Restitution

I don't think I've ever seen choreography of action sequences this sloppy or acting this horrible. Talk about low rent! (Starting off a review like this, you know what's coming is bad. But read on!) By the way, has Tom Arnold fallen this far from A-List? Come to think of it, was he ever really A-List?

Anyway, Restitution is a film directed and co-written by Lance Kawas. If you've never heard of him, don't beat yourself up too badly. Nobody has... (Moving on!)

The film follows the actions of a rookie author, Alex Forrester, as he lands in a sleepy town on Lake Michigan trying to uncover the truth behind a pair of odd killings committed by a highly intrusive, but otherwise decent, insurance investigator. The insurance investigator then ends up dead, himself. Forrester intends to write a book on his findings, but if he digs too deep, he might end up dead just like the insurance investigator.

There are a few plot twists along the way as we build up to the climax and then there's a final plot twist at the very end that puts everything that precedes it into perspective. Some savvy viewers might call the big plot twist way before the ending. If you do call it, then get up and pop in another movie right away! If others are still watching, quickly leave the room and find something else better to do. Like watching a cup of ice melt. Why? Because despite the horrible directing, acting, dialog, cinematography, and everything else, the plot was the only thing remotely interesting Restitution had going for it. So, if you figure it out before the ending, you'll be really angry because nothing else is worth the wait. Furthermore, I don't even think the ending was a big enough payout for the prolonged suspense the writers created to get to the end result.

Another major problem is Kawas' inability to commit to a specific genre, especially early on. At times I didn't know if I was watching a comedy, a mystery, a lost footage film, or even a spoof flick. Directing 101: it's hard for an audience to take a film seriously if they're too confused about what direction the "director" is taking them.

I think if this film had been given a larger budget and great writers that would have tweaked the ending and delivered decent dialog, it could have been a hit. The plot had plenty of potential. However, suspense and a decent plot aside, everything else about this film screams "low rent" to the 10th power. It stinks!

I was - whatever - absorbed?

PI unearths plot, and pays the price. OK. It wasn't too noir, wasn't over-hip. Mena Suvari (bra on sex scene contract not withstanding) was real, and genuine, and it could almost have been a romcom. (I don't think I've ever had a sex scene with bras on, personally).

And then, it just suddenly revives. A new character, a new phase, act 2.

And then, suddenly, Act 3. People stop being who they were, and use guns. Who knew? Even, when it all calms down, another twist, and we have act 3.1.

My son-in-law is the acid test. If there are plot holes, he disses the film, and I wish I hadn't suggested it.

This got a 'pass' on his radar, (though he agreed with the 'stupid no tits rule'.

Worth a look. I was surprised, a few times. And that no longer happens often.

This is, by far, one of the worst movies I ever witnessed! I really like Mena Suvari, and shes giving too much in this movie (comparing to her colleagues), but by that effort, shes just proving that this is complete waste of time! Plot is not too original, but its not that bad (in the beginning) but ending and "twist" is disgrace. Yes, you wouldn't expect what will happen and how will end, because it doesn't make ANY sense! Lets just say one guy get killed by mob, then somebody else is trying to find out who did it. For those who are Mena's fans, sex scene is okay, but shes in bra. Probably they didn't have enough money, but nevertheless, shes gorgeous and it will help you to go through.

The plot: A stoic writer investigates the mysterious death of his former partner, an immature private eye who was investigating insurance fraud.

This is a hilariously inept movie, full of cringe-inducing writing, bad acting, and bad directing. I don't know what WHAT they were thinking, except that someone somehow got enough money together to tempt some B movie actors into making a vanity project. Unsurprisingly, it was terrible. Surprisingly, I still liked it. For me, this is one of those "so bad it's good" movies. I don't know. I can't really validate my rating, except to say that Tom Arnold was actually pretty good in this movie.

Restitution is a little bit boring at the beginning, but it starts to get more interesting later on. It never really gets any better, but, if you're like me, that's not really a big issue. I'm willing to watch anything, as long it's not boring... even clichéd, derivative junk like this.

If you enjoy bad movies, check this out. It's got some gloriously bad dialogue, plus it sometimes seems a little, tiny bit self-aware, with an ironic or cheesy scene. It's not much, but it does soften the blow of all that non-ironic ineptitude. If you're looking for something legitimately good, avoid. Avoid like the plague. Do not watch. You will only be disappointed. This movie is only for Tom Arnold fans (do these exist -- if so, I may hesitantly consider myself one), bad movie fans, and people who are very bored.

Like another reviewer, I would have rated this movie with a negative number if that were available. Never, never, never again will I watch a movie where the "executive producer," writer and star are the same guy who you never heard of before. This movie is an example of what somebody with too much money and absolutely no acting talent what so ever can do. The professional actors all dealt in a professional manner with the crappy dialog they were given, but Mark Bierlein has no business being involved with show business as an actor or writer. His only other movie, "Street Boss," rated 3.1 on IMDb, was another one where he was the executive producer, writer, and star (what a surprise!)probably because nobody else would risk funding the drivel that he writes.

I got the movie because of William Sadler and Mena Suvari, both fine actors, and because C. Thomas Howell and even Tom Arnold are OK to good actors, but I didn't know who Mark Bierlein was. Now that I do, I'll be on the look out to avoid anything involving this guy in ANY capacity.