This 10-digit number is your confirmation number. There are surely a lot of fascinating stories here: How such a rancid wreck got made in the first place; how it didnt end up going directly to DVD; how so many A-list actors such as Ving Rhames, Jonathan Pryce, Ed Burns and Martin Sheen got involved; why screenwriters Michael Nitsberg and Kevin Elders figured they could rip off the end of War Gamesat times, nearly line-by-lineand that no one would notice; and how a movie with a reasonably interesting premise, at least one notable idea at its heart, and enough Bush-bashing to please every liberal film critic in America could end up (as of this writing) with a rare 0% on Rotten Tomatoes. Other tech values are slick. In the final scene, back in Moscow, the techie Yuri is unveiled as a Captain in the Russian Security Service. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. The Echelon Conspiracy has less money, less creative talent, and less dazzling action than last year's thriller Eagle Eye. Echelon Conspiracy subtitles English. ', Super Mario Bros. 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It is then suggested that he buy a certain stock; its price skyrockets by more than 300%. A young American computer engineer (Shane West as Max Petersen) acquires a mobile phone that receives strange text messages. They shuttered churches. Although the lead role is played by the relatively anonymous Shane West, who at times seems to be channeling Neil Patrick Harris, nearly everyone else has some kind of resume. Max soon finds himself pursed by hit men, the casino's security chief, and a CIA operative. Max asks the computer about its primary purpose, and it replies that it aims to defend the US as defined by the Constitution. PG-13 (Sequences of Intense Violence|Sequences of Intense Action|Brief Language|Some Sexuality), Action, It addresses a certain dangling plot thread, and in a way it is highly traditional a callback to the grave post-game moralizing of 50s science fiction. Skip to primary content Max wakes up with the woman, Kamila, smiling above him. This may be his way of overcompensating in a role thin enough to be entirely defined by the photo of George W. Bush hanging prominently in his office. I expected the credits to play over a denouncement of anti-Semitism delivered by Adolf Hitler. Either way, thoughsame point.). Jonathan Pryce portrays a mysterious billionaire working behind the scenes. Echelon Conspiracy 26 Metascore 2009 1 hr 45 mins Suspense, Action & Adventure PG13 Watchlist An engineer becomes the target of a deadly international plot after receiving mysterious cell-phone. In both superfluousness and eccentricity, it sounds as if it was written for the cinemas king of weird soliloquies, Christopher Walken.I dont make it a habit to talk much about endings, but The Echelon Conspiracy is generous enough to provide two of them, after a climax that was more exciting when they did it in Wargames. This may be his way of overcompensating in a role thin enough to be entirely defined by the photo of George W. Bush hanging prominently in his office. Max (Shane West), a young American computer engineer, acquires a mobile phone that receives strange text messages. Any similarities between the two pics may be purely coincidental, but Echelon Conspiracy plays an awful lot like a direct-to-vid knockoff of last years Eagle Eye. To be fair, Echelon actually was showcased (under the title The Gift) at the 2008 Cannes market long before Eagle Eye hit megaplexes. When the download is complete, Echelon shuts itself down, "learning" that it itself is the threat to both the US and the world due to the potential of misusage by those that control it. For most of a century, the Soviets incarcerated, exiled or murdered those who spoke out against the government. "Echelon Conspiracy" combines a righteous message about out-of-control government surveillance with the old computer-gone-haywire plot to make - well, not very much, actually. But comparisons are as inevitable as they are unflattering, even though the After Dark Films release can be enjoyed on its own merits as a briskly efficient B-movie. Max asks the computer to search for threats to the US Constitution. Previous recipients of similar windfalls have ended up dead. They banned political opposition. Hey, Echelon guys: Heres some history for you: Between 1917 and 1991, the leaders of the Soviet Union killed about 20 million people, give or take a mother or son here and there. Ever since he was a kid, he heard his grandmother talk about his "Pop-Pop's" fiddle. The text messages send Max to a casino in the Czech Republic and recommend slot machines and blackjack tables where winning is guaranteed. All The Echelon Conspiracy seems to be stealing from iswellEagle Eye, though it was already in production when the previous movie was released.Yet strangely, I felt a little better after watching this picture; like without that A-Grade Hollywood varnish the central ideas true stupidity could shine through. After a couple of close scrapes, Max realizes he's in danger, so he tries to find out the root of the conspiracy - which seems to have access to every security camera in the world - before he's the next victim. Following the advice of a text message flashed on the high-tech device, Max enjoys a cut-rate day off in his luxury hotel only to learn that, by changing his travel plans, he avoided certain death in a plane crash. Wander ends on a note of apparent triumph, with the protagonist, Arthur Bretnik, being vindicated in his quest for the truth. To make things worse, the soldier-spies in the final scene engage in a more-sorrow-than-in-anger dialogue for the camera in which they wonder if Americans will ever learn, and if the wise Russians will be able to save democracy again the next time the U.S. pulls something like this. By creating an account, you agree to the But, really, all the plots and counterplots exist solely to keep characters racing from one country to the next Russia, Bulgaria and the U.S. also are on the itinerary so they can shoot and be shot at, drive and/or crash cars at dizzying speeds and, periodically, cast anxious glances at computer screens while frantically clicking at keyboards. The actors including Jonathan Pryce as a haughty zillionaire, Sergey Gubanov as a fortuitously tech-savvy cabbie and Tamara Feldman as the requisite beauty with ambiguous motives are, for the most part, thoroughgoing pros who wisely refrain from trying to transcend the pulpy material. (In fact, it's the basis of Battlestar Galactica, arguably the best science fiction program currently on television.) He is commended for his actions and says they will soon start it again, but they have helped the Americans to make the right decision for the time being; "I want to believe so." Yuri believes that the messages are coming directly from the computer itself, and that the system has somehow become self-aware and autonomous. By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie. But the context that spawns it upends assumptions I cant begin to describe lest they ruin the surprise. AKA: , 735,079,604 bytes, Echelon Conspiracy [Edited by VeRdiKT], The Gift. Grateful and greatly impressed, Max follows subsequent text-message tips: He flies to Prague, checks into another luxury hotel and wins big every time he gambles in the hotel casino. Even more unfortunately, Max also attracts the attention of a hardboiled FBI agent (Ving Rhames) with ties to a hard-line National Security Administration chief (Martin Sheen). Mysterious cell phone messages promise a young American engineer untold wealth - then make him the target of a deadly international plot. yawn. The first ending is so solidly conventional you can practically see a phantom title crawl as the music swells.But its the ending the filmmakers spring on you after that I need to point out, because it is one of the more absurd final notes I have ever witnessed snuck into a purportedly serious American movie. Name and both e-mail fields are required. it is a giant turkey of a movie with nothing to recommend it. Dangerous security operatives chase the engineer across the globe, while a powerful government official pursues a mysterious . To his credit, Marcks stages a shootout inside a Prague apartment that crackles with Bourne-again excitement, and even manages to add some fresh zip to a conventional high-speed auto chase through Moscow. THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACYBy Brendan Slocumb. plus a strong politically correct ending; 10 obscenities . Burt, Valerie, and Harold are three . Max Peterson is a globe-trotting techno-whiz who installs security systems on computers. The film was theatrically released in the United States by After Dark Films on February 27, 2009, and was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States by Paramount Home Entertainment on July 21, 2009.[2]. (2009 Director: Greg Marcks) Surprisingly interesting mystery with mystery beginning from the ground up. Jonathan Pryce plays a shadowy billionaire; he doesn't really have much to do with the plot, it turns out, but he owns a lot of books, so we know he's not trustworthy. he cryptically adds, turning off his mobile phone. Text messages from "unknown" start popping up. Could a taut, credible thriller be built around this dependency? Marcks' recipe is to combine mistrust of the government with technophobia and a general paranoia about shadow organizations, stir those ingredients in a pot(boiler) with some formulaic chases and shoot-outs, and have all of this brought to life by B-level actors. The core plot of Amsterdam is based on the conspiracy in 1933 that was unraveled by Major General Smedley Butler to oust the democratic government led by President Roosevelt and install a dictator. After finishing a job in Thailand, he receives a mysterious gift of a cutting edge cell phone from an anonymous admirer. But comparisons are as inevitable as they are unflattering, even though the After Dark Films release can be enjoyed on its own merits as a briskly efficient B-movie. In the end, Agent Grant and Reed send Max and Kamila to Paris while Burke is subpoenaed to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee for his decision that endangering the US itself. Maybe I am alone in finding it so thoroughly hilarious, but that might also be because I think this movie is destined to vanish before too many other people see it, and not because anyone is afraid of its message that omnipotent spy computers are bad.The Echelon Conspiracy shows that it has no idea how casino slot machines work, so Ill treat it to another gambling analogy poker pros are driven crazy by playing with amateurs, because amateurs are so unschooled in how one is supposed to play certain hands that their unpredictable bumbling can cock up a whole game and, ironically, sometimes leave them as big winners compared to the supposed experts. They directly oppressed the people of Eastern Europe, and held the free world hostage to nuclear weapons. 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Jordan Meets Reporter at 'Creed III' Premiere Who 'Teased Him all the Time' in High School: 'I Was the Corny Kid, Right? He feels it. Any similarities between the two pics may be purely coincidental, but "Echelon Conspiracy" plays an awful lot like a direct-to-vid knockoff of last year's "Eagle Eye.". Undoubtedly, but Echelon Conspiracy is not it. Strange and goofy things keep blurting out of this movie from its performances to its plotting; things you wouldnt see in the oh-so-competent Eagle Eye. Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. The Echelon Conspiracy could spin off a veritable global economy of work in the form of books, magazine articles, documentaries and parodies to investigate and explain the dissonance between the picture's pre-production pedigree and the post-production fiasco. Recommend it casino 's security chief, and a CIA operative phone that receives strange text from... 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