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Released 10th October 2008
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There’s always this bizarre expectation that any Hollywood remake of an Asian film will, somehow, surpass its predecessor for fright value. Maybe it’s just the nature of such Asian cinema that it is that much more effective and scarier? Or that the mystery is often effectively wrapped up in the unknown aspects of the culture that makes it more unsettling? Who knows? If you haven’t seen the 2003 South Korean horror film that director Alexandre Aja’s (The Hills Have Eyes) latest work is based on, then it really doesn’t matter because Mirrors starts off well and keeps the sinister puzzle brewing as to what evil is behind the mirrors. One thing this film will do is make you suspicious of all reflective surfaces soon after watching it. Hence, it has the desired effect, really.
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Kiefer Sutherland plays another ‘Jack Bauer from 24‘ character in this, taking elements of Bauer’s personality (such as his erratic behaviour) for his new role as volatile detective, Ben Carson, suspended for fatally shooting another officer. Basically, it’s Bauer as a burnt-out store detective of the once-majestic Mayflower department store that holds a dark and demonic secret. Sutherland is more than apt at playing this kind of role, even if he has a tendency to overact it at times. But he is a compelling lead to watch and a much-needed big name to carry the film. His fear is genuinely put across and infectious enough to hold your interest. You also experience his terror with every jump-out-of-your-skin moment but, unfortunately, there are not enough of them, and certainly not more that are developed further, or even fully explained.
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Mirrors does possess moments of gritty, cop-show realism, shot in that hand-held NYPD Blue’s style, particularly in the scenes following the murder of Carson’s sister, Angela, played by the quirky-looking Amy Smart, in a bathtub by the ‘thing’ in the mirror. There are more than a few nostalgic references in design and feel to such cinematic greats as The Shining (Carson going slowly crazy), Amityville Horror (the Carson home exteriors) and The Exorcist (the end scenes), proving that Aja has a good grounding in horror and a praiseworthy appreciation for it. For some of the slower moments in the plot that ought to have been used for feeding the fear, resulting in a build-up to the grand reveal of the dark force at play, the film just goes absolutely haywire at the end, after Carson takes an old nun back to the store’s hidden, watery depths to confront her demons and save the day. It’s as though Aja was possessed with the idea of possession, using most of his effects budget in these fireball action finale scenes, and taking the film to a rather unbelievable level. Even a groan escapes when our anti-hero appears to have survived to see another sunny day, but this is soon suppressed with an intriguing supernatural conclusion that poses food for thought.
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With a solid performance from rising star and beauty Paula Patton as Carson’s estranged wife, Amy, Mirrors is not a bad chiller thriller to catch, bathed in superstitious tradition and mirror mythology. Even if its own soul gets lost at times, and its mystery is unceremoniously unravelled at the end, it is entertaining in its own right for all the trickery and distrust it plants in the mind for next time you see your reflection. Aja has more than room for improvement here, and it’s certain he will do just that in future projects…
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By Lisa Keddie
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Synopsis
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A mall security guard becomes wrapped up in a mystery involving a particular department store’s mirrors which seem to bring out the worst in people.
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Film Facts
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Official UK site: http://www.mirrorsmovie.com/
UK release date: 10th October 2008
Director: Alexandre Aja
Writers: Alexandre Aja, Grégory Levasseur
Cast: Kiefer Sutherland (‘Ben Carson’), Paula Patton (‘Amy Carson’), Cameron Boyce (‘Michael Carson’), Erica Gluck (‘Daisy Carson’), Amy Smart (’Angela Carson’)
UK Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Certificate: 15
Run-time: 111 mins
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Video on Real.com
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Trailer:
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TWO CLIPS:
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Kiefer Sutherland Interview:
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Mood Sizzle Featurette - with Kiefer Sutherland:
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Did you know…
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- The Romans imbued mirrors with the power to reflect one’s soul and affect his or her well-being. This, coupled with their belief that life renews itself every seven years, led to the centuries-old legend that seven years of bad luck will follow anyone who breaks a mirror
- Steeped in cultures from Rome to the Far East is a common lore casting mirrors as malevolent entities that trap the souls of the living - thereby causing death - or imprison the souls of the departed before they can reach the afterlife, cursing their spirits to eternal captivity
- Kiefer Sutherland agreed to do the film after a brief meeting with Alexandre Aja, even before seeing The Hills Have Eyes
- Kiefer Sutherland admits that scary films are very hard for him to watch, admitting to sending his popcorn into the air at the shark scene in Finding Nemo!
- In real life, Sutherland does not like mirrors: “I don’t like looking at myself very much… It’s very odd to be looking at yourself all the time while you’re working. That was a very interesting aspect of making this film”
- The film was shot almost entirely in Bucharest, Romania, with the exception of key exteriors, which were shot in New York. Bucharest was selected by film-makers because of its formidable Academy of Sciences building, a massive structure commissioned by oppressive Communist leader Nikolae Ceausescu, which was left unfinished following his death in 1989
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