DEFECTIVE ** Canada 2017 Dir: Reese Eveneshen 101 mins
In the near future, society is monitored by the State Enforcement Agency and their army of Preservers of the Peace. After witnessing the Preservers execute a woman, Rhett Murphy finds himself on the run with his estranged sister and discovering there is more to the State Enforcement Agency than anyone realizes.
Written and directed by Reese Eveneshen, Defective is an ambitious concept left unrealized by an underwhelming production. The film begins with promise as the current state of society is effectively relayed by news reports and looks on people’s faces when observing the Preservers. Sadly, the story that follows never measures up to the premise and the plot wanders aimlessly, becoming a simple chase/rescue film. The end twist comes out of nowhere and is left virtually unexplained. The acting is adequate with only Dennis Andres as Pierce delivering a solid performance. The lead Colin Paradine (Rhett) walks through the film as if he were bored but thankfully the lovely Raven Cousens (Jean) gives their scenes some much needed energy. The musical score is effective as is the camerawork, though one shot during a stairwell chase was rather exceptional and dynamic. The design of the Preservers was nicely done. The want-to-be RoboCops would look at home in a Star Wars bounty hunter crew. Beyond that, they never conveyed a sense of dread or any extraordinary abilities to garner the fear they seem to inspire. The dialogue also suffered from an overuse of the “F word” throughout the film. It is not an issue with the word, but the use never felt organic within the conversations. There was a feeling of a quota on its usage and came off as lazy writing. Had the story and plot been planned out more and a script doctor or two gone over the script, Defective has the bones of a good film. As it is, it is mediocre at best.
Review by “Big” Al Sievertson