>>REVIEW
CIVIC DUTY
STARRING Peter Krause and Richard Schiff
DIRECTED BY Jeff Renfroe
Friday, May 4
The Uptown
Watch any major American news outlet and you will be bombarded by a barrage of terror alerts and homeland security warnings. The American climate has become one of fear and distrust, and Jeff Renfroe’s new film Civic Duty plays on the American climate of vigilantism and scapegoating. Six Feet Under’s Peter Krause plays the boring boy next door, Jerry Allen, who, after being laid-off from his oh-so-cool accountant job, slowly spirals into a world of paranoia and fear. He focuses on his new neighbour, a "Middle Eastern" student with suspicious evening activities. Spiralling so out of control, he loses the mortgage on his newly purchased house. His crunchy-granola peace-loving wife leaves him, and the situation ends in a predictable and slightly fantastical stand-off.
Based on Hitchcock’s Rear Window, this film fails to match the suspense and plot arc of the original classic. The plot development happens slowly with no other real action. Allen merely stares out his window, and occasionally talks with FBI agent Hillary (a tragically underused Richard Schiff). Renfroe’s overdramatic visual treatment becomes too complex and distracts from the dramatic tension. However, it is the predictability of the plot and overdramatic climax that ultimately makes the film fall apart.
Krause gives a respectably terse performance that is as believable as it can be. The film’s main pitfall lies in the Jimmy Allen character. What is it that makes Allen go from a boring accountant to a psychopathic vigilante? The film presupposes that Allen’s character is a representation of the entire American cultural climate, filled with fear and a sense of us versus them. The problem is, that climate has long since passed and most Americans now take their news, presidents, and alarmist 9/11 culture with a grain of salt.
The symbolism of Civic Duty is clear, the line between the U.S. government and the terrorists is blurred. It raises important questions and presents an interesting argument about racial profiling and personal responsibility, but is ultimately a commentary on Americans’ dichotomous existence. |
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