Jerry Shaw (LaBeouf) has defied pressure from his father (Sadler) and taken an unambitious path through life. So he's badly shaken when his high-achieving twin dies in an accident. But before he can return to his quiet life, he and a stranger (Monaghan) are propelled into a vortex of mayhem by the telephone voice of a mysterious woman who seems to control every computer network in America. Soon they has two tenacious Feds (Thornton and Dawson) on his tail, believing he's a terrorist. And they're headed for a climax on Capitol Hill.

After a couple of set-up scenes, the film kicks into high gear, throwing its characters into frantic car chases and bone-rattling escapes that are all manipulated by this unseen puppet-master, from the streets of Chicago to the depths of the Pentagon. While it's a genuine adrenaline rush, there's nothing really holding it together. The dialog is a string of macho jingo that sounds as if it was written by a fanboy trying to be cool. And the action scenes are all crash-bang-wallop without any coherence; we just wait to see who gets out of each set piece alive.

Not that we have any doubts. Underneath the stylish pandemonium, the story isn't exactly rocket science. Essentially, it's the same plot as 1983's WarGames, plus echoes of Wanted's reluctant action hero and 2001's red-eyed computer. And even though the script tries for moments of political resonance and deep emotion, the characters are so superficial that it comes across as sappy and strained.

That said, LaBeouf and Monaghan make likeable heroes we can identify with as they're forced into this mad, fantastical adventure. Dawson is snappy and tough, while Thornton clearly rewrote his lines to make them more snarky and engaging. Yet while the premise is great fun (and clearly gave the writers a godlike thrill), the plot feels like a cheat, barely holding together to the end while never pausing for breath. Fun while it lasts, but instantly forgettable.

themes, violence, language

29.Sep.08