sol1218 **SPOILER ALERT*** Having been accused of the massacre of Susan Jasper, Andrea Grimason, and her twin six-year daughters Moira & Maggie, Gabriella Henriette & Emilt Anthony, Sean Veil, Lee Evens, was set to stand trial for multiple murder.With the circus atmosphere created over the killing of the Jaspers by the media and noted police forensics profiler Saul Seger, Ian McNeice, the charges against Veil were thrown out and him freed without as much as having to stand trial. On the day that Vail was set free the husband and father of Susan Moira & Maggie the bereaved Sam Jasper (Martin McSharry), who survived the massacre, overcome with grief hung himself.Vail becomes ultra-paranoid of him being set up by the police since they felt that he was guilty of the Jasper murders an got off Scot-free. It's then that Vail has every movement that he makes recorded on tape to prove where he is just in case he's to be framed by the police for another murder, like that of the Jasper family, that he didn't commit.This plan of Vail keeps the police off his back until one day, just two days before the 10th anniversary of the Jasper killings, he's hauled into the local police station for the murder of Mary Shaw, Rachel O'Riondan, who was killed outside a London Pub on the night of October 15/16, 1998. It turned out that with all the tapes that Vail had recorded of himself since his acquittal of the Jasper murders that ones covering the time of Mary Shaw's murder were strangely and mysteriously missing from his film vault! Was Vail set up in Mary Shaw's murder by the police with the only piece of evidence that can clear him, the October 15/16 1998 video tape cassettes, stolen by the cops themselves! And if so was Miss. Shaw murdered by the very people, the police, who are now using her death to frame the innocent Sean Vail!A lot like the innovated from the end to the beginning thriller "Memento" the movie "Freeze Fame" strengths lie in its use of its camera angles, as many as four in one frame, and zoom-like flashbacks then its very complicated storyline. The story itself is your usual man trying to prove his innocence against overwhelming odds type movie but with a twist. A twist that turns the entire film upside down with its unveiling the reasons just why the Jaspers were murdered. And why those murders had to be covered up to the point of having to frame an innocent man, Sean Vail, for committing them.Even though he's in fact absolved, by a judge not a jury, of the crimes that he's accused of Vail is certain that his life will never be the same again. Vail is soon proved to be right with the persons who were in charge of the Jasper murder case Det. Louis Emeric, Sean McGinley, together with police forensic profiler Saul Seager telling the public, after Vail was acquitted, that they'll do everything to have him re-arrested for the Jasper murders being that, in their minds, the case was still active. Both Emeric & Seager are so sure that Vail is guilty that they predict that he'll murder again!With the Mary Shaw murder hanging over his head Vail, with the tapes that can exonerate him missing, is now in danger, if convicted, of being sent to prison for 30 years. This in another murder, like that of the Jaspers, he didn't commit! It now becomes apparent to Vail at least that the Jaspers murders and that of Mary Shaw are somehow connected!****SPOILER**** The film "Freeze Frame" builds up to a really powerhouse ending that has all those involved in the Jasper killings the cops Sean Vail and even the reporter Katie Carter, Rachael Stirling, trying to prove Vail's innocence having deep and dark secrets in just what their involvement in them really were. Vail who's recordings of himself was to be his alibi in any future murders that he feels he's to be framed for turn out to be his own undoing in leaving them open for someone, like the vindictive police, to heist. It's in the end that not only the real reason for the Jasper, as well as Mary Shaw, murders surfaces but also who used them to frame Vail! And possibly, with the help of his fellow convicts, have Vail murdered while behind bars in order to keep that socking truth from ever seeing the light of day!

cancerparty Lee Evans (best known as stand up, rubbery-faced comedian in the UK) pulls off an astounding performance, and not just for leaving behind the relative comfort zone of comedy. Any 'serious' actor would be similarly lauded, I think. I won't rehash the plot - there are more than enough summaries on here - but what I will say, without spoiling anything, is that the film drives on its plot twists. It's just that at a certain point about 3/4 in, there is almost a twist too many, and the characters appear to be taking longer to work out what the hell is going on, who did what to whom, and why, and then they realise that they were really lying about one thing, and not the other, which drags the film down, with some rather tedious explanations - that still remain thoroughly necessary - which grate after a while. The sense one is left with is that the filmmakers are almost learning the plot along with US, and there isn't a sense of control in the narrative. I mean, obviously they knew what happened, but the tone was of constant uncertainty about how to end it, and who to make the bad guy. So instead of making choices, they choose instead to make EVERYONE the bad guy at one time or another until they hit upon a convenient enough resolution that will satisfy the most amount of people. It is, however, beautifully lit (a scene with Evans leaving his house/warehouse/prison which is backlit with multiple shadows is extraordinary) and the CCTV footage style is never excessive or derivative. The one feeling I was left with having bought it online second hand for about £2.50, was: cool, but I doubt I'll watch that again. At least a year's time before I consider it. It would only be worth it for Evans' performance, as unfortunately, the makers just couldn't get a classy enough backup cast; the Rachel character is a particular weakness, when her role is critical to the narrative, yet she remains the weakest performance here, verging on high school incompetence at times. The notion that British law would ever allow such a blatant miscarriage of justice, when the evidence is SO SO flimsy against Sean, further upsets things. You tend to let it go, though, thanks to Evans brilliant portrayal as a man condemned to fight for his right to innocence. Worth checking out, but don't go out of your way.

M-Ols Evans rocks as the paranoid Veil. Rarely do we get to see an actor so totally give to a role. His performance alone makes this one worth watching.The movie starts out promisingly -- a modern Kafkaesque tale of an innocent man pursued by Authorities; but ultimately it's twisting plot (chock full of red herrings and diabolical suspects) stretches pretty thin.It was very refreshing to see some "new" faces on screen. The lack of certifiable star-power re-enforced the cinema verite aspects of the film.Any young film-maker would do him/herself a favor by seeing what can be accomplished on a small budget -- provided you have a decent script, good editing and fantastic lead performance.

area01 **Mini Spoiler*** The plot of this film is a little too obvious, and why do scripts have to have one of the main four characters end up as the killer? I will not let on as to who, just to keep you in suspense. **Mini Spoiler Ends***This flick has the feel of a modern day Agatha Christie novel, and could have been a stage-play with it's limited locales. But…. It has some great visuals, and I loved the broken up, jerky digital images that got thrown up in the early part of the film. The vault of Camcorder Tapes detailing an obsessive man's life was great.Lee Evans shows he is a good actor, but I do not think this was the break-through film for him. He has the potential of doing what Robin Williams cooked up in One Hour Photo - and just needs the right part…The Point-Of-View footage and multiple camcorder images did wear after awhile, and the rest of the movie was so jet-black that things got a little dull visually - even the likes of ultra-bleak Se7en had a few "colourful" moments - but this was probably the look the makers were striving for.Also, I kept thinking "why do that?" and "what a stupid thing to have done" - normally plot-holes do not bother me, but the storyline was straying a lot from it's initial edgy, hyper-realistic, noir style. Things just seemed to get more and more illogical, but with everyone still playing it fairly straight - unless I was missing something….. So…. A nice effort and lots of style for a limited budget - but a little too formulaic and over-stylised for my liking.