Justice

The month of january Johnson and Nicolas Cage in 'Justice.' A Momentum Pictures (in U.K.) discharge of an Endgame Entertainment Co. presentation in colaboration with Aura Film Partnership and Fierce Entertainment of the Endgame Entertainment, Material Pictures and Ram Bergman production. (Worldwide sales: FilmNation, La.) Created by James D. Stern, Ram Bergman, Tobey Maguire. Executive producers, Douglas E. Hansen, Jenno Topping, Julie Goldstein, Christopher Petzel. Co-producers, Dork Pomier, Lucas Cruz. Directed by Roger Donaldson. Script, Robert Tannen, Yuri Zeltser, from the story by Tannen, Todd Hickey.Will Gerard - Nicolas Cage Laura Gerard - The month of january Johnson Simon - Guy Pearce Jimmy - Harold Perrineau Trudy - Jennifer Contractor Lt. Durgan - Xander Berkeley Alan Marsh - Jason Davis Scar - IronE Singleton Cancer - Wayne Pere Det. Eco-friendly - Marcus Lyle Brown Sideburns - Dikran Tulaine Det. Rudeski - Joe ChrestNearly 2 yrs after cameras folded in New Orleans on "The Hungry Rabbit Jumps," the Nicolas Cage-starring vigilante thriller, now retitled "Justice," has began hitting theaters in Europe and Hong Kong. It is not well worth the wait: This unconvincing, workmanlike genre piece reps a substantial dip in quality for director Roger Donaldson after his 2008 heist pic "The Financial Institution Job." Without any release date yet for that U.S., where its title is "Seeking Justice," ancillary reps the pic's best opportunity for modest recoupment. Situated in Blighty as counterprogramming to "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Beginning -- Part 1," the pic gained just 183,000 ($293,000) from 244 movie theaters in the first couple of days, showing a quick exit from theaters. Within the recent "The Following 72 Hours,Inch audiences rooted for Russell Crowe's British teacher to get an unlikely expertise and bust his wife from prison. "Justice" attempts an identical trick, casting Cage as nice-guy British teacher Will Gerard, easily clothed in corduroy pants and spectacles. When his music performer wife, Laura (The month of january Johnson), is extremely raped, Will feels their own powerlessness. Enter shaven-headed, sharp-suited Simon (Guy Pearce), who offers street justice for that crime in return for the next favor of vaguely modest proportions. The rapist will be summarily performed. Simon is just like his word when he later asks Will to do some routine surveillance on the guy he claims is really a child molester. However the stakes rise when he demands which will murder the suspect under consideration. Inside a contrived passage, Will finds themself suggested as a factor within the dying of the local newspaper reporter, held for police interrogation after which freed with a rogue cop when he discloses his understanding from the vigilante network's code phrase, "The hungry rabbit jumps." Obviously, it works out he was best in custody of the children. Despite a 2-part climax, beginning having a monster truck rally in the New Orleans Superdome, then moving towards the abandoned New Orleans Center retail center, "Justice" lacks the consistent thrills that may let the audience to indulge its numerous implausibilities. In another questionable selection of roles, Cage is unpersuasive being an inner-city schoolteacher, a component that provides him little leeway look around the loopier shades which were displayed so entertainingly in "Bad Lieutenant: The avenue for call New Orleans" and "Kick-Ass." As Will's friend and friend, gifted thesp Harold Perrineau is not given much to utilize, and Pearce (drafted near to the shoot start date) does not seem sensible from the shadowy Simon character, whose motivation remains obscure, partially since the p.o.v. remains almost solely using the protag. One particularly troubling part of the film is its ambivalent perspective on vigilante action, disapproving much more of its corrupt execution than its essence. Lenser David Tattersall uses compact digital camera models to capture a genuine flavor of publish-Katrina New Orleans, but such verisimilitude appears wasted around the script credited to Robert Tannen and Yuri Zeltser (working from the story by Tannen and cinematographer Todd Hickey), though because of the extended duration of publish-production, what resemblance the finished film bears for their original conception is anyone's guess. Inclusion of moments in the city's newspaper, police department as well as an urban senior high school indicates an ambition to provide texture and flavor like "The Wire," clearly an positive goal.Camera (color, wide-screen, HD), David Tattersall editor, Jay Cassidy music, J. Peter Robinson music supervisor, John Houlihan production designer, Dennis Washington art director, Kelly Curley set decorator, Alice Baker costume designer, Caroline Eselin Schaffer seem (Dolby Digital), Pawel Wdowczak supervisory seem editor, Trevor Jolly re-recording mixer, Leslie Shatz effects coordinator, David K. Nami visual effects administrators, Dick Edwards, Christopher Bremble visual effects, Invisible Effects, Modern Videofilm, Base-Forex stunt coordinator, Andy Cheng assistant director, Jonathan McGarry second unit director, Cheng second unit camera, John Peters casting, Mary Vernieu, Venus Kanani. Examined at Courthouse Doubletree Hotel, London, November. 2, 2011. Running time: 105 MIN. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com