Die Logan Verschwörung (2012)

Die Logan Verschwörung: Directed by Philipp Stölzl. With Aaron Eckhart, Liana Liberato, Olga Kurylenko, Garrick Hagon. An ex-CIA agent and his estranged daughter are forced on the run when his employers erase all records of his existence, and mark them both for termination as part of a wide-reaching international conspiracy.

“Erased (2012)u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eCan we make a new genre here? British/American executive/spy/father gets in trouble in Europe and has to go on the run with corporate/government/counterspy evil everywhere.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI could list some (never mind the great Bourne films, which are extremes of the type). Certainly the u0026quot;Takenu0026quot; films (there are three now) are the closest parallel, but even u0026quot;The Internationalu0026quot; comes to mind in the same vein. All of these have a sense of fear and darkness about the global order that glooms down on the characters.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnd u0026quot;Erasedu0026quot; is powerfully made, with good claustrophobic and jittery camera-work, believable acting, and a reasonable (if roughly familiar) plot. You get swept up quickly, as Aaron Eckhart juggles a high-security job and a teenage daughter going to private school. Through a quick (a peanut allergy) he avoids an early death and the movie takes off. All along the daughter is both emotional fodder for the feeling side of the film and a bit of a formative action figure (now and then). But itu0026#39;s dad who is really showing his smarts and fighting skills as an ex-CIA man.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSet in beautiful Belgium, the scenes range from those gorgeous old Europe streets and government buildings to the new Europe and high end glass corporate life. And then to the new, growing minority areas where Arabs and other Muslims live. Part of this emphasis might come from the main writer on the story, Arash Amel, who surely paints the division of cultures in a sympathetic way. Director Philip Stolzl is one of the newer generation of German mainstream directors with an eye for sweeping fast visuals and a solid plot (u0026quot;North Faceu0026quot; is highly recommended). He, perhaps too much like Tom Tykwer, is taking a detour into some well-worn territory here, but showing his chops. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eExpect to never be bored, to never know quite what might happen next, and to enjoy the ride kinetically. Even if nothing quite original happens. Ever.”