Evidence (2013)

For ardent fans of my musings (I know you are out there) the Evidence of 2013 is a totally different cheapie found footage film to Evidence (2012), previously reviewed on A Horror Film Blog.

Though - such are the conventions - or constraints - of the found footage genre they might as well be the same film.  You could argue we could just title most found footage films Evidence and be done with it.  Which would at least save someone having to think up a snazzy new title to make their identikit products stand out.  In case you are not too good at reading between the lines this Evidence is yet another specimen of by the numbers found footage malarkey, similar to 99% of other films in the genre. Which isn't necessarily bad, if you like that sort of thing (I do); but if you don't, there aren't any reasons to watch this.

For people that do like FF type films, this is a mix up of shakey-cam and more traditional style film as a bunch of cliched cops try to work out what happened to a bunch of people en route to Las Vegas ... one of whom, of course, is an amateur film maker.  As a slight twist, the footage filmed by the various passengers is being reviewed by a police team who are trying to figure out what went on.

Radha Mitchell looks stern as she tries to figure out how she ended up in this film

This narrative framing doesn't really work, however.  It gives the film a sort of low-grade CSI / NCIS vibe, but the 'cop' scenes aren't well scripted and feel laboured.  In the early stages, the maverick, edgy Detective Reese, just back from enforced leave, begs Radha Mitchell's no nonsense Detective Burquez to be allowed to work on the case; she says no and then immediately relents when he says she needs his amazing special skills and insight.  It's that corny.

Maverick and edgy, or just just unshaven?

These scenes only exist to provide a framing mechanism to help us understand what is going on, or the significance of what we see. The investigators all remain ciphers, only serving to decipher the footage for us, which makes you wonder why we needed the histrionic introduction of the maverick, edgy Reese.

Obviously, the main interest is the goings on recorded by the hapless victims as they trundle towards Las Vegas on a curiously under-passengered bus, and then rush about an abandoned gas station afte rthe bus breaks down.  And are picked off, on by one, by a nasty person in a welder's outfit, wielding a welder's torch.  At least appropriate safety gear was used, and the consequences of not dressing appropriately are demonstrated as The Welder incinerates various victims.

There are a couple of nice visual touches A montage of dramatic stills in the opening minutes seem redolent with menace - why do directors of moving pictures seem so blind to the power of a frozen frame; the use of 'night sight' rendering everything stark polarised black and white); the director isn't afraid to tantalise / frustrate us with long periods of silence or blurry, damaged footage.

Caitlin Stacey as Rachel, wielding a needlessly large camera, just in case you didn't realise she's a proper film maker

The the cast is several notches better than to be expected - they don't come across as the director's mates running about an old abandoned building, pretending to be scared.  While the narrative doesn't stand up to much close scrutiny, it is a bit better than "Some people went to a place and, yeah, they died and here is the footage they filmed"; and the whole film has been made with a bit of thought and skill.

But, yeah ... it's a found footage film, you get pretty much what you expect.

Star Rating: *