Whistleblower DVD
Starring: Rachel Weisz, David Stratharin, Vanessa Redgrave, Nikolaj Lie Kaas
Director: Larysa Kondracki
Rating: 3/5
Larysa Kondracki makes her feature length directorial debut with The Whistleblower, a biographical movie about Kathy Bolkovac.
Kathy Bolkovac (Weisz) is a Nebraskan police officer who takes a job working as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia.
Her expectations of helping to rebuild a devastated country are dashed when she uncovers a dangerous reality of corruption, cover-up and intrigue amid a world of private contractors and multinational diplomatic doubletalk.
First things first Rachel Weisz is terrific in this movie as a one woman army who is seeking justice for women that no one seems to care about.
Kathy’s integrity and desire for justice shines through in every scene as her cop instincts kick in - taking on not only the guys trafficking the women but her U.N colleagues that help.
But while Weisz’s performance is the driving force in this movie sadly the film itself doesn’t live up to this great central turn from the Oscar winner.
The Whistleblower suffers from some major pacing problems and director Kondracki fails to keep the tension throughout the whole film - which is a major problem.
The lack of consistent tension does make parts of the film a little flat which is a major shame - you do have to wonder what this movie would have been like in more experienced hands.
There is a superb support cast but don’t let names such as David Stratharin and Vanessa Redgrave fool you this really is the Rachel Weisz show - and the movie is all the better for it.
This is a solid real life political film that has some really great elements and, on the whole, works well. But it doesn’t quite pack the emotional punch that you would expect from a movie like this.
The Whistleblower is out on DVD & Blu-Ray now
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Tagged in Rachel Weisz