The Lazarus Project (2008) Reviews

• Intriguing Thriller

  claudio_carvalho2008-11-07

  In Dallas, Texas, the family man Ben Garvey (Paul Walker) is on probation but he is a hard worker of the Fort Garry Brewery Company and lives a simple life with his beloved wife Lisa (Piper Perabo) and their daughter Katie (Brooklynn Proulx). When his probation period finishes, Ben's brother Ricky (Shawn Hatosy) visits him after being released from prison and invites Ben to heist 12 kg of gold in dust from a laboratory. Ben refuses the invitation but he is fired from his job because of his record; he decides to join Ricky and his partner Phelps (Alex Sol) in the robbery. However things go wrong and Ricky, Phelps and a security guard die in the heist and Ben is sentenced to death for the murders. After his execution through lethal injection, Ben awakes working as housekeeper of the Monte Angel community in Dundee, Oregon, for Father Ezra (Bob Gunton), who explains to him that his past life is gone and now he is having a second chance. However he should never cross the boundaries of the location, otherwise he would die. Ben feels confused with the weird situation but he can not forget Lisa and Katie and forces Ezra to give a plausible explanation to him. But while working in the garden, Ben finds a frisby on the grass; he investigates and discloses the secret of the facility. "The Lazarus Project" is an intriguing thriller with an original story and great acting of the talented Paul Walker and Piper Perabo. The plot has flaws, but is engaging, well constructed and it was a nice surprise for me. The twists do not surprise like, for example, the plot point of "Jacob's Ladder", but entertains and is reasonably tight. The politically correct conclusion is commercial and corny, reducing the impact of the good story, but works reasonably well. My vote is seven. Title (Brazil): "Entre a Vida e a Morte" ("Between the Life and the Death")

• Derivative but highly watchable psycho-drama

  bob_gilmore12008-10-24

  After facing lethal injection for a multiple murder that he happened to be the only survivor of, our hero awakens to find that he is the grounds keeper at a mental hospital for priests deep in the forests of Oregon. He faces the normal confusion that would be expected by such a turn of events but actually starts to get used to this second chance at life even though he has been told by a visionary figure that he can not ever return to his old life with his wife and child. Things really start getting weird after that. While the film is sharply derivative of many other better films ranging from "The Shining" to "Jacob's Ladder" it gets by and remains entertaining because it is the type of film that hits it's modest targets squarely on. The pacing is not exactly brisk so if you require your movies to keep you awake and alert then this might not be the DVD rental for you but this psychological drama is definitely worth a rental especially if you like this type of stuff

• a haunting drama

  lordlahkra2008-10-11

  a psychological thriller that will make you think from the the beginning to the end. although a bit slow in the first parts to the middle, thats why its a psychological thriller, the climax to the end compensated for it. the lines are well delivered, a good script, all in all, a good movie. the acting's pretty convincing, particularly the way the lead actor tracks down the roots of his dilemma and the way he acted on it. i just gave it a seven coz, as i have said, the first parts makes me sleepy. just keep in mind that this in not for those who liked fast paced or some such types of movies.

• Swiss cheese

  Ismaninb2008-10-11

  To summarize: good acting, beautiful camera-work, lousy story with holes as big as in swiss cheese. To name a few: Ben gets the capital punishment for a robbery gone wrong, while he even did not wear a weapon. The evil shrink applies a program that violates a few laws but does not protect the computer on which the patient data are stored. We see a female psychiatrist being so unprofessional to make overtures to a patient - fortunately no sex involved. The evil shrink and his staff try to convince Ben that all this has been fantasy and hallucination. Still it takes Ben no effort at all to refind his dog in the nearest asylum. Somehow the movie managed a grip on me strong enough to sit through it to the cheesy end, but the main feeling afterwards is annoyance.

• This movie is slow????

  Souvik2008-10-20

  The different posts and reviews for this movie has one thing in common. They all say its a slow-paced movie. And thats what made me write this review. I will not dwell much on the story because the story itself is the main interest in this film. Rather, I would just discuss the so called 'slowness' of the film. For the people who said this is slow: What did you expect? A 10 min long movie? This movie is not slow. Period. The film is very well paced and fast. I did not find a frame in the movie to get up from my seat or even blink. Thats how fast this movie is. I do not really understand the understandings of cine-lovers when they say its not a well paced film. Really! Watch this movie. A great movie with a great storyline. Hollywood had started to getting boring the last few months and this movie breaks that numbness. Another great thriller. 8/10, Undoubtedly.