Saturday, September 3, 2011

The Whistleblower

Kathryn Bolkovac was a police officer in Lincoln, Nebraska who lost custody of her children and saw her career hitting a dead end, so she decided to take a job as a peacekeeper in postwar Bosnia. The job was only for six months and paid extremely well but while over there, Kathy discovers a ruthless sex trade in which local officials and even fellow peacekeeping officials were involved. When she tried to report these travesties, she founf her efforts being blocked at every turn, as the U.N. wished to keep the horrendous affair under wraps. "The Whistleblower" moves from scene to scene too quickly at first and doesn't create a sense of urgency for its subject. However, as the heart of the story is uncovered, the movie begins to slow down and give weight to its material. Despite the mishandled first half, Rachel Weisz towers throughout the film in an incredibly subdued performance. This role just cries out for histrionics and overacting, but Weisz puts on the brakes and reserves the dramatics for the most crucial scenes. The result is providing complete believability that her character is a law enforcement professional. "The Whistleblower" is a hit and miss drama that covers a very dark issue and is given merit by the incredible performance of Rachel Weisz.