Freeze Frame

Freeze Frame

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Editorial Reviews

TRAUMATIZED BY HIS ARREST & NEAR-CONVICTION FOR A SERIES OF BRUTAL MURDERS, SEAN HAS BECOME A TRUE PARANOID. CONVINCED THAT THE POLICE ARE DETERMINED TO SET HIM UP, HE HAS SPENT 10 YEARS VIDEOTAPING EVERY MOMENT OF HIS LIFE AS INSURANCE WHEN THEY CONFRONT HIM ANOTHER CRIME.

Customer Reviews

a little science-fiction?

Reviewed by Chris, 2010-02-17


The many years going through life with a camera on at all times seems a little far out.

Suspenseful Techno-Thriller

Reviewed by vitajex, 2009-12-10

A dark, disturbed paranoiac's nightmare, 'Freeze Frame' follows the life of Sean Veil, a man wrongfully accused of murder who has spent the last ten years of his life videotaping every moment, to provide himself an alibi when the people who tried to frame him inevitably attempt again. When the police arrest him for the 5 year old murder of a recently discovered body, he finds the tapes from the day in question are missing. A flight from the law- and a quest for truth begin... Featuring a wonderful performance from Lee Evans as Veil, vulnerable, confused, and frazzled; and some nice twists and turns, this film will thrill.

"You sound a bit jealous, if you don't me saying so"

Reviewed by J from NY, 2007-03-14

Despite the macabre/insane premise of this film, I have to say that I found it hilarious in parts. The satirical part of it will escape many and understandably so; the performance by Lee Evans gives the impression of a person who is no longer human at all but a hunted, wounded animal careening around and looking for an exoneration that won't matter in the end, and does it agonizingly well.

To enjoy this you have to throw out all realism: how the hell would Veil even be able to afford all this technology, if he's just some regular guy who gets accused of murder? The terrifying paranoia of the entire thing
is brought home with a delivery that transcends realism--the atmosphere of subjective strangulation is at times palpable.

The ending is sort of disappointing but in some ways exactly what you wouldn't expect--all this twisting and bending of events for a benign (or as benign as it can be in the circumstances) conclusion?

I chuckle even thinking about this movie. A novel, unique exercise in what the powers that can inflict on someone.

Theory of Paranoia: Stylish Camera and Overcooked Story about Murder Mystery

Reviewed by Tsuyoshi, 2006-04-17

This UK-Ireland film (shot in Ireland) has one of the most stunning visuals and ingenious camerawork I ever seen recently, but the film's convoluted story is so far-fetched and even preposterous, that I started to care less and less about the `truths' behind the mystery, and wanted to know more about the strange lifestyle of the wrongly (?) accused hero played by Lee Evans. Yes, it is Lee Evans, best known as stand-up comic.

Lee Evans is cast against type and does a serious role, and provides a surprisingly strong performance as Sean Veil, who was once accused of the brutal murders of a mother and two daughters. After being nearly convicted, Sean has been traumatized since the scandal that tainted his reputation, and he adapts a new way to defend himself from further possible accusations, shooting the pictures of his own life on video around the clock. He literally keeps taping his life every minute, even when he is outside his tightly-guarded dungeon-like flats.

After leading his life for ten years in this way, tormented by paranoia, Sean becomes a suspect for another murder case again. Sean must confront the same detective who arrested him ten years ago, and the same profiler who still believes firmly that Sean is the killer of the unsolved murders.

The film's story is initially intriguing with the striking visual flair effectively using CCTV cameras. But the story about the lonely life of the obsessive hero soon gets lost among the narrative confusion and impossible motives and behaviors of the characters, leaving us with too many questions that would not be answered. In the latter half the film gets too busy showing twists and turns, which are too many to most of us, and these overwritten mysteries finally make the eccentric behaviors of central character Sean look more risible than understandable.

Lee Evans who actually shaved his head and eyebrows, gives a credible portrait of the one who is driven to paranoia, and the first-time director John Simpson shows stylish camera work, but the overcooked scenario becomes rather silly especially in the last chapters. It is a shame that `Freeze Frame' fails to live up to its potentially intriguing story about paranoia and the talent of Lee Evans.

great performance by Evans

Reviewed by Roland E. Zwick, 2005-11-11

Sean Veil is the ultimate paranoiac, a man so convinced that everyone is out to get him that he's even begun spying on HIMSELF. However, there is actually a method to his madness, for unlike many paranoiacs, Sean has a valid reason to be fearful and suspicious of those around him. About ten years prior to the time of the story, Sean was falsely arrested for the brutal slaying of a woman and her two young daughters - a crime for which he was eventually acquitted, although the experience has left him emotionally devastated and psychologically damaged. His reputation ruined, Sean has since devised an elaborate system whereby he can videotape himself 24/7, so that he will always have an alibi if someone ever attempts to accuse him again of a crime he didn't commit. Unfortunately, Sean soon discovers that even the latest in modern technology can't guarantee his safety if the forces out to get him can figure out how to beat him at his own game.

This quirky and original Irish film suffers a bit from the constraints of its budget and the amateurishness of some of the performances. Director John Simpson's split screen technique, though intriguing at first, becomes a bit trying after awhile, and the storyline is not always as cleanly and clearly developed as it might be, although the drab, colorless look of the film perfectly reflects the drab, colorless life of its protagonist.

The movie overrides most of its flaws thanks to one element that is the real thing: Lee Evans' searing and uncompromising portrayal of an innocent man driven to the brink of madness by his obsessive need to prove that innocence. With his nervous, soft-spoken demeanor and constant look of terrified submission, Evans makes what could have been a creepy, repulsive character into a thoroughly sympathetic figure. We find ourselves so drawn to his predicament and so involved in his fate that, even at those moments when the movie itself falls flat, we stick with it anyway.