Director: James McTeigue
Writer: Philip Shelby (Screenplay)
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Pierce Brosnan, Dylan McDermott, Robert Forster, James D’Arcy, Angela Bassett
Plot: A Foreign Service Officer in London tries to prevent a terrorist attack set to hit New York, but is forced to go on the run when she is framed for crimes she did not commit.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Very Solid Thriller
Story: Survivor starts with a mission in Afghanistan with an all out gun battle going on in the streets. We see the two helicopter pilots captured by the enemy where they learn one has value but the other is worthless in their eyes.
Skip to London where we watch a secret mission going on with Kate Abbott (Jovovich) the new security officer. Kate brings a new addition to the office with includes Sam Parker (McDermott) and Bill Talbot (Forster). Kate works as the new head security making sure terrorists don’t get into the country and questioning anyone who seems out of place, she knows about fake visa but that opens the doors to new enemies for her.
When the terrorists wanting to bring in illegal immigrates hear this news they turn to Nash (Brosnan) and specialist for hire. Kate continues to investigate her case learn that scientists have been coming into the country and granted visa even if they have questionable back-stories. Kate ends up making enemies in all the wrong places grabbing the attention of Inspector Paul Anderson (D’Arcy) and the Ambassador Maureen Crane (Bassett).
When Bill plans a birthday celebrations for all his co-workers it turns out to be a trap as Nash planets a bomb for the terrorists, but not everything goes to plan when Kate isn’t in the building at the time and survivors the attack having to go on the run from the ruthless Nash. Kate has to use all her training to survive from friends and enemies alike as she is made out to be the prime suspect in the terrorist attack, with no one to turn to she has to prove who committed the crime before the next major terrorist attack happens on US soil
Survivor takes a lot of the technical side of terrorist stories and puts it into a good old fashion thriller, we get the traditional one person being chased by both sides but we all know that person is innocent. We do get a lot of generic characters but what this film does is try and keep the pace going not wanting to let us take a breathe from the moment the bomb goes off. Many people will talk badly about this film because of its true lack of originality but in the end it does end up using the known ideas that work to make this entertaining. This will go under the radar at the box office but it is well worth a watch and it will give good enjoyment for all the thriller fans out there. (7/10)
Actor Review
Milla Jovovich: Kate Abbott is the newly hired asset to help with security in the American Embassy, when she starts digging into the truth she ends up becoming the target of the next terrorist attack. She gets framed for the attack and must go on the run from an assassin and the people she is meant to be working for to clear her name and uncover the truth. Milla does give us a good performance but we all know she is a good action star and a very good female lead. (7/10)
Pierce Brosnan: Nash is the deadly assassin know as the ‘Watchmaker’ who get hired to kill Kate and her team but when she escapes the bomb radius he has to track her down and finish off the job he started. Pierce gives us a good performance also showing us that he isn’t afraid to play the villain after all the years as James Bond. (7/10)
Dylan McDermott: Sam Parker is the one person that seems to stand by Kate wanting to believe she is innocent while everyone else is seeing her as guilty. He tries to find her to bring her in but is constantly followed by Inspector Anderson. Dylan gives a solid performance that we expect to see in the supporting roles. (6/10)
James D’Arcy: Inspector Paul Anderson is the man trying to track down Kate to close the case on the bombing in his city, he answers to anyone in power from England as doesn’t want to stop to ask questions first. James plays the typical idiot police officer that makes us all laugh. (6/10)
Angela Bassett: Maureen Crane is the Ambassador of the US Embassy who wants to mess cleaned up as quick as possible, she is the one that hired Kate to help increase security in the UK. Angela does a solid job in the role but never really gets enough screen time to do anything with. (6/10)
Robert Forster: Bill Talbot is the head of the security team but has been getting blackmailed into passing visas through the system so he can get his son back. Robert gives us a solid supporting role which tests us to wonder what we would do to save a loved one. (6/10)
Support Cast: Survivor has a supporting cast of the victims of the opening attack as well as the terrorist group who have been carefully playing their next attack
Director Review: James McTeigue – James gives us a very solid thriller that won’t leave too much the imagination but does what we need to see. (7/10)
Action: Survivor does keep the action rolling once the first attack happens but mostly through chases. (7/10)
Thriller: Survivor keeps you guessing right to the end about just what the attack is going to be. (8/10)
Settings: Survivor keeps the settings very generic and iconic to help make us find it easy to identity the location. (7/10)
Suggestion: Survivor is one for the action thrillers fans to enjoy, it is easy to watch but don’t expect anything to the level of the Bourne film. (Action Thriller Fans Watch)
Best Part: Good pacing.
Worst Part: The characters never look into any other potential leads.
Action Scene Of The Film: Final short fight.
Believability: No (0/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: Could do, depends on Box Office.
Post Credits Scene: No
Similar Too: 24
Oscar Chances: No
Budget: $20 Million
Runtime: 1 Hour 36 Minutes
Tagline: Framed. Abandoned. Hunted.
Overall: Survivor is a good thriller but won’t go down as a classic just as an enjoyed one.
Rating 
