I.T. (2016) Review!!

Synopsis – Mike Regan has everything he could ever want, a beautiful family and a top of the line smart house. The company he owns is on the verge of changing flight leasing forever. That is, until the relationship with his closest advisor turns nasty, to the point where his teenage daughter is being stalked and his family is under attack through every technological facet of their lives.

My Take – Generally, a film starring former 007 agent star Pierce Brosnan would make some form of headlines or would have some kind of hype surrounding its release, well that isn’t the case here. It seemed that producers (including executive producer Brosnan) behind the flick somehow knew that the film they are offering has nothing special in any form. As the trailers promise, this film by director John Moore is just another reinterpretation of the ‘Acquaintance Turned Maniac’ thriller Hollywood has been doing for decades. Sure, it has a few positive attributes: intelligent casting, a compelling supporting character and computer jargon that meshes neatly with the premise. But the list of weaknesses is much longer: it doesn’t stray far from the usual stalker-thriller tropes, seen more effectively done before in films like Cape Fear & Fatal Attraction. Be warned this is one of those thrillers that’s hard to take seriously, as the screenplay relies on its characters acting dumb solely to steer the film forward.

The story follows self-made business tycoon Mike Regan (Pierce Brosnan), who is on the verge of taking his aviation company public. His press presentation encounters a technical glitch that is quickly addressed by a new temp, 28-year-old hacker named Ed Porter (James Frecheville). Thankful for his last minute save, to show his appreciation to this new employee invites Ed over to his ultra modern and introduces him to his wife Rose (Anna Friel) and 17-year-old daughter Kaitlyn (Stefanie Scott). While there Ed fixes the Wi-Fi, updates the home security system and even the GPS in Mike’s car cementing his status as Mike’s favorite IT guy. Ed, who doesn’t pick up on social cues readily if at all, thinks he and Mike are friends and envisions not only regular social visits to the Regan household but also romance with Kaitlyn. He begins to chat/stalk the girl online, much to the alarm of his boss and his wife. The numerous faux pas by Ed results not only in his being rudely shunned by Mike but by his dismissal from his job. Ed, who has made a convincing act of normalcy is in fact a heavy drug user with serious mental health issues. He takes the impasse very personally and uses the access he had to Regan’s business home to hack in and cause trouble. The angrier Mike gets the more he menaces Ed who responds by making the attacks more severe. Honestly, I never came to the theater with great expectations of this one. It just follows an already known path and delivers nothing special to be remembered for. The acting is on a similar level, maybe the antagonist stood out a bit more than the others, but not by a huge margin. To its credit, the film does start off promising but then falls prey to convention. With a brief 95-minute run-time, director John Moore has to rush through a proper build. The accelerated pace comes at the expense of logical decisions and a slower burn of Ed’s detour to Stalker Town. While the production values are fair and the concept of an infiltrated “smart house” is at least moderately engaging, the film is still tough to endure. This film is the worst case scenario, that people in todays time face. The use of technology by the psychotic hacker to destroy the Regan family & business life is not a stuff of science fiction any more. The film has one particularly telling scene involving the daughter. Children are especially vulnerable to predators online. While the film does go to an extreme, how many times do we read or hear about an incident involving a teen’s internet activities. The plays successfully to that fear and the awful repercussions. The best bit is about two-thirds into the film and is straight out of a spy film, complete with raincoats and clandestine encounters on park benches. Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist as Henrik enters the scene and, while systematically stripping out the very connectivity that makes Regan’s entire life so hackable, quietly unpicks the character motivation for Ed Porter’s now completely unhinged behavior.

Despite some interesting ideas being played out, the film loses its momentum & awe in the third act, when every outcome becomes predictable. The merit that the film earns is by not making any of the proceedings outlandish: all of the fears around smart homes, hackers, and the psychological nightmare of a broken network are justified. Director John Moore, best known for directing Behind Enemy Lines, The Omen remake, Max Payne and A Good Day to Die Hard, takes a step back with this high-concept new film. He employs similar slow-motion shots of blood, guns, and clenched jaws here. The film cycles through several genres, starting with a shiny tech tale, complete with looming IPO and a Securities and Exchange Commission fraud squad. Then it shifts to a blood-and-gore thriller as one man hunts down another. Dan Kay and William Wisher’s screenplay makes Porter too wide-eyed and credulous. At other times, though, he’s whip-smart and ruthless. For the most part, the split-personalities don’t jibe. Plus the screenplay relies on Mike acting like an idiot and illogical conveniences. While he’s not tech savvy, to run a business, Mike would need basic common sense. Presumably that wouldn’t include giving a stranger complete access to his home’s tech system. Kay & Wisher have to awkwardly force some issues like a bathroom camera so Ed can watch Mike’s 17-year-old daughter masturbating in the shower. The final scenes are almost unwatchable but you also want to know how It all ends right? Despite falling flat in the end, the film does some earn points for being a brave attempt at showcasing the pitfalls of our interconnected society — and of course creepy stalkers — but those themes have been better mined in better films right. Pierce Brosnan tries hard to make Regan likable and sympathetic. We all know, Brosnan is a more than capable actor in any role. He delivers his standard strong performance and makes the film watchable. James Frecheville’s Ed Porter is a thin character who’s too gullible to be a memorable antagonist. Even though it seems he is trying his best, the timid screenplay can’t prevent Frecheville to seem comically over the top in the worst possible manner. Stefanie Scott is likable while Anna Friel is distractingly bad. Michael Nyqvist is awesome as always. On the whole, ‘I.T.’ has some interesting concepts going for it, yet ends up being an unremarkable, forgettable film which doesn’t even have the decency to be bad in a trashy, guilty pleasure manner.