State-of-the-art security system creator Jack Stanfield has cemented his reputation as a man who's thought of everything. But when a criminal finds a way into his personal life, everything Jack holds dear is suddenly at stake.
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Harri reviewed Firewall (2006)
Mostly Average Hostage Thriller with a Rather Reasonable Storyline
With Harrison Ford having performed the same character type for a couple of times already, one should think he had developed solid methods to deliver appropriate suspense, anxiety and fear, followed with frustration, anger and resolution. In Firewall, he does deliver all of that, with a straight face.
Indeed, the sense of gravity surrounding the security expert Jack Stanfield is almost unbearable at times. Yet it is one of the few things in the film that build up suspense, focus and the sense of presence necessary to make a standard thriller function adequately well. When a film takes itself as seriously as Firewall does, the risk of critical failure in terms of credibility waxes. The villain Paul Bettany, on the other hand, does not considerably attribute to the feeling of actuality and urgency of the hostage thriller premises; instead, his character appears a bit more interesting than that: even though Bill Cox (whatever his real name) is a reasonably convincing evil criminal type, he more or less openly demonstrates critical character flaws quite early on. Especially the fact that he does not have extensive understanding of digital security makes him extremely vulnerable.
Most of the viewers, of course, have little idea of the underlying technology in the robbery. Director Richard Loncraine does not seem quite interested in trying to make the procedures more plausible or more importantly even remotely understandable to the less technically inclined of the audience. Instead, brand advertising becomes a clearly more essential part of the film's presentation of information science.
This is clearly a pragmatic solution from the production team, but personally, I would have preferred more focus on technology. There are also hints of the policies surrounding information security in the company, a more thorough treatment of which would have brought needed depth. In addition, Firewall would have benefited a great deal by making more use of the bank's two Roberts (Forster and Patrick), other than just having them indirectly experience the crime. These skilful veterans might have created otherwise absent intrigue and made the plot a bit opaque at times, features I tend to expect from an above average thriller.
Firewall is not exceptional in any way, nor is it above average, but it manages to entertain, providing one is not disproportionately preoccupied with minor inconsistencies or allergic to the normal clichés of the genre.
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