2 stars (out of 5)
Director: Larysa Kondracki
Cast: Rachel Weisz, Vanessa Redgrave, Monica Bellucci, David Strathairn, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Hewlett, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Roxana Condurache, Paula Schramm.
Rating: (R16)
Based on the experience of a Nebraska policewoman who uncovered a sex-trafficking scandal in Bosnia, The Whistleblower contains all the elements of a riveting political thriller, yet somehow fails to deliver.
Kathryn Bolkovac (Rachel Weisz), is on a peace-keeping mission to postwar Bosnia when she uncovers a seedy tale of UN workers aiding local traffickers.
The scale of corruption is simply too big for one lone operative to handle.
The more Bolkovac pushes, the more danger she exposes herself to. The plot makes a lot of sense and should hook its audience. Unfortunately, the muddled screenplay and a complete lack of luminance render it nearly impossible to work out what is going on.
Sure, life in the post-war Balkans must be bleak, but by rationing the amount of light in every set-up, it's difficult to divorce the artifice from the horror. Even daytime sequences are charred beyond recognition.
Weisz performs admirably enough, ably assisted by the excellent Vanessa Redgrave, but Monica Belluci's role comes across half-baked.
As a docu-drama, The Whistleblower would be thoroughly engaging. The story is simply too horrific to ignore and as a cautionary tale about the role of private military contractors managing post-war recovery, it's just scary. The harrowing world of people-trafficking and sex slavery needs to be exposed, so for that reason, The Whistleblower is a valid exercise. But, even with a cleverly staged sinister twist near the end, it fails to leave a lasting impression.
Best thing: Exposing the issue of sex trafficking.
Worst thing: Hammy overacting and banal dialogue.
See it with: Night-vision spectacles.
- Mark Orton
