Awake

After Derailed, this is another clever premise botched by a not so clever director. Weinsteins once again tried to skimp on the director and thought that in order to have a big hit, they just needed an interesting screenplay and good cast. And once again they ended up with something between a box office bomb and a direct-to-DVD release. Awake has a unique atmosphere, which is nice, and we have seen Hayden Christensen in worse roles, but the “dramatic twists” that are supposed to turn the plot upside down are just as awkward as in Derailed, and what’s worse, they are sometimes predictable. The fewer dime-a-dozen American thrillers you’ve seen and the more beer you drink before watching Awake, the fewer problems you will have with that. (05/05/2008)

The subject is not bad at all, as it's based on a truly original idea, but in my opinion, it is too directed and played for effect. The same can be said about the screenplay. For the film to work in my eyes, it would have to abandon the traditional Hollywood thriller framework and have a much higher-quality cast. Like this, it is a stylish but pretentious game, where logic suffers in some moments. Overall impression: 45%. (04/01/2011)

On the one hand, Awake is quite a cleverly constructed thriller with fine elements and an unforgettable atmosphere, but on the other hand, there are too many missteps, nonsense and bullshit to make it a good film (people going to the operating theatre as they please, some far-fetched twists and turns, unrealistic behaviour of the characters, etc.). I have quite mixed feelings with the result, some passages were very good, but as a whole it is a kind inconsistent and in the end it is "only" average and doesn't go anywhere higher. And yet the idea is one of the most original we could wish for... (28/07/2022)

A huge surprise that I'll probably be chewing on for a while. I love it when a movie gets me like this and then I have to show it to everyone around me. This will be one of those that everyone around me will have to watch with me. What I like about the movie are the few unexpected twists and the constant intrigue. At the end I would have liked some kind of encounter between Clayton and the traitors. Jessica Alba's performance is good, Hayden Christensen surprisingly even better. A nice thriller. 4.6 stars. (27/07/2011)

A film shot in a captivating way, with intimacy and impassioned romance that perfectly harmonize with an excellently crafted screenplay and an original idea that I may not have seen in the world of cinema before. For the first time in her life, Jessica Alba is not just an ornament, and Hayden Christensen is not a laughing stock. This fact alone is so rare that it is impossible to watch the film without enthusiasm. Add excellent supporting roles and a minute-by-minute brutal and uncompromising attack on emotions, and both Hayden and the viewer cannot help but be amazed at how everything eventually turns out. The final transformation is hardly believable, but conceptually entirely acceptable. An original and disarming film, in an intimate and heartfelt way. (28/11/2008)