It bears repeating: It is always challenging to critique what is known to be a poorly rated film, and it is that pesky word ‘poorly’ that we need to focus on. There is always some element in a film that the viewer can latch onto when trying to defend their stance on a movie, but there is little assistance when it comes to defensiveness when feelings are neutral. When it comes to movies, especially the ‘others’, the audience deserves more than neutrality. Well, this ‘movies are feel’ aspect is why I am unable to articulate my opinion regarding Damaged. It is impossible to say that there is a fluke in the story and nothing completely radically stands out either. The film may have the components of a crime thriller but it never quite crosses the line where it would be worth watching. My guess is that the weakest portions of the story will not last long in my mind. And in a year? I’ll probably be lucky to even remember the film at all.
The film begins with the introduction of Lawson (Samuel L. Jackson), a police officer who deals with homicide cases. Lawson makes his way to Scotland in order to assist local authorities and investigate the murder of several Scots. After arriving at the crime scene, Lawson begins to think if the recent deaths he is investigating belong to the murderer he has previously been in pursuit of.
But even he seems like he’s phoning it in. There’s nothing wrong with his performance. He completes the work as he has always done. But some things like his portrayal do not awe. It is as though he came, said his lines and earned his paycheck. No shade. A person has to earn. I just mean to say it is not convincing that this is his passion. However, this is the case especially because his mere presence might be enough to win some of the viewers’ confidence, quite a lot, in fact.
Susan’s performance as Jackson was as average as the rest, but there and then I thought that perhaps the reveal of the killer’s name would shock me. But I cannot say this was the case. I found myself looking for a bit more imagination on the part of the screenplay writers Paul Aiello, Gianni Capaldi, and Koji Steven Sakai. Let’s be fair, they provided the plot with a casual sense. But it feels like it is pieces of other better films and it does add anything new or inventive to the mix. That kind of repetition on a proven formula can be effective when all the other parts are rock solid. But the other parts here are anything but that.
While I respect that some viewers will see the ending as a shocker, I was disappointed instead. It looks as if everything is staged for a gimmicky, ‘gotcha’ punch at the end. However, it is not entirely a big surprise either. By the half way point, I had a fair idea of how the events were likely to turn out. And that made things a little monotonous for me.
I think in terms of action sequences, Director Terry McDonough should be praised for putting together a few noteworthy genres and mixing them together rather well prior to the end. But they are the exception rather than the rule. I felt that there could have been a little bit more of those sort of scenes, which would be the type that causes viewer tension or suspense to mix with the predictability of the film.
I also found that no character is particularly appealing. There is not much information about Lawson’s persona. There is a method to this madness. But then again, it is hard to expect much investment while the character was never fully allowed inside the audience’s view. To make it worse, he is a veteran who has turned into an alcoholic due to the job. That is quite possibly the commonest unknown in the world of crime drama. No content should be made to appear in that manner the use of which is okay in some situations.
Gianni Capaldi plays Glenn Boyd, Lawson’s Scottish counterpart and he is almost as dull as can be. Just like Jackson, Capaldi is effective and harnesses all that he has into what he is presented with. But I couldn’t get rid of the feeling that we aren’t presented with a character that we can relate to.
On the other hand, there is no complete shame in the movie. The results are quite entertaining for the better part of the film. In addition to this, other sequences, perhaps some of the crime scene archeological sites may be ok for horror lovers; some murder scenes have a lot of blood.
On the whole, Damaged is a crime thriller which will be a good watch for someone who is only looking for the basic elements of a thriller. People ready to indulge in the stereotypical story which does not add anything new to the already vast ocean of counterpart can use this film without hesitation and will not get disappointed. All others may stay away from this experience for utter uselessness.
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