UNCOVERED

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 2 out of 5

Because of: nudity, sexual implications, language

Rated:

I have seen hundreds of mystery films in my day, but Uncovered is one of the few that managed to surprise me. It's a thinking man's thriller that requires close scrutiny but has enough faults to warrant it not being easily recommendable... which is a pity, because as far as thrillers go, it delivers a reasonable punch.

Julia (Kate Beckinsale) is zealous enough about art that she's been given the coveted position of restoration on some of the world's finest undiscovered pieces of art. Working for an art auction gallery that finds, restores, and auctions off treasures, she has recently begun to restore a beautiful painting dating back to the fourteenth century. Midway through the restoration, she discovers that the bottom half of the painting has been covered up. "Who killed the knight?" is the Latin inscription. This discovery excites her friend and employer, Menchu (Sinéad Cusack), who is romantically involved with the son-in-law of the painter's owner. The old man is nearing his deathbed, but grants them permission to scrape off the paint to reveal the full inscription. Julia then becomes fascinated with the meaning behind the portrait.

The work of art showcases three individuals -- a French knight, a nobleman, and his wife. The painter seems to be accusing one of them of the crime, but the closer Julia comes to solving the mystery, the more dangerous it becomes. An associate she encouraged to do research on the work of art turns up dead in his bathtub. Local authorities are uncertain if it was murder or an accident. One by one, her friends start dying off, and the controversy surrounding the painting escalates into an all-out war between its owner and his children on whether or not it will be sold at auction. Caught in the middle, with only her godfather (John Wood) and a remarkable young chess player to depend on for her safety, Julia is about to discover that a centuries old piece of art may still enrage passions enough to commit any number of crimes.

A BBC-produced film with mostly little-known thespians in the individual roles, Uncovered is a sometimes slow-moving piece with a dynamic conclusion that I never saw coming. Psychologists would have a field day with the ending, which is highly controversial. It tends to be slightly difficult to follow at times, but the final five minutes more than make up for it. I was sorry, therefore, that so much emphasis was placed on nudity, not only in works of art but Julia as well. It's normal for people to walk around in various states of undress in their apartment, but we don't need to become peeping toms. Several times she walks around topless. After becoming involved with the chess player, there's a shot of him naked on the couch (he's laying on his stomach, and we get a side view, along with a side view of her watching him sleep) and they begin to passionately make out several times. Her former college professor with whom she had an affair pulls up her shirt and kisses her breast. A man is found naked in the bathtub, but explicit details are avoided.

Menchu is involved with a married man. The first time we see her, it's implied they're involved in oral sex, when he pops up from behind the desk. This same man later tries to seduce and then rape Julia, but never gets further than shoving her up against a mirror. Julia's godfather Cesar is openly homosexual. He makes remarks about other men, and once is shown in his pajamas. There's another man in his apartment, wrapped in a sheet. For once he's not stereotyped and is actually fairly likable. When a man attempts to verbally assault Julia, and even goes so far as to grab her by the throat, Cesar comes to her rescue -- by grabbing the man's crotch. Language consists of one or two harsh abuses of deity, some mild profanity, and around twelve f-words. Blood is found around dead bodies; a woman is shown being strangled, another is found dead in the bathroom. The film was very intriguing but the content really grew tiresome and did nothing to further the plot. I would recommend an Agatha Christie novel instead.

© www.charitysplace.com - all rights reserved.