KNOWING 2.0***(but barely..more like a 1.75***) Knowing what I know now, I’m not sure I’d go to see “Knowing”. But then, I already knew about Nicholas Cage and how he doesn’t know how to pick good films anymore. And, besides, I’m a sucker for numerology mystery movies…I think it has to do with my being a Math Major from college (loved those algebra equations) and my frustration with not getting the hang of those doggone SUDOKU puzzles. In any event, I went and can now say a little bit of “Knowing” goes a long way… more like way off into the incomprehensible.
As for Nicholas Cage, he has proved time and time again since winning an Oscar, that he no longer has much range as an actor, and once again here plays his patented role - an alcoholic, cynical, one-dimensional character, an MIT astrophysicist, with a knack for solving puzzles. The unearthing of a 50-year old time capsule and the subsequent discovery of a list of numbers from the capsule that have predicted every major disaster on earth for the past 50 years, including 9/11, suddenly turns Cage's world upside down. As he seeks answers to what's happening, the plot thickens, excitement ensues...until the plot and genre go off into several perplexing and confusing directions.
The movie starts as a suspenseful mystery, a psychological thriller, then shifts gears and moves through action/catastrophe sequences into nightmarish fantasy, and ends up with a blend of rather extreme science fiction and religious themes…CONFUSED..well so was I and that’s the major problem with the film…apparently the 4 to 5 writers of the story ( always a BAD sign with multiple writers) and the Director couldn’t decide what they wanted it to be so they just threw in everything but the kitchen sink… although I think I saw that too in one of the foggy forest scenes.
I will give credit for some amazing action/disaster sequences - a shocking plane crash and a devastating subway derailment that are done with keen attention to horrifying detail and ear-piercing sound effects. BUT, even a well done action film requires a shred of plausibility to avoid becoming an unintentional joke. But “Knowing” is so unrealistic, so silly at times, that it not only strains believability—it shatters it and then stomps the heck out of it into infinitesimal piece. If you can get through the movie without suppressing a laugh or giggle or several “Are You Kidding Me’s””, you’re a better person than I . And, if you can figure out the logic of the plot even after you have left the theatre, you deserve some sort of prize….perhaps one of those little black rocks that keep showing up inexplicably in the movie.
Well, now that you know something about this movie, you can decide if you really want to see and know more about “Knowing”…I don’t think so.