‘The Kane Files’ is a solid thriller, but way too familiar

The new thriller from writer-director Benjamin Gourley has some intense, nail-biting suspense. The Kane Files definitely knows how to tell an engaging story with a fast, breakneck pace. The problem with the plot is that it all feels too familiar, as if the script took a little from this movie and took a little from that movie. Without its own unique leg to stand on, the film feels secondary and forgettable.

Drew Fuller plays the title character, a good man driven to make bad choices. His son needs a heart transplant, but his lack of health insurance means there’s a hefty bill that comes with the surgery. After consulting with his wife Anna (Whitney Able), Kane figures the only option is returning to his old life for one last criminal escapade. This simple premise has been done countless times before. How many more movies are we going to see where a hit man settles things with one last job? How many times are we going to watch a misunderstood hero get stuck in difficult circumstances that are mostly not his fault?

What makes The Kane Files watchable and semi-enjoyable has little to do with Fuller and Able, two actors who never seem comfortable in their leading roles. Instead, the fun is present on the supporting front, with the roles populated by Ethan Embry, William Devane and William Atherton. They play a trio of crooked characters, all of whom get in the way of Kane and the money he so desperately needs. Embry plays a dirty cop who has a secret connection to Atherton’s character of Daniel Morgan, the crime boss who hires Kane for the final job. Devane’s FBI agent pops up from time to time, and it’s hard to define his motives. This makes him endlessly interesting, and the veteran actor plays with perfectly.

Gourley’s direction is fast-paced and a flurry of action, utilizing many cuts and little downtime. He’s obviously a talented filmmaker, even when working with a stilted script that doesn’t let anyone take a breath for a solitary second.

Besides the formulaic plot and less-than-convincing central performances, one of the greatest sins of the movie is its inability to win us over. After spending 91 minutes with Scott Kane, I’m not so sure he’s a good guy worthy of sainthood. To save his son, he is willing to shoot a man in the head. His moral capacity seems lacking, but everything in the movie — including the score, the script and the sentimental scenes with his wife — make us believe that he’s worth all this trouble, that he’s simply unable to break from this criminal life. The Kane Files is unable to prove its own thesis by the film’s end. After all is said and done, I’d lock up Kane for all that he does with the aid of his gun and sense of righteousness.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• The Kane Files

• 2012

• Written and directed by Benjamin Gourley

• Starring Drew Fuller, Whitney Able, William Atherton, Ethan Embry and William Devane

• Running time: 91 minutes

• Rated R for violence and some language

• Rating: