.jpg)
M. Night Shyamalan left a hole in my soul a few years back, and Alex Proyas just filled it. Happy now.
With Knowing, Director Proyas masterfully weaves the tale of John Koestler, an astrophysicist still intensely grieving the loss of his wife and ably raising a young son. One day the son's class opens a 50-year-old time capsule as part of a school event, bringing into their possession a set of numbers that appears to predict dire events in the very near future.
Nicolas Cage delivers his customary solid performance; I'd been sensing a certain lackluster quality from him as of late, but was happily impressed (after Moonstruck, he gets a lifetime pass from me anyway, but I was still kind of missing him). If like me it occurred to you that Knowing might merely be his attempt to erase Next, worry not. (Neither is it The Number 23 redux.)
Houston's own Chandler Canterbury gives another terrific turn as son Caleb, who is vulnerable yet able to face what comes at him, and self-aware without being precocious. A youngster's performance can make or break a film, and Canterbury's command never wavers (think Dakota Fanning).
Together, John and Caleb escort us through a variety of themes, further exploration of which will have to wait until another day lest we spoil the delicious twists and turns.
Execution is breathtaking: scrumptious visual effects, truly spine tingling moments, surprises out of nowhere, and I actually had one moment of thinking, "Okay, now I really have no idea where this is going to go..." (a rare occurrence, indeed).
And though it belongs squarely in the purview of the "conspiracies or all-consuming natural disasters that dictate our lives" category (The Da Vinci Code, Deep Impact), Knowing manages to remain deeply personal throughout. In the face of predictive fact, we never feel without control; in the face of unstoppable force, we are never left without choice.
Without giving a single thing away, one could call Knowing "The Day After Tomorrow meets The Sixth Sense meets"... well, again, that must be left for another day. If you like Shyamalan at his best, the prediction is you'll enjoy this one.
Knowing opens Fri Mar 20th: Click here for the trailer. Visit Fandango for theaters and showtimes.
Comments