Search - Double Down on DVD

Quizzical masterpiece

David A. Orr | Bloomington, IN | 07/09/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Neil Breen's "Double Down" is truly a movie that leaves more questions unanswered than answers given. The story of Aaron Brand, a rogue agent who can control the national geo-spatial agency's satellites, "DD" excels at the disposition of exposition above all. There are moments of true terror and mourning, such as when Brand's lady is shot by a sniper in a public pool, only her nude-colored g-string to protect her modesty. Brand's anguish is palpable; in a moment both surreal and telling, he aspires to oblivion, floating face down in mirror image to his slain fiancee. A double assassination of two newlywed couples later in the film seems to point toward a larger theme: this world Breen has created is one without nations or social order, in which the bonds of matrimony, like any other contract, cannot be trusted. Paranoia and confusion drive Brand to seek the solace of dreams, where he meets his slain love, his childhood self, and an old man with the gift of fool's gold. Or is it? The trickster mineral seems to be the only thing that Brand can rely on, giving him the power to carry on with the love that still lives in his heart. Also, it gives the power to cure brain cancer, he thinks. This is a film which must be experienced by anyone who cares about life - on the surface it may seem to be a conspiracy thriller, but the real conspiracy is love."