21 EYES (2003) **1/2 Rebecca Mader, Chance Kelly, Nestor Serrano, (voices of : Fisher Stevens, Michael Buscemi, Shae D'Lynn) Gimmicky yet affective heist drama with a unique spin: telling the crime thu the eyes of 2 off-screen police detectives attempting to piece together the jigsaw puzzle of a diamond heist where an inside job looks to be the m.o. A few clever twists and turns and the back and forth banter by world-wearily sarcastic Stevens and Buscemi boosts the otherwise predictable yet compelling screenplay by Sean Murphy and director Lee Bonner suggests a blend of Bogart flicks with a dash of Tarantino wisdom of honor among thieves.

As a native of Baltimore, I had to go see a film which was made locally. One of the local second run theaters was featuring this film. I went in not really knowing what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised. Note, if you plan to see the film, make sure to get to the showing ahead of time, as the film gets off with a bang right from the start.What I enjoyed about this film's mystery, was the approach of solving the crime from watching the security tapes. I couldn't say if there were 21 cameras involved, but certainly we see the crime go down from every imaginable angle. As two detectives are watching the tapes, things start off kind of slow, but as the night wears on, the intensity surrounding the viewing of the tapes builds and builds. In the audience, I was finding myself trying to figure things out right along with them.I can't finish this commentary without mentioning the humor. Most of the joke lines went by before I realized they were funny. Then when it struck me, the film had already moved on and I had to focus back to the plot. It may be worth watching again, just to make sure I catch all the humor.

I caught this movie last night at DCIFF. I found it very original and intriguing. You basically see about 4 different scenes, but they are replayed from different angles and the writing brings out something new in each scene each time. The plot is strong and the acting is well also.I couldn't help thinking while watching the movie that it reminded me of a cross between Momento and Mystery Science Theater 3000. The detectives commentary on the video tapes they were watching was very funny.Overall, this is a very good and very well done movie.

I stumbled upon this one at the Annapolis Film Festival (who knew?) on a weekend out in "flyover country." But I'm glad I did.The film "Replay" takes you on a mysterious ride using an intriguing new filmmaking trick: the viewer only sees tapes from a security system and listens in as detectives watch the tapes and try to figure out a crime, or if a crime has taken place at all. In other words, the audience participates with the detectives while they do their work. Very cool. The interest builds quickly as the viewer gets used to this new way of presenting a story, and it draws the audience in even deeper. As you watch the security tapes and listen to the detectives, you follow the many plot twists and possibilities that they discover. I thought we (the detectives and I) had it figured out at least three times, only to be fooled again. Because you never see the detectives, you might miss some of the wry comedy built-in to the script. But again, that only pulls you closer to the team as you get to know your "partners." You're forced to search for clues just like the detectives, and since you become part of the process, you're pulling for them. You feel frustrated like they do when the plot goes in another direction. The ending had me (and the detectives) totally surprised. I'd love to see it again just to find more stuff I missed!