“Misconduct” is a mystery thriller that has more twists and turns than a giant box of salty pretzels. Directed by Shintaro Shimosawa from the screenplay by Simon Boyes and Adam Mason, the film has an incredible cast, including Josh Dudhamel as Ben Cahill, a high-powered litigator, Al Pacino as Charles Abrams, the senior partner of the law firm for which Ben works, Anthony Hopkins, as Arthur Denning, the multi-billionaire owner of a pharmaceutical company, Alice Eve as Ben’s wife, Charlotte, and Malin Akerman as Ben’s ex-college girlfriend Emily. The excellent supporting cast includes Byung-hun Lee, Julia Stiles, and Glen Powell.
The plot revolves around revenge, unrequited love, murder, and a pharmaceutical cover up of a drug that caused hundreds of deaths. Emily shows up after 10 years and tries to seduce Ben. Coincidentally, she is Denning’s girlfriend and gives Ben evidence that a popular drug had the test reports altered, removing any mention of the hundreds of fatalities. So the cat-and-mouse games begin and the lines soon become blurred as to who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. Ben’s wife is a nurse suffering from depression due to a family tragedy. Seemingly innocent, she, too, gets entangled in the complicated web, blurring the lines even further. In her case, let’s just say you can’t judge a book by its innocent cover.
A throbbing sound track by Federico Jusid underscores the mystery and adds to the growing tension. Michael Fimognari’s cinematography is splendid, capturing some stunning night scenes. You might leave the movie theatre with some questions about confusing plot points. However, despite some narrative flaws, “Misconduct” is an exciting 106 minutes that makes for some interesting post-screening discussions.
“Misconduct”
Lionsgate Premiere
Written By: Simon Boyes & Adam Mason
Directed By: Shintaro Shimosawa
Genre: Action Thriller
Starring: Josh Duhamel, Al Pacino, Anthony Hopkins, Malin Akerman,
Byung-hun Lee, Julia Stiles, and Glen Powell
Running Time: 106 Minutes
Rating: R
February 5, 2016 (In Theaters and On Demand)
