When his daughter is taken during a regularly scheduled soccer practice, Jack Bishop and a team of small town cops must work to piece together the clues to her capture and whereabouts. But as the pieces to the case begin to fall into place, another puzzle begins to show itself - this one involving the history of Jack and his now deceased wife. WIth a long stem of lies out on the table, it will take the mind, body and spirit of all in question to control the situation and bring Toby home before it is too late.
While I am still attempting to understand the true reasoning behind Dror Soref's Not Forgotten, I do have to credit it with a unique story and unusual approach. Attempting to use the cross-cultures of the small border city of Del Rio, Texas in its favor, the film cross back-and-forth between the American and Mexican ways, providing a constant difference in terms of what is acceptable and what is understood.
At the helm of the story is Simon Baker, an up and coming actor who is most recognized from his role on CBS's 'The Mentalist.' Full of passion and secrets, Baker brings Bishop to life with an undeniable force. And while many of his emotions come across as 'fake' and forced, his intensity keeps the film going well through the final score.
Sadly, looking at the big picture, the film doesn't offer much more than that. Attempting to encompass a large amount of information within a short period of time, the film fails to truly materialize and showcase depth. Instead, it grazes the surface, introducing a lot of actions, but often failing to explain the situation fully.
But all that could have worked sparingly well had it not been for the ending. Full of twists and turns, along with an unneeded confrontation, the final minutes of the film drug on for what seemed like hours as I awaited the last unearthing information to be revealed so that I could be done with both the story and its characters. And though the film did finally come to a close, its closing impression was one of distaste and discomfort.
