Someone is taking young girls off the streets in the US state of Buffalo. No bodies have shown up. No evidence of value is available. They have simply vanished from the kerbside.
(Probably after much picketing from local users of prostitutes) a lengthy and thorough investigation is conducted by the police. Leading the investigation is Mike (John Cusack), a decent family man who has become obsessed by the hunt, at the expense of his own wellbeing and his family time. It is already at the point that his partner Kelsey (Jennifer Carpenter) starts urging Mike to ease off and enjoy some downtime…
… Then Mike’s teenage daughter Abby goes missing too.
Now I don’t know what the next level up from obsession is. Maybe fixation. Whatever it is Mike takes the seriousness level up two notches beyond even that. Gone are processes and procedure. Forgotten is ethics and integrity. Replaced by one goal – finding Abby and whoever took her.
The Factory gets quite a lot darker than you think it will. While it’s unfair to give detail we do learn both sides of the saga as the movie goes on, especially once Mike starts taking the more direct route to his new improved definition of ‘justice’.
Cusack is typically efficient as the driven Mike. Carpenter is also strong as the equally determined Kelsey. The film boasts a finale that – while undoubtedly well crafted – will polarise viewers. However regardless of your views on the effectiveness, or not, of the closing stages, the fact remains that The Factory spent too long being a derivative thriller for even a nice outro to come along and save the day.
Final Rating – 6.5 / 10. Another film that mimics the image of the lead, The Factory is competent, effective at times and gives maximum effort, all without ever scaling great heights.
