was. Just not a lot to say about it I guess. It was a low budget film and this was a very low budget review.

Peter Krause plays Terry Allen, a laid-off accountant with time on his hands. As he updates his resume he becomes obsessed with the new tenant who has moved into an apartment across the courtyard, a man of Middle Eastern origin, whose behavior seems suspicious to Allen. Of course, Allen is one of these people who never learned that there is nothing more deceptive than superficial appearances.The real basis of Allen's obsession is television "news", which he constantly has on, blaring out scary headlines and hints of "terror". Allen's wife Marla (well played by Kari Matchett) tries to be the voice of reason. But she is no match for the nonstop fear message coming from the boob tube. And the more Allen connects the TV message to the suspicious stranger, the more paranoid and irrational Allen becomes.It's a highly relevant story, one wherein Allen represents many gullible Americans who take at face value everything they hear on TV. In the real world, most people have psychological brakes that prevent them from acting on their fears. Allen does not have those brakes, and he reacts accordingly."Civic Duty" is mostly a visual film; dialogue is fairly minimal. However, some of the lines convey the film's theme. In one confrontation Terry tells Marla: "We all have to be the eyes and ears now (for the FBI)". To which Marla responds: "If you weren't up here all day long spying on our neighbors like some paranoid right-wing whack ..."; Terry retorts: "Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean they're wrong ...".The film's pace in the first half is fine; the plot moves along at a good clip. In the second half, the pace slows, as viewers must endure a tedious police standoff. A chase sequence in the second half is unnecessary filler. The lack of inquisitive neighbors provides the basis for an obvious plot hole, particularly as we approach the film's climax.Cinematography is adequate; the emphasis is on close up shots, even extreme close-ups. Lighting trends toward low level. Overall acting is slightly above average. Richard Schiff, as the low-key, laconic FBI agent, gives an especially good performance. Background music is fairly creepy, and when combined with the dark visuals and minimal dialogue, creates a fair amount of suspense.The real "message" of this film is the dreadful effect that television "news" has on many Americans. In effect, "Civic Duty" is the cinematic expression of media critic Marshall McLuhan's famous line, some forty years ago: "The medium is the message".

I found the characters to be very believable. The conversational script was very realistic. I enjoyed all of the characters. The pacing of the movie keep me on the edge of my seat. Contrary to other comments, I found the FBI agent to be very 'real' and the script here to be exceptional.I know what's it like to laugh all the way through a movie and have had this experience when it wasn't appropriate. It happens to me when the writing is poor or the story line unbelievable. I'm sorry that there are some that were affected this way - this is absolutely opposite of my experience.The topic is timely and intense and well handled in the context of our times. There are many questions that are asked in this film that should be asked over and over. We don't have answers and maybe that frustrates some.