Movie Review - Closed Circuit

Closed Circuit ***½ (R) Conspiracy theorists can go bananas with speculation over the extent to which this espionage-themed thriller from England reflects THE TRUTH. A truck bomb kills 120 people in London. An anonymous tip leads to the location where the bomb was assembled and loaded, followed shortly by the arrest of a Turkish immigrant who’d leased that space. He claims to have sublet it to one of the terrorists killed in the explosion, knowing nothing of its contents or their plans. Two lawyers are appointed to defend him, due to special national-security procedures used for such cases.

One lawyer will defend him in the standard criminal system. But since the Government claims part of its evidence is too sensitive for public disclosure, a second lawyer handles his interests in a closed hearing before a special judge to argue for discovery if any of that intelligence might aid the main defense, thus determining how the open trial can proceed. The two lawyers may not communicate with each other　- especially after the after the second one sees the secret material.

Rebecca Hall plays the secret half of the team. The first public defender is replaced by Eric Bana after an apparent suicide. They used to be lovers, but decide to keep that on the down-low in order to avoid being disqualified for perceived conflicts of interest. The case becomes dazzlingly complicated, with more players and possibilities cropping up as the two separately prepare their defenses.　No one they encounter is who he or she seems, as all sorts of agendas swirl around them - some with lethal implications for both barristers.

Keeping up with the plot requires quite an effort between the legal procedures and the spy side of the story. The script arguably includes too many sidebars and subplots for the kind of taut thriller we’ve savored in films like Munich or Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Mercifully, the two lawyers don’t turn into action heroes while scrambling through the web of obstacles and deception, maintaining some sense of grounding in a credible cinematic reality. Ciaran Hinds, Julia Stiles and Jim Broadbent anchor a deep, talented supporting cast to fine effect in this better-than-average political thriller. (8/28/13)