The weak plot and lack of realism turns off the heat in The Kate Logan Affair. The suspense crime drama now on DVD has some good acting on the part of Laurent Lucas and good camera work, but its not enough to save it. Not a stunner, but fair game on a rainy day.
The story centers on newly hired police patrolwoman Kate Logan (Alexis Bledel) who stops a car driven by a French citizen Benoit Gando (Laurent Lucas) fitting the description of a wanted rapist/killer. After checking out his identification and reasons for being in town, Kate realizes she has the wrong man and apologizes profusely.
Later that evening at the end of her shift she passes a motel on the way home and spots Gando’s car parked in front of a room. Gando’s puzzled when Logan appears at his door. She won’t take no from him accompanying her for a drink as an apology and they set out for a local bar. When they return to the motel Logan pushes the envelope inviting herself into Gando’s room starting a sordid affair that eventually goes very bad.
The story’s not new in any stretch of the imagination, it has been played out in different ways in many films. But, Director Noel Mitrani tries hard to disguise it with some nice tactics but comes up short. Realism in a crime film to me makes for a good show. I cannot say this for Mitrani’s production that gives his audience a purely unrealistic affair from the start. An unlikely pairing of opposites, inept police work, forced acting, unrealistic situations and one unreasonable scene after the other until the unthinkable absurd twist ending.
If I could say a good thing about the film it would be the fine performance by Laurent Lucas who plays his character sensibly. He works magic around his role as the subject of Logan’s sexual intentions who finds himself in a world of danger. But unfortunately his performance could not carry the film and there in lies one of the problems.
Sometimes it’s hard to jump from television to the big screen playing a dramatic character meant for suspense and terror. As her character, forceful policewoman Logan, Alexis Bledel just can’t seem to get it right. Maybe it’s her little girl looks, sweet demeanor, or just a type cast actress that cannot fill this kind of role. Whatever it may be there’s no realistic sexual aggressiveness from her to perpetrate the affair past the first drink and that’s where the film fails.
The Kate Logan Affair is unrated but contains sexual contact, drug use, language and violence.
FINAL ANALYSIS: Storyline and acting fail to make this film a winner.[rating=2]
Specifications and additional film information:
- Cast: Alexis Bledel, Laurent Lucas, and Noemi Godin-Vigneau
- Directed by: Noel Mitrani
- MPAA Rating: Unrated
- Genre: Crime, Drama and Thriller
- Running Time: 1 hr 25 min
- Street Date: March 27, 2012
- Language: English
- Audio: 5.1 Surround Sound
- Video: 16X9 (2.35:1)
- Disc: DVD
- Subtitles: English SDH
- Distributed by: Entertainment One
