Former President Robert Wainwright (Jon Voight) is haunted by nightmares of an intruder which he sees as premonition of an impending attack. His secret service protection (Philip Winchester) is concerned. His psychiatrist Elliott Davrow (Marton Csokas) believes it's dementia. Rachel Donnelly (Rhona Mitra) is ghost-writing his autobiography despite hating his politics.
The premise has potential, but this B-movie stalls out rather quickly after introducing all the main players. The audience is left waiting and waiting for something to happen. Mostly, the audience is waiting for the inevitable attack. There are no stakes if it's only dementia.
Plot summary
Haunted by relentless nightmares foretelling his untimely demise, former President Robert Wainwright summons his past psychiatrist to his upstate residence, who discovers the threat may be more real than imagined.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
June 06, 2024 at 05:02 AM
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B-movie stalls out
I saw someone
Robert Douglas Wainwright (Jon Voight) made a decision to bomb a plant in Estonia based on bad intelligence about Uranium enrichment. As a former President, he lives on a ranch called Shadow Land. He has nightmares about what happened. He calls upon Eliot (Marton Csokas), a psychologist about his dreams and paranoia about being watched. He has Secret Service protection. Eliot's ex-wife Rachel (Rhona Mitra) is a journalist who will be writing Wainwrtight's biography. She is of an opposite political ideology.
From the title, I expected a Deep State conspiracy film. That is not what this is. Voight plays a composite ex-conservative president. The problem with the film is that it was boring. There were a lot of talking scenes that went nowhere.
Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.
Dont waste your time
Rarely does a film fail so spectacularly on every conceivable front, but "Shadow Land" manages to achieve this dubious distinction with aplomb. From its incoherent plot to its abysmal acting, this movie is a masterclass in how not to make a film.
The storyline, if you can call it that, meanders aimlessly, offering no logical progression or compelling narrative. Characters appear and disappear without explanation, subplots are introduced and then promptly forgotten, and the climax is a nonsensical jumble that leaves viewers scratching their heads. It's as if the writers were throwing ideas at a wall to see what would stick, only to abandon them halfway through.
Then there's Jon Voight. An actor of his caliber should have been able to bring at least a semblance of gravitas to the project, but instead, he delivers a performance that is nothing short of cringe-worthy. Voight's portrayal is a baffling mix of overacting and disinterest, making his character neither believable nor engaging. His line delivery is stilted, his expressions are exaggerated to the point of parody, and he seems utterly disconnected from the material. It's almost as if he realized midway through just how bad the film was and decided to phone it in for the rest of the shoot. Or who knows, maybe the dementia is kicking in?
The supporting cast fares no better, with each actor seemingly competing to deliver the most wooden performance. The dialogue is clunky and unnatural, leaving the cast with little to work with. Even scenes that should evoke emotion or tension fall flat, weighed down by poor direction and lifeless performances.
Visually, "Shadow Land" is a drab and dreary affair. The cinematography is uninspired, the special effects are laughable, and the set design looks like it was cobbled together from leftovers of better films. The soundtrack, a cacophony of ill-fitting musical choices, only adds to the disjointed experience.
In conclusion, "Shadow Land" is a colossal waste of time. It's a film that seems to actively defy entertainment, and Jon Voight's shockingly bad performance is the final nail in its coffin. Save yourself the misery and steer clear of this cinematic disaster.