It takes a very long time for the protagonist of “Ecco” — or its viewers, for that matter — to figure out just who (or what) he is. This espionage/fugitive tale in the “Bourne” mode, albeit with le…
It takes a very long time for the protagonist of “Ecco” — or its viewers, for that matter — to figure out just who he is. This espionage/fugitive tale in the “Bourne” mode, albeit with less emphasis on physical action, also “echoes” films like “Memento” and “The Prestige” in its convoluted, puzzle-like narrative. But there’s more repetition and ponderousness than compelling intrigue in the end result here.
The opening setpiece has a private planeload of a shadowy corporation’s board members meeting a collective premature end at the hands of a pilot, who parachutes out before letting the vessel crash. The story then plunges into what seem to be two different time periods in the life of that assassin . In one, he’s getting serious with a photographer when she discovers he has many aliases, carries a gun and kills people for a living.
Both these attempts at a normal life become violently imperiled by forces from Michael-slash-Peter’s killer-for-hire past, who seek to reclaim him. In order to save himself and any loved ones still alive , he must eventually retrace his own murky roots, a trail that leads to a wheelchair-bound mastermind “father” and beyond.
All this back and forth between different strands soon grows rather tedious. Once audiences realize it’s not going to get any clearer, the piecemeal storytelling structure comes off not as ingenious but as a labored gimmick that prevents the film from gaining much suspense momentum. It doesn’t help that the two female leads are hard to tell apart, not just physically but because their character definitions scarcely go beyond casting adoring glances at the hero.
Support turns are uneven as well. Still, you can’t really fault any of the actors here for failing to transcend a script so confusing and fussy yet hollow. Though the dialogue sports more than its fair share of humorless groaners, the true problem runs deeper: This fantasy of an Unstoppable Killing Machine with a questing soul is depthless, yet takes itself verrry seriously.works to sell it.
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