The Whistleblower (2010)

10 Comments

1. 

   heszyfilm from United States
   19 Nov 2011, 9:15 am

   The previous reviewer obviously didn't know that this is a true story. The specific victims were fictionalized, but the overall story of what was happening and what Rachel Wiesz's character went through are true. They are not a contrived, or "generic" "CSI" story.
   
   That said, as a movie, Whistleblower delivers in telling about this difficultand important event. Some of the scenes were hard to watch, but, as the director mentioned at the Q&A after the screening I saw, it was just scratching the surface of what was going on. Vanessa Redgrave's character, though her scenes were relatively brief, really shined. I appreciated that the cinematography didn't involve any fancy styles or overly dramatic music. The director let the impact of the story itself, and Rachel Wiesz's fine acting, carry the movie.

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2. 

   Rockwell_Fassbender from United States
   19 Nov 2011, 9:15 am

   These days it's become a rarity to find a political thriller that is intelligent, intense and intriguing. So when one like The Whistleblower comes along, I find no trouble in treasuring every moment of it. Rachel Weisz stars as the titular pot-boiler who uncovers a sex trafficking ring while working as a peacekeeper in Bosnia. Based on a true story, she turns over some dirty rocks and a lot of people start to get very angry. This leads to a very tense race to discover the truth and find someone willing to help her bring down these horrible men before they get to her. There's a subplot with Monica Bellucci's character that is a little dull and eventually inconsequential, but when the Weisz side of things is so gripping, it's easy to look past.
   
   The story here is strong and every moment, especially in the final act, breathes with a wicked intensity that keeps you on your toes, but the real driving force of the film is Weisz. For some reason it seems like it's pretty hard for films to present female characters who are strong and firm in their beliefs without turning them into unbearable stereotypes. This year though we've experienced an influx of great ones that come off as genuine human beings and Weisz's Kathryn Bolkavac is another to add to the list. Especially given the fact that she plays a woman who is being constantly attacked and undermined by everyone around her, a role that opens itself up to melodramatic hysterics pretty easily. Weisz had to hit this balance of strength and broken hopelessness without going too far to make it unrealistic, and she hits every note necessary.
   
   There's one scene later in the film that really stands as a measure to the power of her performance. Bolkavac gets within an inch of freeing these girls and exposing the truth, when out of nowhere the rug is pulled out from under her and things look worse than ever. She bursts into tears, desperate for some way out of this situation; everything she was fighting for was right in her grasp and she just gets it ripped out of her hand like two kids fighting over a toy on Christmas. This moment would have been difficult for most actors, but Weisz has matured into one of our finest performers and she doesn't phase for a second. She could have easily slipped into unintentionally comedic melodrama but instead she brings down the house and almost brought a tear to my eye. It's a devastating moment in one of the strongest, most commanding performances of the year so far. A superb performance in a taut, intelligent thriller.

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3. 

   chaz-28 from Silver Spring, MD
   19 Nov 2011, 9:15 am

   The vast majority of the time one hears the words 'government contract' it is safe to assume it is not the best and brightest people who are volunteering to go for extended periods of time to locales termed war zones. Sure, there are those altruistic few who take up the charge to make the world a better place, but routinely, it is just someone willing to exchange six months of their life in exchange for a juicy paycheck. The Whistleblower's heroine, Kathryn Bolkovac (Rachel Wiesz) is one such person. She was a Nebraska police officer who signed on with a company called Democra who had a security contract with the United Nations.
   
   For six months of her time and $100,000, Kathryn was to monitor the local Sarajevo police and advise them on proper police procedures. Very quickly, she discovers the word monitor means turn a blind eye as Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks abuse whatever power they have to continue a sort of undeclared war on each other. The Serb policemen will not investigate or prosecute domestic violence cases, especially if the woman is Muslim. Kathryn successfully leads Bosnia's first case against domestic violence earning her a more visible job as the department head for gender affairs.
   
   Now her scope includes far more than standard local police issues. Young Eastern European and Russian girls are turning up on the streets and shelters looking severely assaulted and sexually abused. To her shock and dismay, Kathryn learns that United Nations employees from all nations are not only the girls' customers, but frequently aid local human traffickers in their transport and have an interest in holding the girls against their will.
   
   Nobody in any position of authority ever raises their hand for a scandal, so all of Kathryn's investigations and findings are swept under the rug and she is ostracized from the rest of her compatriots who are either not interested in obtaining justice for the girls or believe so much in bureaucracy and paperwork that they sometimes send the girls right back to their rapists. On Kathryn's side is the High Commissioner for Human Rights rep played by Vanessa Redgrave and an internal affairs agent played by David Strathairn.
   
   Frequently, the subject matter and scenes of girls undergoing sexual abuse and torture are stomach churning. The film can be relentless at times showing various punishments and cruelty. Human trafficking, especially if it involves a trusted world organization and its sleazy contractors, is an extremely important subject to cover and make films about; therefore, be ready to adjust uncomfortably in your seats as you watch downright disgusting and brutal activities perpetrated against teenage girls.
   
   The Whistleblower deserves applause for bringing to light the company Democra which still carries out government contracts to this day. However, when the film takes a break for showing the girls' plight, it focuses on Kathryn's personal life and back story which are choppy and do not come across as fully thought out. There is her home life back in the states which she left, including her daughter, and an awkward budding romance with a Dutch security contractor. Including romance and relationships in a film with this disturbing subject matter would be tough for any director, and this first time feature director does not quite pull it off.
   
   It will take this reviewer some time to get over some of the images in The Whistleblower; tread at your own risk. But this story deserves to be told and shown in all of its brutality.

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4. 

   davidfurlotte from Canada
   19 Nov 2011, 9:15 am

   Firstly, I have to say that I was greatly impressed at the quality of the movie because it was a Canadian production and to be honest, I have rarely seen us live up to the quality we are capable of achieving.
   
   Rachel Weisz has definitely grown as an actress from her days of doing the Mummy movies. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved her character in those movies but I never would believe she could have the 'chops' to do a movie this intense and carry it off. Kudos to you, Rachel, you were magnificent.
   
   To the reviewer that thought this was some kind of "CSI" movie, I have to agree with another reviewer. OBVIOUSLY, you need to buy a clue and realize that this was not just some fairy tale; it was a very dark, real, portrayal of human trafficking that is going on all around us.
   
   But this movie was more than just a story, it is a report on an INTERNATIONAL organization that is supposed to PROTECT the helpless not only turning a blind eye, but actually becoming INVOLVED in something that 55 years ago, people were being tried and hung for in Nuremburg.
   
   As a resident of Markham, just northeast of Toronto, I had to chuckle when I saw them using Toronto City Hall as the U.N. offices in Bosnia but I'm sure that only Toronto residents would recognize the interior.
   
   Overall, an excellent movie, worthy of many awards and I only hope that many more people will see it and realize how serious a problem we have on our hands. Please do give it a watch. I now find myself having to watch "Taken" because I need something to uplift me a bit and make me think there is someone out there that can do something righteous against these human trafficking scum.

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5. 

   Robert Collins from Australia
   19 Nov 2011, 9:15 am

   So i sat down this evening at a special screening of The Whistleblower, id seen the trailer and was certainly intrigued as i think Rachel Weisz is an extremely fine actress, and it reminded me of a similar Australian film i saw a few years earlier called 'The Jammed'. I was absolutely floored by this film, so many times i was literally holding back my anger and my urge to yell at the screen.
   
   The story is a story that has been told somewhat before but none have had Rachel Weisz, she is the pure driving force of this movie, picturing someone else in this role is near impossible. The supporting cast are also stellar, I particularly enjoyed David Strathairn's character, one good guy in the midst of all these corrupt male cops, and the actress who played Raya gave a heartbreaking portrayal of a trapped woman.
   
   The fact that sex trafficking is still a major problem in the world is horrifying, i hope this movie eventually gets a full release in Australia as i think its a film a lot of people should see as sex trafficking is a major problem here.
   
   Be prepared to hold back your rage and frustration….
   
   Come Oscar time i hope Weisz gets the recognition she so rightly deserves.
   
   In one word : Flawless

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6. 

   collipal-1 from Argentina
   19 Nov 2011, 9:15 am

   The Whistleblower is an excellent film, but it left me depressed. However, its message is undoubtedly important and I think that it definitely deserves an enthusiastic recommendation, not exactly as an entertainment, but as a testimony of a horrible situation which is unfortunately extended all around the world, even though the story from the film is set in Serbia and Bosnia. Which one of so many possible atrocities does The Whistleblower deal with? The human trafficking; and even though it does not offer solutions (probably because they don't exist), it at least brings us new reasons to feel ashamed of the human genre.
   
   Having established the importance of the message expressed by The Whistleblower, I will proceed to focus myself into its many cinematographic attributes. The screenplay is fascinating, and it kept me in suspense the whole time, because even though it does not have the structure from a traditional thriller, the crusade undertaken by the main character demands a strong emotional response; and as well as we share her hope of a positive solution, we also feel her frustration when she faces the constant obstacles she finds from the mafia, the bureaucracy and even the enslaved young women, who are too scared in order to testify against their captors. The only thing I can say against this film is that the screenplay should have explored a bit more some of the subjects it deals with.
   
   Rachel Weisz brings a great performance in the leading role from The Whistleblower, due to the wide range of emotions she perfectly expresses with her character. Vanessa Redgrave, Monica Bellucci, David Strathairn, Roxana Condurache, Paula Schramm and Nicolaj Lie Kass also bring perfect works. So, in conclusion, The Whistleblower is a hard but brilliant movie whose finality is not amusing us for a while, but illustrating us about a sad reality which is lived by millions of people every day. I guess that it is difficult to think about that when we have our own problems (which are undoubtedly minor, even though they affect us daily), but that apathy is exactly what companies like DynCorp need in order to enrich themselves at the expense of the human misery. Even though I think that exactly the same can be said about any government.

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7. 

   jpurits-604-559217 from Canada
   19 Nov 2011, 9:15 am

   Sure the production values could have been better, but I am sure this movie did not have the biggest budget either.
   
   I thought Weisz, Redgrave and Strathairn gave good performances. But,most of all, what I liked was the raw feel of this movie, perhaps due to it's smaller budget, and the fact that it had a very important story to tell (a true story).
   
   I can not comprehend people complaining, in their reviews, regarding the languages spoken. Who cares ? Obviously they cared more about aesthetics than the actual story.
   
   Even with all it's flaws, it is a very entertaining, although sad, movie. It actually prompted me to do some research on DynCorp, KBR and Blackwater , 3 of the security contractors getting billions of $ from our governments while committing countless crimes around the world. So, I guess, in that respect, the movie has worked and got it's point across. Good to see a movie that actually gets your passion and emotions flowing, even if it is outrage.

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8. 

   AudioFileZ from United States
   19 Nov 2011, 9:15 am

   With billions of dollars behind "peace keeping" in torn countries like Bosnia it is a given that there will be needed order, albeit with corruption. Paid handsomely, low-level people, workers in these countries are seen by their corporate employers as necessary "grunts" getting the day-to-day work done and silently bank their tax free earnings. For the most part that bet seems an easy way for these powers to amass wealth while enacting little real change. Their small roles, big paydays, combined with the quite dangerous, hardly glamorous hard life they lead, usually, silence them for a quick in and out period of employment without any ripple to the system .
   
   Sometimes unforeseen events do occur, mostly, they too can be contained. Few with purely idealistic goals survive any length of time in such an environment. These "troublemakers" can be summarily dismissed in obscurity. In relatively few cases there arises a most unlikely character who somehow, in spite of his/her relative powerlessness, rises and threatens to "shake" things up. "The Whistleblower" tells the story of one such person, who against the forces that be, exposed the complicity of the UN Peace Keeping Forces and a "Blackwaterish" private contractor in turning a blind eye to rampant human trafficking while, supposedly, returning Bosnia to order. This isn't a surprise that stretches one's imagination; yet, the fact that billions of tax payer's dollars supported this should outrage any moral being.
   
   Kathryn Bolkovac, a divorced former Nebraska policewoman, needs to make enough money to be able to finance a move to Georgia so she can be close to her two children who are in the custody of their father. She sees the job in Bosnia her best bet to succeed in that goal while, hopefully, working in the realm of law enforcement which she enjoys. Kathryn, played by Rachel Weisz, becomes aware of sizable numbers of European young women being forced into prostitution in Bosnia. The local arm of it seems to be run out of an outlying bar called The Florida Bar. It is common knowledge, yet the locals turn a blind eye. She immediately seeks a witness who will help her to use the legal system to prosecute those involved; to save these young girls and return them to their families. Kathryn soon realizes it will be a battle as The UN administrators, save one Madeliene Rees, do not want to get involved. What ensues is a harrowing story of one woman's "never say never" attitude as she goes up against The UN, governments, and private contractors who have a vested interest in dealing with other problems instead. If Kathryn wants to live and make it back to her kids she has to decide if the outcome is worth the risk. These are big stakes with such negative repercussions most workers would, likely, choose the route these other organizations have chosen. Not Kathryn.
   
   This movie is anything but a grandstanding commercialized depiction tailored for mass movie audience consumption. The Whistleblower is very direct and economical in bringing to light the struggle waged by Kathryn. While being a Canadian production it is world class in both writing and filming. You feel the danger and the hopelessness that has surrounded Bosnia since civil war brought total chaos. Rachel Weisz performs at a level we've yet to see her achieve as the viewer feels the presence of a very real Kathryn Bolkovac's frustration and heartache. As the story builds the stakes, naturally, get higher. When it seems Kathryn's persistence will finally enact the freedom of the girls and the exposure of corruption she gets fired. No longer enjoying diplomatic immunity she is even threatened with the very legal system she sought to use to end this evilness. She risks her own freedom, which other than life's breath itself, is all she has left. At this point she teams up with a sympathetic UN executive; the only one Madeliene Rees implicitly trusts within The UN to be of any help. The two fool the corporate peace keeping organizations point man enabling Kathryn to flee Bosnia along with the police records that were to expose the corruption, but had been closed by mysterious forces. You need to see this movie as you will summon a very real-life outrage by things you had no way of knowing your tax dollars were financing.
   
   I repeat "The Whistleblower" does not grandstand, but tells it completely straight with great realism. Everything works, the singularly amazing performance of Rachel Weisz, the perfect co-starring roles of Vanessa Redgrave as Madeleine Rees, and the very low-key part of the UN executive conspirator played superbly by the great character actor David Strathairn. Cinematography is suitably stark, gray, and hopeless, combined with the script, the location, and the performances we have a very palatable synergism. After seeing the movie the viewer wants to know even more, not the least of which is due to the factual aftermath revealed in the closing. Very powerful movie-making, a must see.

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9. 

   franmol01 from Ireland
   19 Nov 2011, 9:15 am

   what is it that makes us human? the thing that separates us from the animals? the whistleblower doesn't answer these questions. in fact it asks the question even more. this movie was hard to watch but also hard not to. Weisz is outstanding as the woman that exposes the men with control and power over their weaker fellow man…or woman in this case. you must watch this movie for the human story. expecting to be "entertained" by drama and the like should not be your goal here, the director has done an excellent job ensuring that. if you want to be entertained then watch transformers… if you're not afraid to be moved by the real events on which this story is based, then this movie is for you.

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10. 

    Ali M from Pakistan
    19 Nov 2011, 9:15 am

    The movie uncovers some truths which anybody wont feel better on seeing this.It shows the ugly side of UN and the peace keepers.Rachel weisz did a phenomenal acting. i strongly recommend to watch it to see the ugly truth of the peacemakers. For the director its a nice debut and a bold one. i guess Rachel weisz would get an Oscar nomination for this role.Sex trafficking in war beaten country and on those people whom they are supposed to protect were their to rape and sexually torture them.i don't know what really happened there and what are the real deal is but this movie is a glimpse of what would happened.if i am not wrong i can expect these kind of activities in other war affected countries, where these contractors and peace keepers went.

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