Movie Review: Slow Burn

Shot in 2003, this overly convoluted thriller is finally seeing the light of day. It probably should have been relegated to the direct to DVD market. It sets up an interesting tale of identity, both racial and personal, but quickly slips into a cheap knockoff of Christopher McQuarrie's infinitely superior Usual Suspects. The wide array of stars attempt to take a big bite out of the script, but for all of their self important bluster they fall short of invigorating the stoic proceedings.

The tale centers on Ford Cole (Ray Liotta). He is a hot shot district attorney with designs on the mayor's seat. A big part of his campaign is assistant DA Nora Timmer (Enterprise's Jolene Blalock), who claims black heritage, a fact which has helped her become the top gangland prosecutor. All of her success becomes a moot point when she staggers out to the street, face covered in blood, telling a story that she was raped by the man laying dead in her bed.

What follows this show opening event is a web of ever escalating layers of deception and misdirection as Cole tries to dig to the bottom of barrel to scrape up the truth that lies beneath the sludge of the cover ups. The barrel gets a little deeper on short order when Luther Pinks (LL Cool J) shows up on the scene. He shows up just in time to spin a story that runs contrary to Timmer's assertion of rape and self defense. Pinks tells of an affair that was going on between Timmer and the dead man, Isaac Duperde (Mekhi Phifer). Pinks claims that Timmer was working Duperde for information on a hard to pin down crimelord, Danny Lewton.

Clues are laid down to point to a few characters actually being Danny Lewton. While the truth is in the process of being distilled, time becomes an issue as evidence of some big unknown going down at 5AM, plus Cole's own affair with Timmer is going to come out. So, Cole is under the gun as he tries to piece everything together.

Slow Burn's truth is discovered in some bits of what a few characters have to say, but the biggest reveal can be discovered early on when you factor in what purpose all of the characters serve, one will stand out, making him the owner of a big secret, can you tell who it is?

The story seeks to delve into the nature of identity, who you claim, who claims you, and what you can pass for. Is it possible to know anyone by how they present themselves? Is everyone putting on a front as a means to an end? Slow Burn tries to dive into the deepend of the identity pool, but it hits its head on the rocks when it tries to be too serious.

Bottomline. In the end the movie ended up being a slow burn, as in slow pacing and the growing burn of frustration as everything comes flying off the rails. The actor involved give a valiant attempt to inject a sense of seriousness to the affair, but it isn't enough to make it watchable. Then there was the string of awful food metaphors...

Not Recommended.