The Flock Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Your fear is their desire
To kill accusations, you must go with the flock. (UK Tagline)
To crush suspicion, you must go with the flock.
How will you recognize the evil you cannot see?
THE FLOCK is the story of hyper-vigilant federal agent (Gere) who, while training his young female replacement (Danes), must track down a missing girl whom he is convinced is connected to a paroled sex offender he's investigating. Working against the clock they unravel the twisted details to track the potential killer.
| Richard Gere | Agent Erroll Babbage |
| Claire Danes | Allison Laurie |
| Ed Ackerman | Louis Kessler |
| Dwayne L. Barnes | Vincent Dennison |
| Josh Berry | Deputy |
| Frank Bond | Deputy #2 |
| Blake Catherwood | Androgynous |
| Chaz Grundy | Deputy Sheriff |
| Erik Davies | Actor |
| Robert Nathan Gleason | Registered Sex Offender |
| Tom B. Gleason | C.S.I. Cop |
| Johnnie Hector | Engineer |
| Dylan Kenin | Bitten Man |
| Ric Maddox | Det. Martin Ryder |
| Wai-keung Lau |
6.30 out of 10 (199 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Better than they say. Hell, better than "8 MM" too.
posted on 09 Jul 2009I have just seen this movie. It just opened today (November 9th 2007) in Spain. Let me say that I understand the bad word of mouth the movie is having, it deals with a difficult subject (sexual abusers) and its tone is as dark as say "9 MM", if not darker.But all things considered it's a pretty good film. The investigation angle makes for a very tense thriller, but where the film really shines is in the depiction of Richard Gere's characters, as well as the villain's, which I won't reveal.Gere is really all stops go here, it's easily his most intense role since "Internal Affairs". Even if you are not Gere fans, you're gonna love him in this.On the minus side, I didn't like the way the film is edited. It's full of flashes, freeze frames and all those "arty" stuff they cram into your TV series and direct-to-DVD movies. I understand they wanted to give the movie a hard edge, but it's often too distracting. The film is already dark and gritty enough as it is, and this bells and whistles don't add a damn thing.And then there's Claire Danes. look, she's an OK actress, but she was like a fish out of water here. They give her character some interesting background, but she's constantly out off key. She looks like a raving lunatic when she tries to act quirky or vulnerable, and not very convincing when the script calls for her character to toughen up a little.So, it's an interesting movie if you can go beyond the surface of its visual trickery, but not as good as it could be. I would say it earns a 6'5 - 7 in my scale.
simply awful
posted on 23 Jun 2009A bad rip-off attempt on "Seven", complete with sub-second-grade acting, awful camera work, half-baked story and strong aftertaste of lame propaganda. Yeah, them "sex offenders", they live next door and you're gonna get raped, really.No surprises from the vice-terminatrix woman, she acts as always -- as convincingly as a piece of wood. Richard Gere keeps on sliding lower and lower -- and is about as low here as a late Steven Seagal.The singer woman with the crazy eyes is best when she's dead in bed; and even the wolf was sub-par (although she was the best performer in the movie) -- maybe they fed her before the shots, or something.Unlike "Seven", which had a (made up, but interesting) story, to which one could relate more or less regardless of the country, this movie seems to focus on a US-only obsession. If one doesn't care much about "sex offenders" -- and the statistics are that lack of exercise and bad diet cause more pain, suffering and death -- there is little reason to see it, or to be afraid.There are some body part fetishes and some snuff, but the gore is less then mediocre, and fails both as artistic device (because it is pointless) and as gore, because it is not gory enough.Don't waste time on this one.
"the flock" and "untraceable" 2 heads of the same hidden beast)))
posted on 13 Jun 2009first this deserves about 5 stars due to acting (some which would give me a better subjective opinion and NOT an objective one as it should by giving this one, WELL DESERVED, star) but then i know that those facts are used for the actor(S) NAMES to increase the rating of something like this...i do have a problem with such productions; yet another attempt (just like "untraceable") of a systematic propagandistic feature promoting government intrusion on your rights( how interesting that it comes at a moment when IPS providers trying to "preferentiate" = CENSOR information, and the Americans and Canadians are fighting AGAINST that at this very moments). this time is not by labeling torrent file transfers as evil ( that one was intended to remind you of such feeling whenever you transfer data on the net), but by literally attempting in creating a sexual frustrated population as a whole. SEEMS LIKE FEAR PROMOTION IS HOLLYWOOD'S NORM THIS DAYS, especially when coming to thrillers which is the most "on demand" motion picture genre for past 2 decades or so = most viewed, best way to try influence the society as a whole. such levels of violence are depicted in this 2 features of morally and "ethical" people, that it gives a new much needed meaning to "anti-heroes" figures. make no mistake , this is NOT "DEXTER" which was meant to be high-quality entertainment.STOP SELLING "FEAR" please, the world would be a better place without it and the dollars made of it.the opening scene and generally the first 10 minutes really give a frightful picture of an Erroll Babbage that is CLEARLLY suffering of sexual frustration. the way he handles the black male is very disturbing if not outright racist(for sure a "cliche" at least) ( in real life someone would probably get a beating for it, you will see what i mean). the second scene ( with Claire Danes's character present) is even more extreme. at that point i realized, in my opinion that Erroll Babbage is a very dangerous individual to people around him.how many people, that have seen or will see this movie, have never been "hold down"(regarding BOTH sexes) out of self, COMMON gratification!?.typically the movie gives an extreme CRIMINAL case(that unfortunately did, is and will likely happen again sometime , somewhere) BUT fingers everyone else indirectly as well as "you could become that", etc. anyone that is familiar with Sigmund Freud and Jung will know very well that sexuality is not something to be judged let alone "asses" , by such fanatical "hero" here. SAFE sex in its many forms IS healthy and not some evil that apparently Richard Gere character is obsessed with , on his way for some sexual "crusade". have we not learned anything from the abundant recent scandals involving priests and young boys!? or for how long an American teenager can see extreme violence on "pg-13" but he can not even see a woman breast until "R-18"!?!?( yet the industry targets them with this VERY SAME sexual perversions like "american pie" series for example).raise the kids tester-one levels but frustrate them and drive them underground in developing fetishes to UNhealthy EXTREMES!? all sexual activities(upon MUTUAL acceptance) integrates individuals better then some "rightous" nut-case, THAT blames his misfortunes and shortcomings on "the lives of others"( a new German movie that would work great in comparing this 2 distinct and world apart features on the very same subject).here, like in that movie, you will probably appreciate the actors for well portraying the opposite of what they should have been.i am very disappointed with Richard Gere especially after the recent " hunting party", a feature where he really shines and about a more realistic "hero"( after real facts as well).but then it just reminds me that all those people are only actors that get paid to play someone's political and social agenda. "the flock" and "untraceable" 2 heads of the same hidden beast)))it just reminds you, if know anyone with similar views on the subject as a WHOLE, as Erroll Babbage has those here, to stay clear of them for THEIR own safety.they would kill my family faster then any 0.00001 chances of Paul Jerrod in anyone's life would...in the end i recommend this to anyone thinking negative here about MY "assesment" of this particular movie ( and "untraceable" actually), so you can likely have similar thoughts as i did. nothing sweeter then a propagandistic movie shooting itself in the "foot".))))for once i agree with the rating, this is not a feature for teenagers or kids; simply because at best would confuse them even more then the "common" belief of "money+fame+fashion" and how that relates to sexuality. "scream" series and movies as such AT LEAST have a defined entertainment value(even if a dumb one in my opinion). but this one is just another "trust me i know what is good for you" deeply (not so well done i might add) subliminal messages.
A jarring look at the issue of convicted sexual offenders in public life.
posted on 11 Jun 2009"The Flock" is a bit hard to judge. Starring Richard Gere as Errol Babbage, an employee of the Dept. of Public Safety, and Claire Danes as Allison Lowry, his replacement-in-training, we are shown a view of how convicted sex offenders are still just as capable of committing their criminal acts. Interestingly enough, the film also presents the opinion that the Dept. of Public Safety is, to be blunt, worthless.Gere's character comes off as very cold, lonely, and impersonal. Despite having Danes under his tutelage he treats her indifferently. It is understandable in a sense because he feels responsible for the death of a young girl - had he looked in the closet of a convicted sex offender (cso), he'd have found $3,000 worth of young women's clothing and led to the connection.Danes' character, however, comes off as very out-of-place. The job is not one of PG/PG-13 rated material; it isn't the kind of job where a person simply visits a CSO, asks a few questions, then leaves while making note of their status. It's the profession wherein danger is personified by the CSO - it can never be known if he/she has reformed. As Lowry, she always displays a timidness, a kind of frightful nature that just doesn't fit with the job. How can she expect to confront these CSOs when the mere thought of the savage, brutal things they've done in the past cause her to flinch and become frightened? The rationality of both characters is also brought into question when, in one scene, the two visit a run-down apartment that is used for fetish sex (e.g. a man being spanked by a dominatrix, a woman chained on a wall with a photographer taking pictures, etc.) and Babbage proposes the always-brilliant idea of the two of them splitting up - never mind that they're searching for a CSO who has potentially abducted a 17-year old girl and is more than capable of killing.The incompetence, too, of the Dept. of Public Safety is also a constant theme. It is said that their job is simply to locate and keep track of CSOs according to state/federal law. So when any connections are made between a CSO and a/the kidnapped girl, do they care? Nope! They all pass Babbage's conclusions as pure conjecture - nothing more than the ravings of an crazed man; incredibly disappointing is one scene in which he reveals a shocking revelation to Lowry and all she can do is cry and scream and not care that such a finding could lead them to the missing girl. Oh no, it's not their job, you see. It's only to find and make note of CSOs regardless of whether or not any information they uncover could lead to saving a kidnapped person's life.I feel that making a fair assessment on "The Flock" is hard because it means well; its intention is to warn people of the dangers of convicted sex offenders (regardless of them being registered). Maybe even its opinion on the state of the Dept. of Public Safety is a bit too harsh (or not harsh enough?). My problem with the movie is that it spends over an hour (and this is a 1hr 40min film) setting things up, only to have Babbage (Gere) come off as the conspiracy-nut (akin to Fox Mulder on "The X-Files") whose efforts are noble, but in vain due to no one truly caring to take the job beyond what's expected of them. Yes, he technically isn't suppose to be doing what he does and he should instead have been an FBI agent or something, but it just makes you wonder why no one picks up on the same idea as him that primary law enforcement officers (the police and investigator) aren't the only ones who can find clues to a missing person.I would've given "The Flock" a score higher than a 6, but I felt that the potential was lost in all characters, whether it be Danes' Lowry or any of the numerous law enforcement officers. It just feels like no one truly cares about finding the missing girl and part of it is that so much time is spent making Babbage look paranoid and delusional and Lowry being that fish-out-of-water who, as Babbage says, "Wouldn't last two months."
A job.
posted on 01 Jun 2009Erroll works for The Department of Public Safety and his job is to check up on sex offenders. Sometimes he pushes the line at his job and beats on the sex offenders. I don't blame him but his boss is ready for him to retire so along comes Allison. Erroll is now training her to do his job and it's like job shadowing. Allison is somewhat naive about the job in the beginning but she doesn't realize how much danger she really is and it's all Erroll's fault. He starts to go to far with his obsession of finding a missing girl when his job isn't to be a police officer.It's a fairly decent movie about a crazy guy who pushes the boundaries and works outside his "scope of practice." Erroll did do a good job but at the sake of the safety of Allison. It has some good mystery to it too and just when I had it figured out, there was more to it.
Quite disturbing yet not as good as it could have been
posted on 24 May 2009First of all i have seen 8 mm and i am normally quite resistant to some 'heavy' images. But this movie did disturb me.Most of the viewers complain the movie had a very bad pace, to few twist turns. I both agreed and disagreed here, yes when watching the movie you know who's 'dunnit' way to early but I loved the pace. In my eyes they really made time to make you loath the bad guys and feel repulsed by the idea what they did to those poor girls.Richard gere was holding back like always, but I often find he's perfect for these roles. Maybe he did not put of a good performance, but he was just made for these roles. Claire Danes didn't impress me in this movie, quite a shame cause i normally really love claire danes ;). You kind of get the idea they used her for eye candy above everything else.The first 80 minutes of the movie were quite decent in my eyes but the last 20 minutes were a bit of a disappointment. They seemed to be a bit over the top.All in all a decent movie. 6 out of 10
Richard Gere may have lost his Hollywood clout but his intensity as an actor makes The Flock breathtaking
posted on 08 May 2009I really like Richard Gere...I always have and it seems as of late that his status as a Hollywood star and money maker has slipped but it would appear to me that the reason is that he is taking very mature, intense roles and has been very successful at it just not financially because I have seen him in some truly great gems as of late including The Hoax, The Hunting Party (both must see films! See my reviews) and now this The Flock which apparently was meant to be a big release considering it's substantial 35 million + budget. It seems that some of the other IMDb reviews are very, very harsh because I thought the film dealt with a potentially very serious social issue in a very direct, violent and disturbing way and Gere just brings it all home. It's an action thriller drama that kept my glued to the Television with it's story. I think part of the problem that people seem to have with it is that it Hollywood-izes a very serious issue but I don't think it does it with disrespect but rather tries to take a different spin to make people aware that this exists. In fact it's much the same way that The Hunting Party dealt with war. Hong Kong director Wai-keung Lau did a decent job holding it together but I think the cast is what made it watchable.Richard Gere as you may have guessed from my previous comments is brilliant as a social worker of sorts Erroll Babbage who has kind of created his own style and laws when it comes to keeping track of his "Flock" who are registered violent sex offenders. He holds no punches in tracking these people, following them and making absolutely sure they don't re-offend and if they do he'll be the one to identify and stop them any way he can. Gere is so intense and looks drained from this job and he's become violent and angry at watching these monsters loose on the street. He is just fantastic. Claire Danes is also terrific as Babbage's new partner and his replacement who he has to train to do his job. Danes' character is far more typical social worker and is a little taken aback by Babbage's style and methods but slowly realizes what he is trying to accomplish and go up against. The two of them are brilliant together and have terrific chemistry with such vastly different characters. KaDee Strickland plays a disturbed registered offender who appears to be torn from the headlines as she plays a character very reminiscent of Karla Homolka (Paul Bernardo's wife who is now out) for those of you who follow Canadian serial killers. Her character goes a little over the top but she is convincing and horrifying all at once. Russell Sams has a small role as Strickland's new boyfriend and he would have been better probably given a bigger role. Ray Wise, who is a terrific character actor (check him out in Dead End as well as the amazing turn as Satan himself in the WB show Reaper) and he gets a small but good role as the head of the Public Safety department and Babbage's boss.The movie isn't perfect despite the terrific performances of it's lead cast. It takes liberties by really trying to make the film more entertainment than educational but it's just a different angle not unlike the Nicholas Cage dud 8MM. The Flock takes you into the underbelly of the sex trade, kidnapping, human trafficking and more and is just really something to watch. Perhaps it wasn't directed or written as well as it could have been but I am telling you that Danes and Gere together make this movie completely watchable and a really great thriller. It's disturbing but also something that isn't very complex and yet Gere's character in many ways is intensely complex with many layers and also opens social stigma and makes you contemplate about vigilantism in many ways when you see the people Gere deals with. I encourage you all to ignore poor reviews and see it for yourself because it's worth checking out!! 8.5/10
Acting: OK, Direction: OK, Story: Ludicrous
posted on 24 Apr 2009In the title I write that the story is ludicrous. below I'll elaborate and tell you why it, in my humble opinion, ruins this movie.Gere and Danes are doing their jobs, and while it's not their best work, it's quite OK. The rest of the cast, though, is doing a really poor job. Mind you, this is not entirely the actors fault. The problem is that Gere and Danes are the only ones that have characters that have even the slightest room in the movie to really give any depth. All other characters have either too little room in the movie to create any depth, or the character is such a cliché that it doesn't matter how hard the actors try.The director has a bit of a Se7en complex, but looking merely at the direction, I think he does an OK job.But the story. This is the kind of script that is bad in two ways. First of all it's a bad movie script. The characters are shallow (except for Gere's and Danes' characters), the villains are clichés and the actions of the characters is totally unbelievable. Besides this, the writers must have an agenda where they want to bring back our views and ethics a hundred years. It's the kind of movie that are saying that some criminals are still criminals, regardless of the fact that they have paid the price the society has given them. It's also the kind of movie that says, albeit only between the lines, that every form of sexual deviance should be punished without trial, judge or jury. And of course, according to the movie, everything that is not sex in the missionary position by a married couple is a sexual deviance.So, if you're going to film school and need an example of a bad script, or if you're writing scripts yourself and want an ego boost. See it. For everyone else, I recommend another movie.
A Ludicrous Romance Between Gere and Danes Would Have Camped It Up Right Nicely
posted on 20 Apr 2009One of my favorite movies is "As Good As It Gets." It took the ludicrous idea of a romance between sixtysomething Jack Nicholson and thirtysomething Helen Hunt and made one of the most hilariously unbelievable concepts workable, and snagged Oscars for both Nicholson and Hunt.So would a movie about fetish sex killers that involved an even more ludicrous romance between an almost sixtysomething Richard Gere and twentysomething Claire Danes get either of them an Oscar? Are you kidding? But it would be hilarious to watch. Better than the relentlessly heavy handed, pseudo-moralistic slop they wallow in.I mean, come on. Gere needs to play the character as both intensely driven and vulnerable. That would get Danes to at least think about giving him a pity f*ck. Or maybe arouse her curiosity in this movie that is all about the kinkiest aspects of sex just enough to try and find out if this old parole office who is no gentleman is all grayed out and shriveled up down there, or still packing anything worthwhile.And Gere, in the end, would snap, and become the geriatric version of his "Breathless" character. Danes, of course, would be the object of his twisted obsession.Cue Jerry Lee Lewis. And there should have been at least one death by gerbiling in this thing.
Suspenseful, dark movie about released sex offenders
posted on 18 Apr 2009Gere and Danes star as 2 workers for the department of public safety who keep track of released sex offenders. Gere, who plays Babbage, refers to them as his flock. Gere is an over obsessed vigilante whom is on his way out. He is training, new comer Allison, to take over his job. Gere sees his flock as very sick, disturbed puppies. He asks them questions that are not on the list, and tries to act like the police and solve crimes. He keeps getting warned for this behavior, hence the reason he is being replaced. During his final few days on the job, a young girl goes missing, and Babbage is sure it is one of his flock whom has gone astray. Him and Allison narrow a list down and discover some of the offenders have gone AWOL. So, he decides that he needs to track the missing girl down rather than help the police. That part is a little far fetched.There is some sick, twisted stuff shown in this film. Like when Babbage and Allison go to this building where a bunch of sick people do disturbing things to each other. Also, there are the people who kidnapped the girl. At the end of the film, we see what sick freaks they are. However, I wouldn't call this movie excessive because not really much is shown on film.FINAL VERDICT: If you like thrillers and films about serial killers and cops chasing killers, then you will like this.
A S&M , B&D , Snuff film trying to look like a serious film
posted on 16 Apr 2009I saw this film last night (about 102 minutes) and don't know what kept me in my seat. I guess I just expected a film with Gere would have some value in it eventually but nothing of value ever came on the screen. The story is a silly excuse to pile on shot after shot of bondage and torture. There is not a character in the film that does anything like real life. The cutting "style" relies on jump cuts, mini flashbacks and overprinting to give weight to this vapid setup of a gang of sadists apparently running free for years and SURPRISE the leader is the "victim" of an executed killer. I don't see how Gere, a Buddhist, got involved in this violent, sexist trash.
Super dark exploitation of phobic theme in the US
posted on 04 Apr 2009I just saw this film yesterday.My girlfriend wanted to see it only because of Richard Gere.I feel I wasted my time and money and told my girlfriend it's the last time we go to see a film just because a certain actor/actress is in it. I hope she learned the lesson because I had trouble keeping her in her seat. As of me, since I paid already, I wanted to see the end at least, just in the hope something good would turn up, but I didn't hold my breath, and luckily so cause I would have been a victim of the film just the same.This is not a black and white film, it's a black and black one. The main character (Richard Gere) is almost as bad as his registrants, and all sex offenders are portrayed as unredeemable hard core criminals and the bad ones among them were really very very bad. Speak of a cliché and the exploitation of a typical US phobia.Richard Gere's acting was good as usual but the blond girl that's supposed to replace him was wishy washy at best. Totally unconvincing for the job.The film tries to exploit a popular theme and gives it a cheap, dramatic, and sensational turn that just is unreal. They just use sex offenders as an excuse to indulge in cheap violent acts of murders, vigilante beating, rape and torture - something that almost seems gratuitous. They even have a wolf attacking people in the film - how low can you get.I gather the film won't come out in the USA and will go straight to DVD. That's were it should have stayed in other countries too, but because it's Hollywood and Richard Gere they just had to show it. Believe me, without Gere, the film is not even worth a B-series movie.
Too unnecessary violent scenes
posted on 24 Jan 2009I've got the attention seeing a trailer on a french TV magazine. I think Richard Gere delivered no doubt one of his strongest performances in his career. All the actors played solid their roles but the director shouldn't have put all these horrifying scenes together. This was absolutely not necessary and this fast paced thriller would have worked very well without this violent contents. I have the impression it failed on the dynamic level I mean it couldn't develop enough tension till the end because there were too many brutal scenes to digest and this stopped the emotional countdown. Then I cannot share all the reviews that compare THE FLOCK with SEVEN. Se7en was much more better combined with more investigation details and a surprisingly end as in THE BONE COLLECTOR. Final vote: 6/10. Not really a must see.
Interesting ideas, poor execution.
posted on 31 Dec 2008The films starts of good: the premise is intriguing and there are some scenes that get you dragged into the movie. As the movie progresses, the script starts making less and less sense and the last twenty minutes felt incredibly rushed and out of tone.The direction wasn't good at all. What bothered me for instance was the camera-work. Too many different styles are mixed and it all ends up looking incredibly sloppy instead of the intended 'modern/flashy' effect. The music should have been better too. There were numerous examples of scenes that should have been silent that had music playing in the background and vice versa. Also, the music played was not of the highest quality.The film is somewhat engaging, it deals with a sensitive subject and tries to deal with it in an honest yet confronting matter. At least, in the beginning. In the 2nd part of the movie there's little left of the objectivity in the script. I won't name any concrete examples because I don't want to spoil it for anyone but I'm sure you'll know what I'm talking about if you ever see it.The acting was all right in my opinion. Not top notch but not horrible either. Gere is average like always and Danes doesn't really leave big impression either. The supporting cast should've been better, the example of Miss Avril Lavigne immediately comes to mind. She manages to ruin the only scene she has.Many people will compare this movie to 8mm, because of the similar harsh theme but they have little in common. 8mm is a lot more powerful,darker and shows more guts(not literally). It's easily the better film. There are some shocking scenes in 'The Flock', one of which resembles a scene in 8mm a lot but this time they lacked the nerve to go all the way.To summarize, is this movie bad? No, but it won't blow you away. The ideas are interesting but after a while the script feels uninspired and formulaic. The acting is mediocre and the score is bad. It's not really worth seeing but it'll briefly entertain you.5.4/10
A Nutshell Review: The Flock
posted on 03 Dec 2008Hong Kong directors crossing over to Hollywood to make movies is nothing new, with the temporary exodus of the likes of Tsui Hark, John Woo, Ringo Lam in the 90s. From their collective output, only a few movies (or may I say just one?) made an impact at the box office. The Andrew Lau and Alan Mak partnership has been a tour de force in recent HK cinematic history, especially with their now famous Infernal Affairs trilogy which was remade into Martin Scorsese's The Departed, so it's no surprise when Hollywood comes knocking on the door.But without fellow collaborator Mak, who usually has script/story duties, how did Lau fare with writers Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell? It's like the X-Files without the X, in the way the story is crafted, the characters and the parallels drawn with the Chris Carter series. Richard Gere and Claire Danes pair up ala David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, only that they don't belong to any federal investigative agency who bear arms, but are employees of Protective Services, who's chief role is to ensure that sexual predators who belong to their jurisdiction, are kept safe from society when they are released from having served time. Hence they are the shepherds tending to their flock, only that their flock suffer from sick sexual perversion with the propensity for violence.The parallels in characterization are so blatantly obvious, that it's just a cosmetic touch up on the outside. Like Fox Mulder, Gere's Erroll Babbage is a strange, lonely man, consumed by his obsession in his quest to doggedly harass his flock to tote the line. Pained by a failed attempt to rescue a missing child, just like how Mulder pines for his missing sister, Babbage is shunned by colleagues and given the marching orders disguised as a retirement plan. He has deep disgust for the people he's monitoring, sick of their crimes and what they stand for, that he has no qualms in using unorthodox methods, short of flying off the handle while dishing out illegal, preemptive punishment. At the same time, he too has strong urges that he has to fight against, in order not to cross the line into becoming like those he loathes. As part of routine, he also scans newspapers and tabloids for clues and leads toward his objective, that of seeking closure, salvation for himself, and possessing a strong belief that the truth is still out there, and he wants to believe.Danes' Allison Lowry on the other hand, is the ingénue brought in to replace Babbage. But in the meantime while learning the ropes on the job for the next 18 days, she is required to spy on him, and to report his shenanigans, pretty much like what Dana Scully was tasked to do with Fox Mulder. As the disbeliever of pre-emptiveness and holding onto the notion that those discharged back to society have been cured of their temptations, she slowly starts to see what Babbage sees, and understands that it takes a whole lot more than being just a desk and administrative job if she truly wants to help people.And it is this discovery of the world of fetishes and deviant sexual practices, that we open all our eyes to, much like how 8mm starring Nicolas Cage brought snuff films into the spotlight. It's a decent investigative drama with the usual red herrings, and my, are they really good ones as it made you wonder quite often if your guesses are correct, and you soon find yourself firing from the hip as you get proved incorrect at alarming frequency, though I don't credit this to a tight narrative, but more from the sprawling number of characters (watch out for Avril Lavigne's cameo) and sub plots. The scene in the darkened ware/shophouse was akin to Se7en's David Mills and William Somerset when they raided John Doe's apartment and find plenty of bizarreness inside, though here, given the subject nature, it wasn't lingered upon much.Apparently, The Flock somehow decided that Enrique Chediak's cinematography was good enough, despite its very strange style of having no style, utilizing almost every trick in the book to try and recreate feelings of watching another Se7en, only that this was deeply steeped in tinges of brown, rather than the doom and gloom of black. It does take a little while to get used to this, and I put this effect as one which actually distracts from what is happening in the story. Not a really good move though, with somewhat frequent repetition of scenes involving flashbacks.But The Flock still makes decent entertainment, though X-philes out there would probably find it hard not to picture their favourite actors in the lead roles, given so much similarities in character. Gere and Danes do put forth some chemistry as the old fogey (heh) and his protégé, and while it's not exactly great, Andrew Lau did manage to pull off something enjoyable.
Ambrose Bierce's double feature with PRETTY WOMAN
posted on 18 Oct 2008Ambrose no doubt will empathize with the decline of Richard Gere (here, parole officer Errol Babbage) if he couples his initial viewing of THE FLOCK with PRETTY WOMAN as a prequel. Though Claire Danes (playing Errol's partner Allison Lowry) has replaced Julia Roberts as Gere's horse-faced woman, Father Time has reduced the chemistry between this pairing by 99% compared to the previous movie, also staged among the milieu of the horsey set. Bierce will get a kick out of the opening, as well, with the teen girls riding astride in a manner which probably diverges from what was considered "proper" during his own youth in the late 1850s.TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: The body of noted American author (An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge) Ambrose Bierce, born June 24, 1842, recently was discovered in total cryogenic hibernation at the back of a Central American warehouse. Bierce is expected to be fully defrosted by late 2049 or early 2050. Based on my 85 previously posted IMDb comments and background in Bierce studies, the author's guardians have commissioned me to review a periodically updated list of films to help guide his future leisure pursuits, with the provision that my comments also be made available to the general public.
A Fine Movie about Sexual Perversion (prevention).
posted on 10 Sep 2008Since their nasty divorce from the Disney Company (with Disney keeping the Miramax brand) the Weinstein Company seems to specialize in above average movies which are then under-promoted and seen by few. THE FLOCK is a prime example.A story about the civil servants who have the nasty job of keeping track of registered sex offenders, this picture will tell you more about sex criminals than an entire season of Law and Order - SVU.Richard Gere gives his best-ever performance as the soft-spoken agent worn-out by the task. Claire Danes for once has the opportunity to get into a solid role (instead of the junk she normally gets stuck in) and she makes the most of playing the novice. The cinematography, pacing, editing, all of it is first rate --- and I saw no trace of the attention-deficit-disorder camera jump-around or excess camera cuts that others complained about. The subject is handled with restraint, but it's still a tough subject and might make you sick.Fifty years ago there was almost no problem with the kinds of sex crimes herein shown in abundance which will shock even the jaded. Then came the Supreme Court decisions which simultaneously tied police hands as the "rights" of sex perverts were opened up and America was turned into a shopper's paradise for sexual perversity, both willing and unwilling. Each such step was met with praise by Liberals, who celebrated the Warren Court's ill deeds with glossy covers on Time and Newsweek. Everyday liberals also praised the Court's action and mocked those who disagree. In 2007 how many Americans know that the kind of pornography that depicts savage violence and torture of young women -- can be subscribed to, and delivery of it is subsidized by the discount periodicals rate by the US Post Office. Just one part of the problem -- a problem that can tare anyone's family to shreds.Richard Gere is a Liberal, but he gives his best in his performance here. Perhaps in his maturing age he's gained a measure of wisdom.
Realistic and shocking, but our realistic and shocking world
posted on 07 Aug 2008All I can say is, first movie this season that got my attention. I picked it because of the actors, Gere and Claire, and the story looked promising..I have just watched it and i can say - i'm overwhelmed. There are shocking scenes, true..but that's what makes it more realistic. We shouldn't run away from our reality, these things are happening right this moment. And there are experts who are trying to change things and make things better and who get laughed out about their commitment to the cause. Actually I can't seem to feel the "Hollywood touch" in the movie..and that's what makes it better. Both Claire and Richard did a great roles, and deserve a 10 from me.
Outstanding
posted on 12 Jul 2008After Chicago, I was beginning to lose all respect for Richard Gere and then along came The Flock. There's just so far a nice smile and a couple of stock facial gestures can get you, but he proved to me that he's finally gotten hold of his craft and can act with the best of them. Clare Danes was also super as his "trainee/replacement". Some have suggested there was too much unnecessary violence, but I don't see it that way. Nothing I saw detracted from the power of this film. I was really shocked I hadn't heard of it being released in theaters and came across it at Blockbuster instead. Really an exceptional film with just the right blend of action, suspense, thrills, and social consciousness. As good as 7even? Well, maybe. And you'll see better acting out of Gere than anyone's ever gotten out of Pitt.
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Entertaining thriller
posted on 04 Aug 2009I did not have too much interest on watching The Flock.Andrew Lau co-directed the masterpiece trilogy of Infernal Affairs but he had been fired from The Flock and he had been replaced by an emergency director called Niels Mueller.I had the feeling that Lau had made a good film but it had not satisfied the study,so they fired him and hired another director.This usually does not work well (let's remember The Invasion).But The Flock resulted to be better than what I expected.It's not a great film but it's an interesting and entertaining thriller.The character development is very well done and I could know the characters very well.Also,the relationship between the two main characters is natural and credible.Richard Gere and Claire Danes bring competent performances.Now,let's go to the negative points.One element which really bothered me (there was a moment in which it irritated me) was the excess of edition tricks to give the movie more "attitude" and style.That tricks feel out of place and their presence is arbitrary.Plus,I think the film should have been more ambitious.In spite of that,I recommend The Flock as a good thriller.It's not memorable at all,but it's entertaining.