ExPatriot

ExPatriot showed up on my Prime movie feed, after apparently getting little attention since its 2017 release. There are only 4 other reviews for this movie at the time I am writing mine, so maybe more people will watch it now. But they shouldn't waste their time. ExPatriot is about a former CIA analyst turned whistleblower named Riley Connors, who has to hide out in Colombia after being targeted by her former employer. She is assisted by a DC based journalist, and her brother who lives in Colombia. While in Colombia, she encounters her lover, also a CIA operative, on assignment there to take down a pair of Ex Cuban money launderers. She is told by her lover that she can gain redemption from the CIA, if she will go undercover to try and take down the money launderers. She is betrayed by both her lover and the money launderers, and doesn't know who she can trust. This could have been a better movie if there was a more realistic portrayal of what would happen to a person if the CIA wanted them dead. Not killing them but merely beating them, and postponing their execution in a Hollywood style rescue/escape simply doesn't happen. Then a few minutes later, the CIA agent chooses to shoot a Colombian police officer in order to escape having to reveal the kidnapped but still alive Riley Connors in the trunk of a car after a fender bender. The Colombian police officer is shot in front of a crowd of people, many of them recording the incident on their cell phones. Those ten minutes of the movie made it go from mediocre to ridiculous. In addition, the actress who plays the lead character of Riley Connors is listed on IMDB as being born in 1987, making her 30 at the time this movie was released. Unfortunately, she looks closer to 40 in this movie. There are better action thrillers to watch when you are looking for something mindless.

The protagonist of "ExPatriot" has a habit of rehearsing the line, "My name is Riley Connors," as if she is uncertain about her own identity. Indeed, personal identity is one of the major themes of this film. Riley felt that she was being a patriot when working at the CIA, and she decided to turn whistleblower. But her act of disclosure inadvertently led to the deaths of sixteen civilians due to her overreach. Through the help of a dedicated journalist, Estelle Battro, Riley flees to Columbia, where she is living in guilt until offered the opportunity of redemption from her old lover, Bill Donovan, at the CIA. By the time Bill betrays her, Riley has to wonder if there is anyone she can truly trust. Even the Ruiz brothers whom she sets up would appear to have some degree of a moral compass due to the guilt Fernando feels for his past sins. Should Riley at least give Fernando the second chance in life that she covets for herself? Estelle's brother, Jaime Battro, is writing his college thesis about Riley, and the title is "The Tortured Hero." In many ways, it is the audience of this film that is tortured due to the convoluted nature of its action and the operatic finale that stretched credibility beyond the pale. The location footage was well chosen, and Riley Conners was an intriguing and haunted central character. Still, the result was only an average film due to the inability to tie together so many disparate strands. "ExPatriot" played out like a midrange draft of a film project that included far too much violence and ran out of steam at the end.

ExPatriot showed up on my Prime movie feed, after apparently getting little attention since its 2017 release. There are only 4 other reviews for this movie at the time I am writing mine, so maybe more people will watch it now. But they shouldn't waste their time. ExPatriot is about a former CIA analyst turned whistleblower named Riley Connors, who has to hide out in Colombia after being targeted by her former employer. She is assisted by a DC based journalist, and her brother who lives in Colombia. While in Colombia, she encounters her lover, also a CIA operative, on assignment there to take down a pair of Ex Cuban money launderers. She is told by her lover that she can gain redemption from the CIA, if she will go undercover to try and take down the money launderers. She is betrayed by both her lover and the money launderers, and doesn't know who she can trust. This could have been a better movie if there was a more realistic portrayal of what would happen to a person if the CIA wanted them dead. Not killing them but merely beating them, and postponing their execution in a Hollywood style rescue/escape simply doesn't happen. Then a few minutes later, the CIA agent chooses to shoot a Colombian police officer in order to escape having to reveal the kidnapped but still alive Riley Connors in the trunk of a car after a fender bender. The Colombian police officer is shot in front of a crowd of people, many of them recording the incident on their cell phones. Those ten minutes of the movie made it go from mediocre to ridiculous. In addition, the actress who plays the lead character of Riley Connors is listed on IMDB as being born in 1987, making her 30 at the time this movie was released. Unfortunately, she looks closer to 40 in this movie. There are better action thrillers to watch when you are looking for something mindless.

Good movie. Well acted. Interesting plot. Intelligent. I do mot get tje low rating this movie has received. I don't care that much about surprise twists ... What I do like is how this is mostly about how characters figure their way out of pretty difficult situations.

If you're expecting a movie with all shooting and no thinking, this isn't for you. It's a complex story of multiple betrayals. And ends well. One of the better movies I've watched in a while.

CIA analyst Riley Connors (Valene Kane) pulls a Snowden and releases specific information about The Company spying on innocent citizens without cause or warrant. America is divided on her whistle blowing until a man on the list suddenly turns terrorist. She ends up in Columbia with her reporter enabler Estelle (Marcela Mar). Riley's CIA boyfriend (Charlie Weber) pops up with a plan for her to redeem herself and get a Presidential pardon, but it requires that she goes out into the filed. The film had the expected twists and ending. The production was more drama than action-thriller and needed better dialogue. I felt the role was too big for Valene Kane clearly a miscast. She reminded more of Alley McBeal. And the CIA can freeze an account without transferring the funds out. Guide: F-word. Implied sex. No nudity

When something happens in the news it isn't long before reality is combined with fiction and finds its way to film. In the past few years a lot has been written about whistle blowers and those in positions that give them access to information that they release to the world. The offense can garner charges of treason and has led to that. It has also led to fleeing the country and living in exile. Those stories make up the basis for EXPATRIOT. Riley Connors (Valene Kane) is a CIA analyst who is bothered by the extent to which the CIA is going to gather information. Working with a reporter she downloads information on their tactics and items they've found and passes them to her, then leaving the country to avoid charges of treason. The end result is that she becomes a wanted woman with no hope of returning home. Two years pass and Riley now lives in Colombia, South America. Still in touch with the reporter and living alone she sometimes questions if the way she handled things was right. Longing to return home she is presented with that opportunity. CIA agent Bill Donovan (Charlie Weber) has found her. Her ex-lover who she left behind to suffer the scrutiny of the Agency is here to present her with a chance to redeem herself. A pair of brothers who own a bank there in Colombia are laundering money intended for use by terrorists. An international task force has been put together to take them down. He asks Riley if she will come on board and help, using her knowledge of the banking industry, computers and security systems to infiltrate the bank and win the trust of the two brothers. If she can do so, the US is willing to consider allowing her to return home. Riley agrees and settles in with the brothers, winning their confidence in her abilities and placing their trust in her. She accomplishes the task set before her, transferring the holdings of the bank to an offshore account held by the CIA. Now on the run from the brothers she learns too late that she was being used by Bill, disgraced by her leaving the Agency and working on his own now. But Riley was smart enough to hold something back. Will it be enough for her to save the lives of those she loves? Will she be able to make up for the mistake she made with the two brothers? And will she be able to rectify all things and find a way of going home once more? The movie isn't a bad offering and does hold your interest from start to finish. The fact no major names are involved should tell you up front that this is a low budget film but that doesn't matter. Those involved with the production of the film have worked to provide an interesting thriller that takes no prisoners. The acting here is good as well, especially in the case of Kane. One can only hope she moves on to bigger and better roles that provide her the opportunity to be noticed. If you're looking for some mild entertainment and enjoy movies like this then you'll want to give it a watch. It might not be something to add to your collection but it is an enjoyable movie.

Good movie!

ExPatriot