My first introduction to this direct to video movie was as a poor man’s Eagle Eye. There are a lot of similarities between that film and Echelon Conspiracy. It’s an easy comparison to make but this movie does succeed in creating its own own semi-interesting take. Shane West plays the part of the film’s protagonist, a young guy doing some tech work overseas who receives a mysterious hi-tech phone which provides him with some compelling opportunities. The movie also stars Ving Rhames and Edward Burns, the latter of which seems to show up quite frequently in low budget projects such as this.
Story wise, this film isn’t bad. It starts rather innocent and playfully then becomes a bit of a mystery, then later tries to make its way to an action thriller. All the elements are there; the love scene, the young guy getting in over his head, the espionage, the car chase, the conspiracy, and the mysterious mastermind. The trouble with this film is that it takes too long to get to the action and while entertaining, it never really gets compelling. If there’s a reason why this was never released in the theaters then that’s probably it. It just never becomes much of a thriller. You can hit pause at any part in the movie and come back the next day to pick up where you left off. You just don’t care enough about the characters and their individual plights to really invest yourself in them. I give this movie 3 out of 5 marks.