I might have smirked when I found out Siberia, in the film of the same name, was played by Manitoba, but otherwise, this Keanu Reeves-led thriller/romance/noir movie failed to get much of a rise out of me. It just feels too incomplete. There are elements here that had potential. For example, Keanu's never-seen foul-up partner in the diamond trade is an interesting conceit, but I'm not sure I understand the thriller plot all the way through, and most egregiously, it sets up a lot more than it's willing to pay off. If the third act had gone in the direction it seemed to, it could have saved the film, but ultimately, it all felt a bit pointless. When the diamond trader first goes to Siberia, the thriller plot is put on hold and it's early enough for the audience to think it's just background color for what is actually a romance. And I think that's ultimately what it is, albeit one with a lot of off-putting sex stuff. Unfortunately, the movie is unable to juggle these two genres, not even in a noirish capacity (I'd have to be pretty charitable to call this a proper Noir) and we're left with an unsatisfying feature.
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Siskoid
I might have smirked when I found out Siberia, in the film of the same name, was played by Manitoba, but otherwise, this Keanu Reeves-led thriller/romance/noir movie failed to get much of a rise out of me. It just feels too incomplete. There are elements here that had potential. For example, Keanu's never-seen foul-up partner in the diamond trade is an interesting conceit, but I'm not sure I understand the thriller plot all the way through, and most egregiously, it sets up a lot more than it's willing to pay off. If the third act had gone in the direction it seemed to, it could have saved the film, but ultimately, it all felt a bit pointless. When the diamond trader first goes to Siberia, the thriller plot is put on hold and it's early enough for the audience to think it's just background color for what is actually a romance. And I think that's ultimately what it is, albeit one with a lot of off-putting sex stuff. Unfortunately, the movie is unable to juggle these two genres, not even in a noirish capacity (I'd have to be pretty charitable to call this a proper Noir) and we're left with an unsatisfying feature.