The Flock (2007)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Wai-keung Lau

Writers:

Hans Bauer (writer)
Craig Mitchell (writer)

Release Date:

4 August 2007 (Japan)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Your fear is their desire

Plot:

This film is about a hyper-vigilant employee of the department of public safety who, while training his young female replacement, has to track down a missing girl who he is convinced is connected to a paroled sex offender he is investigating.

Plot Keywords:

Sex Offender | Investigation | Retirement | Pornography | Flashlight

Cast

Richard Gere	...	Erroll Babbage
Claire Danes	...	Allison Lowry
KaDee Strickland	...	Viola Frye
Ray Wise	...	Bobby Stiles
Russell Sams	...	Edmund Grooms
Avril Lavigne	...	Beatrice Bell
Kristina Sisco	...	Harriet Wells
Dwayne L. Barnes	...	Vincent Dennison (as Dwayne Barnes)
Matt Schulze	...	Glenn Custis
Debrianna Mansini	...	Harriet's Mother
Ed Ackerman	...	Louis Kessler
French Stewart	...	Haynes Ownby
Paul Scallan	...	Missing Girl's Father
Susan Conklin	...	Missing Girl's Mother
Carmen Serano	...	Woman in Gorilla Suit

MPAA:

Rated R for perverse content involving aberrant sexuality and strong violence, and for language.

Runtime:

105 min | Canada:97 min | USA:96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:M18 | UK:18 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:16 | Argentina:16 | Germany:18 | Portugal:M/18 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Australia:MA | Taiwan:R-12 | Finland:K-15 | Peru:18 | South Korea:18 | New Zealand:R18 | Italy:VM18 | Mexico:C | Japan:R-15

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Bauer Martinez Studios

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Erroll is flicking through Vincent Dennison's stuff. He opens a pornography magazine up. When he skips to the next page, exactly the same photo is shown on it.

Quotes:

Allison Lowry, Erroll Babbage: Tell me about your double life. What do you think about? I think about a girl who's dead because I didn't look in a closet.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2008-05-17)" (2008)

Outstanding

After Chicago, I was beginning to lose all respect for Richard Gere and then along came The Flock. There's just so far a nice smile and a couple of stock facial gestures can get you, but he proved to me that he's finally gotten hold of his craft and can act with the best of them. Clare Danes was also super as his "trainee/replacement". Some have suggested there was too much unnecessary violence, but I don't see it that way. Nothing I saw detracted from the power of this film. I was really shocked I hadn't heard of it being released in theaters and came across it at Blockbuster instead. Really an exceptional film with just the right blend of action, suspense, thrills, and social consciousness. As good as 7even? Well, maybe. And you'll see better acting out of Gere than anyone's ever gotten out of Pitt.