An operative for an elite private intelligence firm finds her priorities changing dramatically after she is tasked with infiltrating an anarchist group known for executing covert attacks upon major corporations.
The East asks, in the end quite literally, what kind of person would do a job like Sarah's? Fatally, it fails to deliver a satisfactory answer.
Well-acted and suspenseful, with a great deal of editorial content, this feels a little awkward and earnest, and perhaps not angry enough.
Has more to offer than your average US thriller.
It becomes sanctimonious, makes you contrary. I left craving a Big Mac.
It all adds up to an intelligent romp which keeps one eye on timely issues (activists or terrorists?) and the other on entertainment.
Shot in a crisp, contemporary style that’s notable for not referencing other movies, The East feels very now in its look, themes and ideas and Batmanglij and his cast invest the story with enough nuance and feeling to make the thriller that unfurls feel like it matters.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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