Allison, the patient, dies of multiple stab wounds in the ER. An attempt to resuscitate Allison backfires and sends Kate into momentary unconsciousness. When Kate wakes up, she is certain that Allison has communicated a key piece of information to her, before her death. Kate begins experiencing strange déjà vu-like symptoms. She continues to have repeated flashbacks of Allisons murder. Kate is convinced that she is tied to Allison in some way, but she cant determine why. Kate will have to sort things out, or she may pay with her life.
I didnt really know what to expect from Insight. So, I consulted the DVD box cover, which made it out to sound like it was about to change my life for the better. With that endorsement, I was cautiously optimistic, but it turns out that my optimism was misguided. In fact, it was downright foolhardy of me to expect anything from Insight.
Insight plays out much like an extended episode of a 60-minute television series. I would liken it to a special 90 minute long episode of Ghost Whisperer or Medium. I make that specific distinction, because Insight is several steps below the quality of even a made for TV movie.
The movie left me with the feeling that everything I was watching was pieced together from themes and ideas that were successful in other movies and television shows. None of the themes or concepts in Insight were original or well executed. Some of the content has been recycled so many times that I found myself calling out what was going to happen about fifteen minutes before it actually played out on screen.
Much of the movie feels disjointed, as a result of constant flashbacks and a partially non-linear approach to storytelling. Im sure that the script was written that way so that the viewer would be shocked when the final scenes play out, but really, the twists are so predictable that no one will be shocked by anything (other than how much the movie sucks). I was annoyed that I invested my awesome time in Insight, only to be rewarded with a weak and predictable finale.
The cast was below average. Other than Sean Patrick Flannery, most of the recognizable names are names that we havent seen tied to a major or credible project in some time. The poorly written script didnt give the cast a lot to work with. The cast, however, didnt do the script any favors. The performances are bad. They feel like television grade acting. They are slightly better than what you would see on a soap opera, but not quite as good as what you might see on an episode of Law and Order. The lead character, Kate, (played by Natalie Zea) is way too intense. She takes her performance really seriously. Her facial expressions had me chuckling throughout the movie. Rick Overton, playing bad cop to Sean Patrick Flannerys good cop was too much to bear. Every scene that they were in together was so over the top that it felt like it was taken from a high school play.
Insight is not a horror film. I suppose you could call it a thriller. But, its not very thrilling. You could possibly categorize it as a suspense film, but its not very suspenseful, either. Insight kind of defies categorization.
There were not a lot of effects to comment on. The film isnt very violent or bloody. Other than some flashbacks to the events that led up to Allisons arrival at the hospital, there is almost no blood in the entire film. There arent really any scares, either. There are no big jump scares, and no moments of legitimate intensity.
The cinematography was bland. I suppose it matched the drab tone of the film, though. This is another highly forgettable film. There isnt a single thing about it that will stick with me.
Insight is currently available on DVD and VOD. However, I hope you will allow me to save you time, money, and energy expensed, by passing on this one all together. Give a real psychological thriller like Seven another viewing instead.
