THE EXPATRIATE/ERASED
US, 2012, 100 minutes, Colour.
Aaron Eckhart, Liana Liberato, Olga Kurylenko, Garrick Hagon.
Directed by Philipp Stolzl.
The Expatriate is an interesting, often exciting, CIA thriller.
A number of the settings are in Belgium, in Antwerp and in Brussels. There are also scenes at the CIA centre at Langley.
Aaron Eckhart portrays a former agent who has taken on work at a design company in Belgium, wanting to leave his past behind him, conscious of his having been a hired assassin. His wife has left but his teenage daughter, Liana Liberato, is with him in Europe but resenting it.
Thinking that the contract has been a success, he goes to his office only to find that everyone has disappeared, then finding a number of associates who have been murdered. He goes on the run with his daughter, getting some help from a friend at school, belonging to a Muslim family. Once again, there are killings.
In Langley, a superior played by Olga Kurylenko, who has had a liaison with Eckhart the past, comes to Europe to control the situation. However, with information gathered, it emerges that there is a conspiracy, favouring a wealthy shipowner who has run into difficulties with deaths at sea and smuggling.
The film works well, all the elements come together, the final confrontation, betrayals, abduction of his daughter, but a dramatic resolution.
1. CIA thriller, European settings, Langley? Covert operations? Assassins?
2. The title, the focus on the expatriate? The alternate title, Ben and his life being erased?
3. The Antwerp setting, Brussels, the landmarks, atmosphere, centre of the European Union? American operations? CIA vaults?
4. Ben, the expatriate, his work in Antwerp, security and the demonstrations, security and the building? His past, gradual revelation of his CIA work, assassin? His relationship with his wife? Amy, the tensions, the teenager, the arguments, her past at home, with her grandfather? Not wanting to come to Europe? Amy and her friends, the young Arab man? The winning the photography award? Her father arriving late?
5. The prologue, the vault, the stealing of the CIA documents, the consequent violence? The many killings?
6. Ben’s assistant, noticing the error in the code? Derek and the demonstrations? Ben in the office, the security guard, going home?
7. The return, the completely empty office? Going to the morgue, his dead colleagues? Writing down the reference to the patent? The assassin in pursuit, the car and the crash, Ben and Amy escaping? The wounds and the guns? Going into the house, empty, tending the wounds? The key, going to Antwerp station, finding the dossier?
8. The truth about Ben, his relationship with his wife, the reason for Amy being with him, his wanting to change, conscience?
9. Gathering information, going to the building, the disconnected phone, making the link, the CIA? Anna in Langley, the contact with Derek, her not wanting the deaths, her being on the payroll of Halgate? The meeting in Langley, the decision, going to Belgium?
10. Ben and Amy, being pursued, going to Amy’s friends, the man arranging for somewhere to stay, the assassin and his killing this man?
11. Anna, Ben, the past, the plan going awry? The visits to Halgate, his sinister assistant? Ruthlessness? The situation with the ship, cargo, the deal with the CIA, supplying arms to Mozambique? The accident, the deaths? The mother and their suit against Holgate, the appearance in court, accepting the deal?
12. The hotel sequence, Derek in the room, Ben confronting him, the violence, the documents, Derek killing himself? Anna and the pursuit, men and Amy eluding the pursuit?
13. The assassin, killing the Arabs, taking Amy?
14. Ben, the plan, reading the documents? Preparing the case with the documents, the bomb? The meetings, the deal with Halgate? Seeing Amy safe, the motorbike with her friend? The case, the assassin with him, and giving him the extra document to go to the car, all dying in the explosion?
15. The perennial problem with CIA stories, ethics and morality? Ben and his future?
