The only thing more depressing that a bad movie trailer is seeing a good cast in a bad movie trailer. That’s what seems to be happening with the upcoming thriller Reclaim, which features two actors who have seen better days: John Cusack and Ryan Phillippe.
Cusack is the bad guy in this scenario, and he certainly looks the part, wearing a windbreaker and a baseball cap and being a generally not-very-nice person. He’s a scammer coming after Ryan Phillippe and his beautiful wife Rachelle Lefevre (Twilight), who are down in Puerto Rico finalizing an adoption. As the trailer informs us, it turns out that Cusack and his cronies are part of a ring who scam people into paying for an adoption and then turn around and make off with the kid – hence the “reclaim” of the title. Things are going to go from bad to worse, though, what with black marketeers and people shouting about…things. Rough times are ahead.
So, the trailer for Reclaim does not sell itself very well, but that’s not to say that the film is not going to be worth. Yes, Phillippe and Cusack have not been choosing the greatest projects in recent years, but both are good and at times great actors with compelling screen presences. The director is Alan White, who has a very short and not terribly impressive filmography, but still: maybe it will be all right.
I’m admittedly grasping at straws here. I want Cusack to start taking better roles, just to reignite some of that charm that made his performance in Grosse Pointe Blank so enjoyable. Maybe it’s just a pipe dream. He hasn’t gone totally Nicolas Cage on us yet, has he?
Reclaim will come to VOD and theaters on September 19. You can watch the trailer below and see if there’s any hope to be found in its depths.
