A successful and charismatic professor falls under investigation after a female student comes up missing. Evan Birch attempts to keep his family together as he emerges as the lead suspect in her disappearance.
Guy Pearce in the lead role as Evan Birch is not bad, and at times good, but a mostly uneventful character that the movie is supposed to revolve around. His wife, Ellen Birch, played by Minnie Driver is actually quite good the entire way. Her quiet resiliency and loyalty are understated but well played, as she battles internally to stand by her husband amidst growing suspicion that her husband may be a killer.
Pierce Brosnan is a gem. Heโs perfect for a role I wouldโve never expected him to be perfect for. Pierce offers a very casual, relaxed approach to a very serious, chaotic situation. His constant suspicious, yet semi-friendly demeanor with primary person of interest, Birch is when Spinning Man is at itโs best.
The writing leaves a lot to be desired, as does the character development. The Birches were running from something when they left their previous town, yet we are left in the dark, and with many unanswered questions. It’s tough to draw any clear lines between good and evil with the individual characters. Maybe that is intentional.
This is not a bad film by any means, but it just stops, abruptly. I assume director, Simon Kaijser thought leaving the viewer hanging and wondering would add to the mystery after the fact, however; it does the opposite. Spinning Man recycles itself over and over throughout. It’s worth watching, but I would not expect more than a passing of time.
Run Time: 1hr 40m
Rating: R
Genre: Thriller
Joey Potatoes: 54%
