Echelon Conspiracy Reviews

• hardly revolutionary, but a fun thrill ride nonetheless

  
  By A319Y83RT0MRVR on 2009-05-09
  Very similar to last year's "Eagle Eye," but with Shane West instead of Shia LaBeouf. This movie has a bit more intelligent script, but contains a lot less special effects (although there are several pretty good car chases). The theme of the U.S. government creating a machine for "national security" that then turns against them is nothing new and hardly science fiction these days, but the movies about it seem to be abundant. "Echelon Conspiracy" doesn't strike too far from the herd but it's still quite entertaining.
  
  

• Not as good as I hoped for

  
  By A1Q08H4B9QGT2N on 2009-08-12
  I had Echelon conspiracy or Push to choose from at the video rental store so I opted for this one. I remember Shane West in A Walk to Remember and loved him in it, so I wanted to give him a shot with this movie. The concept behind the movie is pretty cool. A super cell phone shows up and gives you tips on making quick money. However, the storyline dips into unbelievable pretty quickly and the acting is subpar. My husband and I laughed at the non-subtle hints of comparisons to our past administrations actions. You'll notice the blatant picture of President Bush in several scenes. A movie to watch if you don't have a good option at the rental store but I'd skip purchasing it.
  
  

• Unbelievable plot!

  
  By A2FES1XMFNP3UP on 2009-07-20
  Even though it looks like an important sum of money has been spent on making this movie -having been shot in Thailand, Prague, Moscow and the U.S.A.-, that isn't enough to keep the audience interested in following the unbelievable and typically low budget plot.
  Not even Martin Sheen's, Edward Burns' or Ving Rhymes' appeareances help this undoubtedly forgettable film.
  
  

• Maybe a 3 star movie - but another bad Blu brings it down

  
  By A3FDEI5P21XX6S on 2009-07-18
  I went in with no expectations and thought I might get lightly entertained. Instead I was subjected to a slew of poor to average performances, DVD quality on a Blu, no special features whatsoever, bad sound, the re-done story mentioned here and everywhere, the best performance not even being credited on the cover art, this constant location/text thing on the screen telling us the coordinates of each sequence (uh - who cares?), this bad freeze frame editing mixed with 1990s MTV music - wow I could keep going.
  
  The performance to watch for is the great little seductress and lethal weapon role filled by the elegant Tamara Feldman. She gets to show her skin in the love scene but it still gets a PG in Canada and a PG13 here - gotta love it. The Blu had no selling point to voice here since it failed on picture quality, sound, lack of features supplemented by a film that would have been cool right after Enemy of the State, not Eagle Eye and ten others.
  
  Normally, I do not go off on a movie this much but each sequence would get steadily worse than the previous. When you find yourself laughing at that 90s music score, bad action scenes, and fluffy writing, things begin to snowball. Maybe it is good for a rental, but do not test your new Blu system with this one; At the most a slow Sunday evening where you might want to see Martin Sheen or Ed Burns fill some roles.
  
  

• This is a very noisy movie

  
  By A20EEWWSFMZ1PN on 2010-05-22
  Max Peterson (Shane West) a computer security installer who remembers backdoor passwords in case something goes wrong is just finishing a project. He receives a mysterious FedEx package that he did not order. It contains a new cell phone of the type that is not even on the market yet. Upon turning it on it immediately precedes to save his life and is in the process of making him a millionaire. This looks like fun so he goes with the flow. Little did he know that he is part of some sort of global conspiracy. Will he find out what it is in time to live long enough to spend those millions?
  
  This is very noisy movie with lots of heavy background sounds and whatnot luckily you can hear the dialog through the sound. There is lots of action and it is actually quite fun to watch. There is no real depth to this story yet the twists and turns are fun to watch. There is the obligatory sex scene, which seems out of place and is not that racy. Much of the dialogue and scenarios are lifted from previous films. One that comes to mind is the end of "War Games" were the computer has to play tic-tac-toe with itself to realize that there is no acceptable move but not to play. This could also bring to mind the Star Trek episode where the computer realizes that he is destroying the very people he is supposed to protect. There is also a dash of "Colossus the Forbin project."
  
  In any event, it is fun to watch the interaction twin the fresh new actors and some of the seasoned ones.
  
  Just a note I saw the Blu-ray version and was amazed at the lack of DVD extras. Not even the voice over commentary that tries to justify.
  
  
  
• Part Eagle-Eye/Part Live Free or Die Hard
  By A1TKM36EYEQNSM on 2009-10-22
  An unwitting security programmer gets involved in a plot run out of NSA headquarters and is found running half way around the world following instructions from a cell phone he receives anonymously.
  
  We visit Thailand, The Czech Republic and Moscow, Russia as Max Petersen, gets messages that save his life and give him clues to make some big bucks. Where are his instructions coming from and why? We see suddenly, he is in a casino, and security gets involved. One of those on Security is former FBI. His former partner suddenly gets involved as he is constant contact with NSA head played by Martin Sheen. There is a pic of George Bush on the wall, so this is reflecting a time of Bush's presidency. (hence the comments on others regarding Bush Bashing).
  
  You really do not know during the movie if Sheen is involved in what Eschelon is doing or not. This is a somewhat plausible plot, but takes some of the technology regarding facial recognition and others and stretches them a little. You come to realize this may be a whole lot bigger than everyone involved thinks. So, who or what has control of the worlds most powerful surveillance system?
  
  Frankly, it makes a good story. I would rather not have any hints about Bush and they could have had a made up President. Other than that, a good rental, or even a buy at a good price. The acting was fine, Shane West, Ed Burns (The Holiday) and Ving Rhames do great jobs.
  
  
• I suffered for you!!!
  By A1N7ROYP7TGWI on 2009-08-14
  That's right, I paid the price and watched it so you don't have to!
  
  This is easily the worst movie of the year whatever the year is. I actually rate -5. I mean it has significant negative redeeming value. But there is no getting back my time or IQ points I lost.
  
  It is nothing but a set of beaten to death cliches. Add to this horrible acting, plot that will insult your intelligence (if you have any), and there you have it.
  
  If your life depended on watching this movie - choose death.
  
  
• 2nd the unbelievable plot review
  By AH86MZPURQLCR on 2010-08-30
  This whole movie just played SO lame....the actions the lead character takes...following commands from a phone, given to him by a computer with a mind of it's own. Just poorly exectuted from A to Z. Acting, scripting, screenplay, writing....It felt like 'b movie' quality all around. Guess that's why I'd never heard of it, 'til it went into Netflix pool of 'streamed to your tv' flicks, which are mostly clunkers, by and large!
  
  
• Oh what intricate circuits we create
  By A37K8MJUOAAGCZ on 2010-06-24
  My days are spent cruising the web, drifting through email, and blogging to night's end. The soft hum of my cell stirs me from my daze, and a voice mail waits to be heard. A social gathering is texted to my attention, and I tweet its details to my loyal followers. And I stretch further into the cyberspace, losing myself over corridors of circuitry, and trying to capture the world, but the four walls around me say different, keeping me in isolation. But this is how I live. This is how we live. No more days are spent without holding the hands to technology because we fear disconnection, but have we relinquished our control for our need to connect? And what if the day comes where all our actions become record, all secrets bleed out across the screen, and we are denied from breathing the freedom that was so adamantly fought for? What days wait for us then?
  
  
• Great Consparicy Movie
  By A2IN186Z40BRMK on 2010-04-14
  A great consparicy mivie interwoven to keep your attention. But, I had to get up graded for my Blu-ray DVD player to play this m ovie.
  
  
• Echelon conspiracy DVD
  By A2LAN9B5SJA0IW on 2010-03-28
  Very good CIA spy type of movie. Good acting, plot, and it kept me guessing. If you like spy movies you have to add this one to your collection. The story give us alot to think about, and worry about. God help us!
  
  
• Needs Originality and a Better Title
  By ABO2ZI2Y5DQ9T on 2010-03-20
  In "The Echelon Conspiracy," a technological thriller presented by Dark Castle Entertainment, a computer security expert Max Peterson (Shane West) gets strange text messages in his cell phone. The latest model cell phone is in fact an anonymous gift he receives at a Bangkok hotel, and to his great surprise, the text messages really foretell the future events like stock market prices.
  
  The unknown sender of the messages orders Max to fly to a Prague casino, where he is offered a chance to be rich quickly. Of course, he wouldn't let this opportunity go, but some people are not very happy about that. Max is pursued by the casino's security chief John Reed (Ed Burns) and an FBI agent Dave Grant (Ving Rhames). Apparently, Max realizes, he is not the only one who had received these strange messages, and some of those who had followed the phone's suggestions are already dead.
  
  [MILD SPOILER INCLUDED in this paragraph] I believe the similarity is accidental, but "The Echelon Conspiracy" made me feel like watching "Eagle Eye" again. And perhaps "War Game," too. The difference is that D.J. Caruso, director of the surprise hit starring Shia LaBeouf, knew how to handle the action scenes more competently. There are a car chase and a shoot-out in "Echelon Conspiracy," but the badly edited stunts lack thrills and, with all respect to those who got involved, sometimes even look amateurish.
  
  Maybe director Greg Marcks ("11:14") is not ready for action films of this scale. Acting is not bad, but virtually nothing is done to make their characters interesting, and any attempt for adding much-needed humor is weak at best. Not a terrible film at all, but "The Echelon Conspiracy" needs originality and imagination, as well as a better title.
  
  
• Echelon
  By A1GEQ14G10U9SV on 2009-12-16
  This is a pretty good movie overall. But some of the acting is alittle over the top/
  
  
• "Afternoon Special" version of Eagle-Eye or Enemy of the State
  By A1HOLE9R6WPT85 on 2009-12-14
  This was not as awful as some folks are saying. Yes it's cliche, and you've probably seen it all before.
  
  That being said, I actually liked it better than Eagle-Eye or Wanted. This is a familiar "big brother" plot - the computer Echelon begins to exert some control, and nobody knows how or to what end.
  
  The movie actually reminded me quite a bit of an X-Files episode several years ago, Kill Switch, in which a government-controlled satellite was tracking people, and ultimately killed them with a laser.
  
  There are some small roles by Ving Rhames, Jonathan Pryce, & Martin Sheen. And though it's not exactly edge-of-your-seat, there are a couple neat car chases, and the soundtrack & music editing is actually pretty decent.
  
  For a smaller-budged movie, by an up-and-comer director, it was certainly above average. So if you like conspiracy movies, if you're an X-Files fan, etc., I suspect you may enjoy it.
  
  
• So-So, but VERY Derivative Thriller...
  By A31I3HXMD5H1EL on 2009-11-15
  Anyone who regularly watches recent films will immediately see "Echelon Conspiracy" as more than a bit similar to the thriller, "Eagle Eye" (which had been released 6 months earlier), as both films involve conspiracies involving the government, with innocents forced to participate in the plot via mysterious messages over cellphones. But if your viewing habits encompass a wider range of films, you will also find "Echelon Conspiracy" owes as much to "Enemy of the State", "Wargames", and a number of other suspense films...and the derivative nature of the plot unfortunately defeats a decent cast, and beautiful location work around the world.
  
  While Shane West, with his blue-collar persona, seems an unlikely casting choice as a brilliant engineer, he hasn't suffered from the over-exposure of Shia LaBeouf, and his performance grows on you, as the film progresses. Edward Burns (as an ex-FBI agent/casino security chief) and Ving Rhames (as his FBI ex-partner), both deserve better roles in better films, but do provide solid support for West (although why the FBI would violate it's mandate, and operate actively in Europe, is one of many plotholes in the script). Sexy Tamara Feldman is the obligatory love interest with a secret agenda, and Jonathan Pryce, in a tiny cameo, has fun as Burns' ruthless boss. Then there is villainous Martin Sheen...well, if this film is any indication, he gave up serious acting when "The West Wing" went off the air!
  
  If you are an armchair traveller, you will enjoy the film; Bangkok is gloriously colorful, Prague, rich in 'Old World' charm, and Moscow figures prominently in a high-voltage night car chase. You may wonder about the mountains in the 'Nebraska' finale, but you do get your money's worth in exotic locales.
  
  Ultimately, "Echelon Conspiracy" isn't terrible, and if you are a casual movie watcher, you may enjoy the film. But if you find yourself experiencing déjà vu, don't worry; you HAVE seen all this before!
  
  
• Echelon Conspiracy
  By A1GHUN5HXMHZ89 on 2009-10-17
  Before "Eagle Eye" it was "Enemy of the State", and before them it goes back to wire taps and surveillance movies like "The Conversation" and "THX 1138 - The Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition)". So before saying this movie copies them, understand something, they copied something else. Many movies and books like 1984 have expressed the concern for "Big Brother" for a long time. We have just reached the level of technology to truly appreciate how frightening it can be if a computer controls things like in "2001: A Space Odyssey [Blu-ray]". Overall I found it entertaining even if the message was not new. If you enjoy Hi-Tech action movies like "The Bourne Identity (Widescreen Extended Edition)" and "Mission Impossible (Special Collector's Edition)" you will probably find this one worth at least a rental. The story centers around a young man installing a security system on servers. When he receives a phone from DHL he assumes at first it is some type promo since it suggests things for him to do. At first they seem harmless to help him relax. When he becomes three million dollars richer from it's advice he realizes something far more ominous is involved. Afterall people have died and if he doesn't do what it says, he may as well. Good directing, acting, camera work, sets, sound, and music by mostly Russians filmed in Eastern Europe and Russia. I think it deserves three and a half stars. Good quality DVD with no extras. Decent replayability. If you enjoyed this, catch the classic "Colossus - The Forbin Project".
  
  Dos Vidania,
  CA Luster
  
  
• Run of the mill.
  By A23E9QQHJLNGUI on 2009-10-01
  Typical of the genre and nothing new with regards to technology and honestly the story is old news. Nothing in the way of a wow either although Tamara Feldman is nice to watch and is top notch in the fight scene. A nice car chase too. It seemed the actors had difficulty with the script but Ving Rhames almost hits his stride. Big names Jonathan Pryce and Martin Sheen have minor roles and aren't especially believable and neither Burns or West are able to cause any excitement. Perhaps a better script would've helped. I wouldn't buy but not bad for a rental.
  
  
• A Mess
  By AB9Q52OYE7E6N on 2009-09-19
  The weakest link in this chain (though there are few strong ones) is Shane West, the "star." This nobody (apparently a veteran of several TV series...which is hardly cause to celebrate) couldn't act his way out of a smoke ring. He's totally unbelievable, at practically every moment broadcasting: "Look at me! I'm adorable! And I'm acting!" The supporting cast could have gotten together with him to give him some acting lessons, but they're too busy slogging through this mess themselves to concern themselves with "supporting." This movie is a mess!
  
  
• Good plot
  By A33R0XOOGN4T4V on 2009-09-16
  The last min of movie does not play other then that the movie was good. But I dont see myself adding this to my home collection ever.
  
  
• Every Move You Make, Every Step You Take, I'll Be Watching You
  By A18G7GG53G2X8A on 2009-05-17
  An unpleasant wave of déjà vu swept over me as I watched "Echelon Conspiracy," which tells the story of a secret, powerful government organization using a cell phone to control an unwitting young man. Was this not the plot of last fall's "Eagle Eye"? Maybe it's a depressing sign of the times that writers Kevin Elders and Michael Nitsberg and director Greg Marcks ripped off a movie that wasn't all that good begin with. Both films are equally preposterous, but "Echelon Conspiracy" has the added distinction of being a rehash, and not a very good one at that. This is one of those rare instances where it's obvious that the actors don't care that much about what they're doing; even the great Martin Sheen can't seem to rouse himself to give more than a merely decent performance.
  
  The story focuses on a Max Peterson (Shane West), a computer engineer from Omaha, Nebraska. While on business in Bangkok, he receives an anonymous package containing a cell phone so state-of-the-art, it isn't even on the market yet. Almost immediately, he begins receiving a manipulative series of text messages. This leads him to Prague, where he's ordered to stay at a fancy hotel and gamble huge sums of money at rigged gaming stations. This catches the attention of a former FBI agent named John Reed (Edward Burns), who now works as the head of the casino's surveillance team. It also catches the attention of Reed's former partner, Agent Dave Grant (Ving Rhames), who has been sent by an American government faction called the NSA.
  
  While other Americans have received mysterious text messages, Max is the only one who hasn't been killed because of it. This leads the head of the NSA, Raymond Burke (Sheen), to believe that it his involvement has something to do with the activation of a homeland security system known as Echelon. How it was activated and why Max was chosen have yet to be determined; all he knows is that he's constantly under surveillance, and it seems he won't be let off the hook until he's served his purpose.
  
  There comes a point when he meets a Russian hacker named Yuri (Sergey Gubanov), who doubles as a cab driver. He gives Max an earpiece that vocalizes his text messages; what we hear is a monotone female voice that sounds eerily similar to one that controlled Shia LaBeouf in "Eagle Eye" (provided by an uncredited Julianne Moore, which is just as well, especially if it happens to be her voice in this new film). Max also meets an undercover agent named Kamila (Tamara Feldman), who serves no real purpose other than looking sexy. This doesn't work too well for film that's rated PG-13, but never mind.
  
  One of the film's most baffling casting choices is Jonathan Pryce as Mueller, the wealthy owner of the hotel/casino in Prague. He periodically appears to engage in cryptic, mildly threatening conversations with Reed, who he feels isn't doing a good enough job taking care of the Echelon problem. Why this character was deemed necessary, I have no idea. Other than an interesting metaphor about arrows and phoenix feathers, he contributes absolutely nothing to the story. I got the impression that Pryce was just as surprised by being cast; as is the case with Sheen, his performance has the air of someone not taking his role seriously. This might have worked had the film gone in a much campier direction.
  
  Indeed, this film had the potential to be a lot of fun. The plot in and of itself is inherently escapist, not at all unlike the plot of your average summer blockbuster. But somehow, the elements weren't coming together; I never once felt as if I could just sit back put my brain on autopilot. In all fairness, the writers made a good start by giving the characters incredibly hokey dialogue, which seems to exist only as a way to get from one corny joke to the next. Consider a scene in which Max and Reed find themselves in the middle of a car chase: When Max asks, "FBI crash course?" Reed responds, "Brooklyn childhood." It seems films like this are entitled to one or two especially bad lines. Still, don't expect the audience's laughter to be anything other than incredulous.
  
  The climactic final scenes take place in, of all places, Max's hometown, mostly in a concrete warehouse located in the middle of nowhere. Is it possible to genuinely care about a commentary on computer intelligence and government control in such a setting? Are commentaries even necessary in movies like this? I didn't think so in the case of "Eagle Eye," and I certainly don't think so in the case of "Echelon Conspiracy," a perfunctory story that pretends to be a lot bigger than it actually is. When an action/adventure film is this thin-blooded, it's difficult to understand why notable names are attached to it. One wonders: Did Martin Sheen see something in the screenplay that somehow didn't translate to the big screen? Did he actually believe that the whole technology-gone-awry idea would be properly developed? I shudder to think that a paycheck was the only motivating force.
  
  

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