Ironic title alert: Michael Radford's so-called Flawless is a stoic, slow-moving caper of the dullest proportions imaginable. Demi Moore walks through the film wearing the same sullen, disinterested expression in every scene. In her blankness, she seems to be hoping to convey a repressed complexity. In truth, she conveys nothing but boredom and apathy. The film, much like her performance, is numb to its core. Its window dressing is an homage to old-fashioned thrillers that rooted themselves deeply in suspense rather than car chases. The gimmick doesn't work though. Resembling greatness does not equal greatness. Nothing here possess even an ounce of creative energy. It simply passes by. Pretty pictures filled with pretty words and not a single idea within them.Moore plays a moderately high-ranking executive in a London diamond company in the 1960s who has been looked over by her bosses for many promotions on account of her gender and has a bleak professional future. She's convinced by a kindly janitor (Michael Caine) who fears his thin pension will not sufficiently fund his retirement to use their combined knowledge and resources to steal from their employers. He persuades her that they both deserve better and that the only way to get it is to take it for themselves. It turns out that she has access to the necessary codes and he has unsupervised reign of the facilities after hours. Caine turns in a simple, Michael Caine-like performance. He appears mostly bemused and mildly interested but certainly delivers more fully than the lifeless Moore.
Flawless is professionally assembled but emotionally inert. Radford clearly has a skilled eye but not much evidence is provided here as to the caliber of his soul. As polished a piece as this is, it has hardly any merits as both narrative art and commercial entertainment.
Grade: D
