Unthinkable - The Price of Truth
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Unthinkable - The Price of Truth |
| Original title | Unthinkable |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 2010 |
| length | 96 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 18 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Gregor Jordan |
| script | Peter Woodward |
| production |
Marco Weber , Caldecot Chubb , Bill Perkins , Vanessa Coifman |
| music | Graeme Revell |
| camera | Oliver Stapleton |
| cut | Scott Chestnut |
| occupation | |
| |
Unthinkable - The Price of Truth (German: unimaginable , unthinkable , or the unthinkable ) is an American thriller from 2010 . It was directed by Gregor Jordan and starring Samuel L. Jackson , Carrie-Anne Moss and Michael Sheen .
The film picks up on the debate about the justification of torture that has been going on since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 , especially in the USA (see also Torture by the USA , Extraordinary rendition and Black site ) and shows drastically what this can mean in reality - without ultimately offering a simple solution.
action
Steven Arthur Younger, a former US soldier and nuclear expert, has converted to Islam and calls himself Yusuf Atta Mohammed. He sent out a video threatening to detonate three atomic bombs in major US cities in three days. In addition to various investigators and members of the military, the FBI agent Brody is also assigned to the case and taken to a school that has been converted into an operations center, where the investigations are carried out. Here she learns that Younger is already in custody, having voluntarily waited more than 20 minutes for his arrest in a department store, and is being interrogated by the military. Also in the operations center is the interrogation specialist "H", a specialist in "Black Ops" ( black operations ) who is assigned to conduct the further interrogation. Younger offers to voluntarily name the location of the bombs, but sets conditions: The US President should publicly declare that the government will end its support for dictators and puppet regimes of the West in the Arab world and that all US troops will be Muslim Withdraw countries. This is the only way to restore the honor of the inhabitants of these countries, which he has long injured. The military categorically rejects this, pointing out that the US would not negotiate with terrorists in principle.
H quickly goes on to physically torture Younger, something Agent Brody is initially reluctant to do. As one of the first acts and as a "show of force", H cuts off one of Younger's fingers. During the breaks, Brody tries to convince Younger to reveal the location of the bombs. After a painful interrogation, Younger actually reveals an address. It turns out that this was just a trap to buy time - the soldiers there accidentally set off an explosives through a hidden switch in a nearby shopping mall, killing 53 people. When Brody returns and confronts Younger, beside himself with anger, the latter says that the US is killing just as many people in the Arab world every day, and no one would get upset about it. The torture methods (including waterboarding ) are now becoming increasingly cruel and immoral (= unthinkable ) and are now also supported by Brody, but Younger does not reveal the location of the bombs. It is becoming more and more apparent that the entire process, including the torture, was planned or foreseen by him.
As a further leverage, Younger's wife is finally brought into the interrogation room, but Younger does not allow himself to be carried away to make a statement about the location of the atomic bombs. H plans to torture the woman in front of Younger's eyes, but is stopped by Brody and the military. H then kills the woman with a cut in the throat in front of Younger. The time keeps running out, although at least one bomb was found by accident. Finally, H decides to torture the two children, Youngers, while the terrorist has to watch. Just before he can start the torture, Younger names the three locations of the bombs. H continues with the preparations for the torture, justifying this with the assumption that there is a fourth atomic bomb. However, at the last moment, H can be overwhelmed. When he wants to release Younger, the latter snatches a revolver from the interrogator and shoots himself with it.
In one version of the film, the question remains whether, as H suspected, there actually was a fourth bomb that will then explode. In another version, shortly before the credits, you can see that a fourth bomb actually existed. The alternative ending was filmed afterwards after it was criticized in test demonstrations that it would not be resolved whether a fourth bomb existed. This alternative ending was added to the DVD and Blu-ray Disc version and was broadcast at the German free TV premiere on Das Erste .
background
The film was shot in the USA in Los Angeles and Michigan . The budget of the film is 15 million dollars estimated. Production started on August 26, 2008 and filming took place between October 21, 2008 and December 9, 2008. The film was shown in Belgium from May 26, 2010. Despite the star cast, the film was not shown in US cinemas, but was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 15, 2010, as in Canada . The DVD release in Germany took place on February 25, 2011.
German dubbed version
The German dubbing was done at Cinephon Synchron in Berlin .
| actor | German speaker | role |
|---|---|---|
| Samuel L. Jackson | Engelbert von Nordhausen | Henry Herald "H" Humphries |
| Carrie-Anne Moss | Martina Treger | Agent Helen Brody |
| Michael Sheen | Marcus Off | Steven Arthur Younger |
| Stephen Root | Lutz Schnell | Charlie Thompson |
| Gil Bellows | Wolfgang Wagner | Agent Vincent |
| Martin Donovan | Frank Röth | Deputy Director Jack Saunders |
| Brandon Routh | Tim Knauer | Agent Jackson |
| Vincent Laresca | Florian Halm | Agent Leandro |
| Joshua Harto | Tobias Nath | Agent Phillips |
| Michael Rose | Erich Rauker | Colonel Kerkmejian |
| Holmes Osborne | Helmut Gauss | General Paulson |
| Necar Zadegan | Natascha Geisler | Jehan Younger |
| Yara Shahidi | Xisa Eich | Katie |
| Chris McGarry | Matthias Klages | Major Pierce |
| Randy Oglesby | Kaspar Eichel | Mr. Bradley |
| Sayeed Shahidi | Cedric Eich | Peter |
| Lora Kojovic | Ute Noack | Rina Humphries |
| Kelly Vaughn | Silke Matthias | TV news anchor |
| Sasha Roiz | Peter Lontzek | Translator Lubitchich |
| Dayo ade | Tobias Kluckert | Winston |
reception
Samuel L. Jackson received mostly praise in Germany for his haunting portrayal of the torturer "H". Many critics also praised the way in which the film approaches the moral dilemma described - above all, that it does not give clear answers and thereby stimulates the viewer to think. Almost all of the time it was mentioned that the film was difficult to endure in places due to the depictions of torture and that it was rather something for strong nerves.
“Since September 11, 2001, fear of terrorism has been a constant advisor to US policy. In his intelligent thriller 'Unthinkable' (2010), director Gregor Jordan blurs the boundaries between 'good' and 'bad' and shows a fragile world power that, in the face of an impending catastrophe, resorts to inhuman and radical means. The successful, sometimes bestial terrorism parable unfortunately did not make it into German cinemas, but is now celebrating its premiere on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. "
“'Unthinkable' transforms the question of what is right or wrong into a question of the conditions of the question itself. The setting functions as a kind of microcosm in which the signs are re-mixed. Jordan's trick is to relativize all perspectives over time and to let them stand side by side with the final chord. This enables him to display the inherent logic of morality . This works as a justification for merciless torture as well as for its radical rejection. Jordan's drama forces this indissolubility into a kind of dialectic of experience. The unthinkable is therefore not only the crossing of boundaries as such, but also the undecidability of the moral contradiction in practice. Even more: 'Unthinkable' lets the viewer experience this ambivalence [note: ambiguity, undecidability] in themselves - an achievement that makes the film absolutely worth seeing despite its cautious beginning! "
"Thriller with exciting, politically explosive material that does not do justice to the ethical dilemma."
“Torture to Save Lives? The film does not offer a solution to the moral dilemma - but a gripping psycho-duel. "
The film received mixed reviews in the United States, from harsh rejection to high praise. Some critics complained about awkward and wooden dialogues as well as other weaknesses in the technical implementation of the film. In addition, US critics and the audience disagreed as to what the message of the film was - on the one hand, it was criticized that it offered flat stereotypes without depth and simple answers; would offer a very differentiated picture. Likewise, some saw the film's message clearly as “pro-torture” while others saw a strong case against the use of torture. Others said that the film sometimes made too obvious an effort not to take sides with one side or the other:
“Throughout 'Unthinkable', the filmmakers strive mightily - and at times, much too obviously - for balance and perspective. The give-and-take between opposing characters is passionately played, but the actual dialogue often sounds like excerpts from op-ed essays constructed from talking points. Worse, there is a distractingly bumpy, start-and-stop quality to the narrative as the heated arguments (and the bloody torture sessions) continue. "
Reasons for Direct-to-Video Distribution
It was sometimes pointed out that the film should have been shown in US cinemas in view of the star cast and its high quality. One of the possible reasons cited for the fact that it only appeared on DVD and Blu-ray ( direct-to-video ) was that its critical, thought-provoking plot may have been an obstacle. Other critical films on the subject of the US military , such as Green Zone and Deadly Command - The Hurt Locker , flopped at the US box office. This may also have been feared at Unthinkable .
Web links
- Unthinkable - The price of truth in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Unthinkable - The price of truth at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
- Unthinkable - The Price of Truth in the online film database
Individual evidence
- ↑ Release certificate for Unthinkable - The Price of Truth . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , November 2010 (PDF; test number: 125 100 V).
- ↑ a b Internet Movie Database : Background information , accessed on July 16, 2014
- ↑ Internet Movie Database : Filming Locations , accessed July 16, 2014
- ↑ a b c Internet Movie Database : Budget and Box Office Results , accessed July 16, 2014
- ↑ a b c Internet Movie Database : Launch dates , accessed July 16, 2014
- ↑ a b Unthinkable. In: synchronkartei.de. German synchronous index , accessed on July 16, 2014 .
- ↑ Critique of Unthinkable. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Video-Magazin.de, February 18, 2011
- ↑ Critique of Unthinkable by Florian Schulz, filmstarts.de
- ↑ Critique of Unthinkable filmdienst.de
- ↑ Critique of Unthinkable cinema.de
- ↑ a b Professional and Audience Reviews at Rotten Tomatoes
- ↑ Joe Leydon: Critique of Unthinkable ( Memento of the original from June 1, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at Variety.com, June 26, 2012
- ↑ Critique of Unthinkable. movie-censorship.com
