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February 2009
PUSH

by Wilson Morales

PUSH



Distributor: Summit Entertainment
Director: Paul McGuigan
Screenwriter: David Bourla
Cast: Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, Djimon Hounsou, Maggie Siff, Scott Michael Campbell

Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller


   






























Directed by Paul McGuigan and starring Dakota Fanning, Chris Evans, Camilla Belle and Djimon Hounsou, 'Push' is filled with intrigue and action. But with its kinetic pace and convoluted storyline, the film is too infuriating to hold your interest.

The movie is set in a sci-fi Hong Kong world, where individuals known as pushers, watchers, movers, bleeders, stitchers, shifters, wipers and sniffers have telekinetic, telepathic and clairvoyant powers. When a medical experiment goes array, the lone female who survives runs away with the briefcase that holds the answer to future of her race.

That propels agent Henry Carver (Hounsou), a pusher (one who can push specific thoughts, memories and even emotions into their targets) and leader of the Division, a secret government organization, to use all his resources to find her. Nick (Evans), a second generation mover who watched his father get killed by the Division, is still struggling to make his telekinetic abilities work when 13-year-old Cassie Holmes (Fanning), a watcher who can draw the future, shows up to let him know she needs his help finding the girl survivor before the Division does.

Before you know it, they are being watched, chased and beaten by Hong Kong gangsters who have their own plan for the briefcase. Nick realizes later on that the girl who escaped and the one they are looking for, is his ex-girlfriend Kira Hudson (Belle).

The problem with 'Push' is that there's too much going on, which leaves little time for concentration. All one gets is fight scenes and action sequences, and little on the plot development. Evans, who most will remember as the Human Torch in the 'Fantastic Four' films, almost brings the same persona to this film. His character is young, gifted and out of the control, but at least in the 'Fantastic' films, he was charming. Here, he seems lost in his part. At times, he's comical and then he's serious. His role is never defined.

Having recently done the dark and depressing adult-themed films 'Hounddog' and 'The Secret Life of Bees,' it's nice to see Fanning do something light and fun. Too bad this film doesn't offer the material needed to boost her image. Belle's character is even less interesting, because screenwriter David Bourla didn't give her much to do but look disheveled for most of the film. He also threw in the contrived romance between Kira and Nick, and no chemistry exists between the two.

It's time for Hounsou to stay clear of these roles. He's beginning to act in remote. No stranger to the sci-fi genre, we've seen him in similar roles, such as 'The Island,' where his character was part of a team looking for individuals who had escaped a compound. He's too good for these kinds of parts.
'Push' has plenty of action sequences to satisfy those craving mindless entertainment, but in light of the TV series 'Heroes' and films like 'The Dark Knight,' the producers here could have done a bit better to make this superhero film super.