Five Fingers (2006)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Laurence Malkin

Writers (WGA):

Chad Thumann (written by) &
Laurence Malkin (written by)

Release Date:

25 August 2006 (United Arab Emirates)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

In Morocco to assist with the creation of a food charity, a Dutchman is abducted by a terrorist.

Plot Keywords:

Terrorist | Interrogation | Shirtless Male Bondage | Bus | Beach

Cast

Mimi Ferrer	...	Dutch Woman
Laurence Fishburne	...	Ahmat
Touriya Haoud	...	Saadia
Isa Hoes	...	Mother
Antonie Kamerling	...	Policeman
Colm Meaney	...	Gavin
Ryan Phillippe	...	Martijn
Anton Sinke	...	The Donor
Saïd Taghmaoui	...	Dark Eyes
Gina Torres	...	Aicha
Delilah van Eijck	...	Waitress
Jeroen Zuidwijk	...	Dutch Man

MPAA:

Rated R for torture, violence and language including sexual references.

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Italy:T | Argentina:18 | Finland:K-15 | Australia:MA | Germany:16 | New Zealand:R16 | South Korea:18 | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Company:

24fps Productions

Goofs:

Factual errors: It is not possible to read time in seconds on an analogue chess-clock. So the brute cannot know when to begin the countdown before the flag falls.

Movie Connections:

References Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Excellent Psychological Thriller With Clever Ending

"Five Fingers" is a great psychological thriller, which takes place mainly inside a torture room. The story is about Martijn (Phillipe), a young Dutch idealist who goes to Morocco to finance a food program from money he has embezzled; his cause is encouraged by his Moroccan girlfriend, Saadia (Haoud). However, as soon as he reaches Rabat, he gets abducted by a terrorist group, led by a dark character played by Lawrence Fishburne, who believes that Martijn has come there with a sinister purpose. They interrogate him harshly, and although in the beginning he tries to explain his mission, he subsequently decides to change his story. What is the truth, then?

Malkin provides us with a carefully crafted claustrophobic setting, with the tension gradually building up as the abductors play cat and mouse with Martijn. In this theatrical atmosphere, all actors give good performances, and are even moderately successful in applying their respective accents (Dutch, Arabic).

However, the best thing of all is the clever ending, which of course I am not going to reveal here. From that alone, the film deserves an 8/10.