Rotterdam

Able Danger

By VARIETY STAFF, JAY WEISSBERG

An Able Danger production. Produced by Paul Krik. Line producer, Ari Krepostman. Directed, written by Paul Krik.
 
With: Elina Lowensohn, Adam Nee, Michael J. Burg, Tamara Knausz, David Coburn, Brandon Bales, Frank Deal, Greg Martin, Angela Pierce, Katya Zahkarova, Christian Contreras, Vedant Gohkale, Matthew Simon.
 

Sophomoric would be a kind description of Paul Krik's muddled black-and-white 9/11 conspiracy dud, "Able Danger." A wholesale ripoff of "The Maltese Falcon" with bits of "Kiss Me Deadly" thrown in for added imitation, pic displays a shocking lack of discipline all too common with freshman digital features, but here, the filmmakers can't sustain a scene, let alone a concept. Tale of a Brooklyn Joe swept into a cloak-and-dagger search for a hard drive proving America's sponsorship of Mohamed Atta seems to take itself seriously, though fests programming this bore risk losing any loyal following.

An over-the-top femme fatale (Elina Lowensohn, dreadful) with multiple monikers drags conspiracy theorist Thomas Flynn (Adam Nee) into a deadly hunt for computer data spelling out U.S. involvement in 9/11. Every element from "The Maltese Falcon" is ripped off and thrown away, while endless pseudo-snappy dialogue ranges from formulaic to just plain exasperating. Perfs are generally an embarrassment, especially Michael J. Burg as a Peter Lorre knock-off, making Dieter from "Sprockets" sound authentically German. Opening overdoes the computer graphics, while use of color for TV sets and computer screens passes as originality.

Camera (B&W/color, DV), Charles Libin; editors, Krik, Roberto Serrini; music, Michael Montes, John Roome; production designer, Willa Roberts; art director, costume designer, Martina Nevermann. Reviewed at Rotterdam Film Festival (Rotterdammerung), Jan. 27, 2008. Running time: 83 MIN.