Knowing

Review by Anthony Morris

The real star of Knowing isn't a (fortunately) subdued Nicolas Cage, or an overacting Rose Byrne, or even the steady hand of Aussie director Alex Proyas (I, Robot, The Crow)...

The biggest star is in fact the Geelong bypass, on which a major scene (involving a plane crash) of this shot-in-Melbourne thriller was filmed. 

As we all know, it doesn't matter how good or bad an overseas film shot in Melbourne is. All that counts is getting to have a laugh at the various Melbourne landmarks we are now expected to believe exist in some unnamed US metropolis. 

That said, thanks to CGI and a story that mostly takes place in the suburbs, there is not a lot of Melbourne to recognise here.

The is one outdoor shot which shows the Melbourne skyline with a whole lot of CGI skyscrapers added, a scene set in New York looks more than plausible until you spot the tram tracks and a final sequence involving a city in disarray does feature the steps of Parliament House in need of a good clean. 

But otherwise all there is to enjoy about this film is the story.

When a strange piece of paper covered with numbers is removed from a 50 year old time capsule at his son's school, Cage - a scientist who believes in nothing after the tragic death o his wife - figures out that it contains details of every major accident that's taken place in the last 50 years.

Plus a couple that are yet to happen... 

There are plenty of twists and turns here, and much like Ben Mendleshon's accent not all of them work.

But there is a solid sense of dread running throughout this film, and coupled with some gripping disaster sequences (that make the flat patches between them almost worthwhile), it's enough to make Knowing a creepy evening out.

3.5 out of 5

Knowing
Australian release: 26th March, 2009
Official Site: Knowing
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Rose Byrne, Ben Mendelsohn, Chandler Canterbury, Adrienne Pickering
Director: Alex Proyas