hausrathman Two detectives, heard but never seen, assigned to watch a stack of surveillance tapes from a failed jewel robbery discover that a more insidious crime in this ground-breaking independent thriller directed by Lee Bonner. Because of its limited perspective -- we only see the images the two detectives themselves are watching -- 'Replay' began like a bold cinematic stunt, but the mystery quickly hooked me. Soon, I felt as much a participant in the mystery as Fisher Stevens and Michael Buscemi, who played the two detectives. Fortunately, for those in the audience with me, I refrained from offering my advice aloud to the detectives. I really enjoyed this movie. It's great to see someone try something new and succeed.

openeyes Two detectives assigned to watch twenty-one security camera tapes of a violent but seemingly open-and-shut jewel heist discover that seeing isn't necessarily believing in this fresh and unique film recently placed in evidence at the DC Independent Film Festival. Sounds like an open-and-shut movie? Not so. This movie has a hook: We never see the detectives. We only hear their running commentary as we watch the tapes along with them. Everything we see is as new to them as it is to us which gives the audience a chance to figure out the crime before them."Replay" is a movie where perspective is everything, and the film makers boldly maintain that perspective even if it means letting the movie screen go completely blue, like a home VCR, while the detectives change tapes. They replay some tapes. They slow things down. They speed things up. They sometimes pause a frame to talk about what they are seeing or make a phone call. In a sense, this is the very antithesis of a "motion picture." Yet it works, and not just in some theoretical realm. This film is spared the fate of being an esoteric art house novelty by its wicked sense of humor. The unseen detectives, played by Fisher Stevens and Michael Buscemi, are often very funny -- flailing both the innocent and the guilty, the living and the dead, with their dispassionate, black humor.Strangely, however, this black humor is symptomatic of either the film's greatest failing or greatest success depending on your point of view. A film's success is usually predicated on the audience's emotional response to the characters, but in "Replay" it is hard to bond emotionally with the characters you see on the screen. I found my normal emotional response, even to the most horrific events, filtered through the dispassionate perspective of the detectives. Real life homicide detectives arrive at the scene of a crime after the violence. They don't see the passion, just the bloody aftermath. Nothing they can do will bring the victims back to life. Their job is to simply put the pieces together and assign blame. That's what they -- and we -- do here. We don't love the people we watch scurrying about the home and office . We don't hate them either. We just study them, hoping that they will give up their secrets. Many police procedurals let you see the world from the detective's perspective, but this film lets you experience it.Did I solve the crime before the detectives? I'm not saying, but it ultimately doesn't matter. The journey was as entertaining as the destination.

rehaxton I caught this movie last night at DCIFF. I found it very original and intriguing. You basically see about 4 different scenes, but they are replayed from different angles and the writing brings out something new in each scene each time. The plot is strong and the acting is well also.I couldn't help thinking while watching the movie that it reminded me of a cross between Momento and Mystery Science Theater 3000. The detectives commentary on the video tapes they were watching was very funny.Overall, this is a very good and very well done movie.

t2toasty I stumbled upon this one at the Annapolis Film Festival (who knew?) on a weekend out in "flyover country." But I'm glad I did.The film "Replay" takes you on a mysterious ride using an intriguing new filmmaking trick: the viewer only sees tapes from a security system and listens in as detectives watch the tapes and try to figure out a crime, or if a crime has taken place at all. In other words, the audience participates with the detectives while they do their work. Very cool. The interest builds quickly as the viewer gets used to this new way of presenting a story, and it draws the audience in even deeper. As you watch the security tapes and listen to the detectives, you follow the many plot twists and possibilities that they discover. I thought we (the detectives and I) had it figured out at least three times, only to be fooled again. Because you never see the detectives, you might miss some of the wry comedy built-in to the script. But again, that only pulls you closer to the team as you get to know your "partners." You're forced to search for clues just like the detectives, and since you become part of the process, you're pulling for them. You feel frustrated like they do when the plot goes in another direction. The ending had me (and the detectives) totally surprised. I'd love to see it again just to find more stuff I missed!