Despite the flaws, Flying Blind is a quietly intriguing little drama and a promising feature debut from shorts filmmaker Klimkiewicz.
A tough, compelling thriller touching on race, prejudice and contemporary Britain. Not Blitz, in other words.
The suspense never catches fire, and the slo-mo camerawork makes for a "drag" all its own. It just isn't very involving.
Right the way through to the fence-sitter of an ending, the movie looks like it was written by committee at a screenwriters' seminar.
It doesn't always ring true but McCrory is a very commanding presence. A decent debut from director Katarzyna Klimkiewicz.
A great actress wasted.
Enough good stuff is on show, however, to qualify Flying Blind as a decent watch.
The film critiques stereotyping, while relying on clichés.
The eroticism and passion are convincing and, for a while, Frankie's naivety is plausible. But the plotting is B-feature stuff and Kahil is a creepy, ingratiating figure, worthy of anyone's suspicion. The film-maker's approach to the threat of Islamic fundamentalism is fuelled by the same liberal guilt that makes Frankie so vulnerable.
It’s clunky small-screen stuff, requiring McCrory’s character to make stupid choices simply to keep the plot going, but she’s intriguing enough to keep interest ticking over.
This BBC Films production is probably more suited to television where its political thriller ambitions, clunky dialogue and unconvincing performances might be less cruelly exposed than they are on the big screen.
General release. Check local listings for show times.