dtander-1 Despite its obvious low budget, and some weak writing, I thought this was a pretty good movie. The plot is a little contrived and some character development could have been handled better but overall I found it worth my time to watch. If anything, I'm impressed the movie did so much with so little. Lou Diamond Phillips is a solid performer, and I didn't find much to criticize even with the supporting and bit players. It wasn't as highly charged as the typical Hollywood effort (I'm thinking of TAKEN here...a movie with a vaguely similar theme and plot) but instead it had a more documentary feel that contributed to my willingness to overlook some plot holes.

jonathanruano "Transparency" is a modern day conspiracy theory film whose plot is a lot more interesting than its characters. Take just the first 15-20 minutes. Like many great films, "Transparency" begins with the mundane. A middle-aged security guard David (Lou Diamond Phillips) goes to work and then, after a long day, double checks the vehicles that went in and out of the building with his buddy Reg (Aaron Pearl). David notices an inconsistency. It could be nothing. But instead he makes a terrifying discovery. This plot twist leads to several others until David is in way over his head.The best part about this film are the plot twists and the ending, which avoid the familiar clichés of Hollywood endings. The movie is called "Transparency" because that is what David, the hero, is searching for. But as in real life, discovering the true villains and the truth becomes almost impossible. Only in Hollywood films are all wrongs set to right and all answers provided. This film is not afraid to avoid giving anything away.Yet at the same time, "Transparency" has significant weaknesses. David's back story, which comes across as contrived and absurd, could have been left out completely. David did not need to be a troubled guy with issues. He could have been the ordinary guy who unwittingly gets himself into a lot of trouble and the film would have still worked. The other problem are the action scenes. David is middle-aged, but apparently he can dodge firing machine guns and beat up Mafiosos. Finally, the performances throughout this film were, with the exception of Lou Diamond Phillips, well below par. The Russian villains were little more than caricatures. Estella Warren (known for her performance as the love interest in "Planet of the Apes") seems like a struggling actress who has shown up on set to collect her pay cheque. Her performance is largely contrived. The American villains are surprisingly boring, including the middle-aged lawyer Danielle (Deborah Kara Unger) who seems to be asleep throughout most of this picture. As a rule, villains have to be unstable, sadistic, and have sharp intellects to be terrifying. But unfortunately none of the villains come close to this standard. In fact, the best villains in this movie are the ones that cannot be seen, like the big corporate executives and maybe powerful figures inside the federal government.In conclusion, reviewing this film presents a interesting challenge. On the one hand, the story line was entertaining throughout most of the film. Yet, I had the feeling too that I was seeing a low budget indie film with cheap sets and a gloomy atmosphere. But worst of all, the characters did not interest me or inspire any sympathy from me, not least because the actors delivered poor performances. So it was a very close call, but in the end a very marginal thumbs up. This film is worth seeing solely for its unusual plot because it simply has nothing else to offer. 5.7/10

Gladys_Pym But the film just doesn't really work.Trafficking? Well, maybe they don't have that in the US, which would explain why everyone's amazed that it happens, but here in the UK you wouldn't really get the amazement from everyone that this film offers.I'm left, a couple of days after seeing this film, with just a vague sense of disappointment. It somehow just doesn't quite get there. I mean, it sort of works, and Lou's try at a comeback works - for him. It's just the whole premise, and the MASSIVE corporation that he somehow upsets, that seem just too far fetched. Bits of the film were gritty, and immediate, and I think the plot should have stayed with these, instead of turning the story into a David v Goliath conspiracy fest.3 out of 10. I'm glad I didn't watch this with anyone else. I'd certainly have had to defend the decision to go and spend money on it.

suissenavy This is a great throwback action film, like the Death Wish series and Dirty Harry, however as there is not as much killing, making it modern and believable. There are elements of the one man army Rambo/Commando psychology, but not silly and you sense genuine fear from Lou's character. The plot is easy to follow, a security guard finds a trafficked Serbian girl and relates saving her to the loss of his daughter to a rapist while he was a cop. Everything seemed strong and engaging, the style of dialog is natural and well suited to the players. I would say that this is a great film to get into. Always great to feel old if you remember Young Guns.....Oh and Young Guns 2.