Chameleon (Marcus Mizelle, USA, 2019)
Drawing on the conventions of crime/thriller genre, and deploying enough nifty plot shifts to keep the audience on its toes, Chameleon keeps us guessing until the final frame. In spite of its shoestring budget, the film has top end production values, and compelling performances from each of its leads. Chameleon is a fine piece of entertainment.
The film follows the struggles of a newly released ex-con named Patrick (Joel Hogan) as he tries to follow through on his promise to walk the straight and narrow upon his release. Unfortunately, this promise conflicts with another he made to his former cellmate and prison protector Dolph (Donald Prabatah). Upon his release, Dolph looks the young, handsome and dashing Patrick up so he can cash in on that promise. Together, they hatch a plan to separate wealthy older husbands from their money by aiming at their achilles heels, their trophy wives. The kidnapping plots get more elaborate, the money more enticing and the risks more nerve-wracking as the film progresses. Eventually, Patrick decides to pull the plug on their successful operation, but in typical crime/thriller convention, Dolph convinces him to target one last set of victims, Frank (Jeff Prater) and Rebecca (Alicia Leigh Willis). Of course, this is the one with both the greatest reward and highest level of risk.
Chameleon is a taut thriller that rewards an observant viewer. Writer/director Marcus Mizelle has a very good eye with the camera, and displays a fine touch in the editing room, as the film dances back and forth in time and space, encouraging (if not forcing) the audience to piece together the story and its various clues. Despite its short running time, the film develops plausible characters and places them in anxiety-riddled situations, which keeps the audience not just engaged in the moment, but invested in its outcome.
Drawing on the conventions of crime/thriller genre, and deploying enough nifty plot shifts to keep the audience on its toes, Chameleon keeps us guessing until the final frame. In spite of its shoestring budget, the film has top end production values, and compelling performances from each of its leads. Chameleon is a fine piece of entertainment.The film follows the struggles of a newly released ex-con named Patrick (Joel Hogan) as he tries to follow through on his promise to walk the straight and narrow upon his release. Unfortunately, this promise conflicts with another he made to his former cellmate and prison protector Dolph (Donald Prabatah). Upon his release, Dolph looks the young, handsome and dashing Patrick up so he can cash in on that promise. Together, they hatch a plan to separate wealthy older husbands from their money by aiming at their achilles heels, their trophy wives. The kidnapping plots get more elaborate, the money more enticing and the risks more nerve-wracking as the film progresses. Eventually, Patrick decides to pull the plug on their successful operation, but in typical crime/thriller convention, Dolph convinces him to target one last set of victims, Frank (Jeff Prater) and Rebecca (Alicia Leigh Willis). Of course, this is the one with both the greatest reward and highest level of risk.
Chameleon is a taut thriller that rewards an observant viewer. Writer/director Marcus Mizelle has a very good eye with the camera, and displays a fine touch in the editing room, as the film dances back and forth in time and space, encouraging (if not forcing) the audience to piece together the story and its various clues. Despite its short running time, the film develops plausible characters and places them in anxiety-riddled situations, which keeps the audience not just engaged in the moment, but invested in its outcome.
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