Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

It is difficult to review such a movie without spoilers, but I shall try. Terrorism is always terrorism. There is no excuse for it. This is a silly, pretentious movie that tries to justify anarchy and not in an interesting way. Of course pharmaceutical companies shouldn't be poisoning people, but poisoning them back solves nothing. The acting is not bad. The writing and direction are feeble.The characters are unbelievable and totally one-dimensional---either all good or all bad. Not all young people are saints. Not all middle-aged people are evil polluters. Not all policemen are corporate lackeys. Let's face it, it has all been said before and in more interesting ways. The action is slow- moving and uninteresting. Watch something else.

This movie starts strong. Marling (Sarah) is a credible rent-a-spy. The plot grabs you quickly, which makes it possible to see past the hackneyed "evil corporations" device. Skarsgard's Benji remains an enigma. Unlike other members of his crew, he was not a victim of corporate malfeasance, unless being left with too much money counts. One can even accept that Sarah, who starts so strong, is weak enough to be sucked into the flower-child community. But what tanks the plot is the ending, the idea that Marling can turn hardened private spies into eco-warriors, apparently by sheer dint of personality. Rather than forcing her (and us) to decide whether corporate crimes justify eco-terrorism, we are presented with a third way: Sarah jetting around the globe, recruiting agents, and corporate evil-doers falling in her wake. Unfortunate because the main plot device held potential.

With a friend being a fan of the HBO series True Blood,I decided to take a look at what films Alexander Skarsgård (whose dad Stellan has also done some interesting work!)has made.Looking around on Ebay,I spotted a great-looking Thriller that Alexander Skarsgård had made with Ellen Page,which led to me getting ready to head east.The plot:Learning that an eco-terrorist group called The East are planning to attack three companies who they believe are heavily corrupt,a private intelligence firm decides to send agent Jane Owen undercover,in order to gain info on the group,which the firm can then use to build a relationship with the companies about to be attacked.Using the name Sarah Moss,Owen joins a gang of drifters suspected of being involved with The East.Struggling to delve deeper into The East,Owen secretly self- inflicts an arm injury,which leads to Owen being taken to an abandoned house in the woods where The East are based.As she heals up,the leaders of The East tell Owen that she can stay at the house for 2 days,before she has to re-join the drifters. Getting one of the members to quit by revealing that she is an undercover spy,The East find themselves one person down,just days before they are to attack the first company.Slowly gaining the groups trust,Owen starts to find herself looking away from the blue chip firms,and turning east.View on the film:Aiming for moral ambiguity,the screenplay (which was originally planned as a follow-up to A Civil Action,but got changed when John Travolta left the project) by co-writer/(along with actress Brit Marling)director Zal Batmanglij disappointingly shows no one at the companies/Owen's spy firm with any seeds of doubt,which leads to all of them looking like interchangeable "baddies" who are willing to do anything in order to bring the group down.Whilst they leave any complex aspects away from the baddies, Batmanglij & Marling brilliantly transform The East from a bunch of shady-looking hippies,into a slick ruthless machine,which is matched by Owen developing an increasing sense of doubt in her role of spying on The East.Putting the viewers feet deep in the muddy world of The East, Batmanglij and cinematographer Roman Vasyanov give the gangs hideout a tough,gritty appearance,as decaying greens and browns keep the group connected to a aw,rustic backdrop. Counting the earthy mood created by the group, Batmanglij & Roman Vasyanov give the companies an ultra-stylised appearance,which is placed over the oily decay hiding within.Entering the movie looking like a serial killer, Alexander Skarsgård gives a terrific performance as The East leader Benji,who Skarsgård reveals to have a burning passion for the group,with a surprisingly delicate precision in making sure that their message gets across. Joining Skarsgård, Toby Kebbell gives a great, nervous performance as Doc,whilst Ellen Page gives the film an excellent tough edge by giving a tense performance as Izzy.Along with being the co- writer,the very pretty Brit Marling gives a stunning performance as Owen,thanks to Marling allowing a strong sense of doubt to gradually seep into Owen,as Owen begins to look east.

I didn't know Ridley Scott was on board before I watch this btw. But now you know - if that's important to you too.The East has nothing to do with East Asia but a group of radicals. The backdrop is little Davids against the Goliath of our corrupt to the core industry giants, set in contemporary every-men America. The theme is choosing side, heart or head. Overall, a story deserves to be told and a well-told story deserved to be experienced.This movie was made on an indie budget of $6.5 million by relative unknown writer director team (first time I watch anything by Brit Marling). Yet it definitely feels like a polished enough mainstream release. There is no typical art film fest overlong pregnant pauses and amateur 'we're so serious' posturing.The overall tone is naturalistic even punk-ish. The cinematography is done in great economy and taste but nothing stylistically-pretentious or distracting at all.Writing pacing is professional grade, subtle yet lethal, emotional and unsentimental, sleeker than 99% of Hollywood serious dramas out there. Definitely engaging throughout. 5 minutes in I breathe a sigh of relief as I know we're in nimble talented hands.The team of actors are well chosen. The acting/ directing result is intimate, natural and emotionally true. Brit Marling is definitely sincere as an actor, and confident enough to not demand that the camera worship/ molest her for a second too long. Ellen Page did her complex role totally justice. Alex Skarsgard delivered the emotional intensity physical presence his role calls for. Patricia Clarkson (6 feet Under/ Maze Runner) breathed life into a character type that's always in danger of caricature treatment.All in all, the beauties and intelligence of the cast have been brought forth in totally UNFORCED and CONCISE manner, which makes me curious about director Zal Batmanglij, at least his seamless collaboration with Brit Marling.I hope Brit Marling will continue to be this fearless and effective as a producer.This movie deserves more viewing. Highly recommended.