'Hereafter' takes tedious approach to afterlife

Typically known for his methodical pacing and intimate scope, director Clint Eastwood begins his latest effort, "Hereafter," with a terrifying action sequence. French journalist Marie (Cecile de France) is caught in a devastating tsunami. She dies, experiences something extraordinary, then is miraculously revived.

Don't fret. Eastwood hasn't totally abandoned his filmmaking style. The rest of "Hereafter" is an intimate character study of three people struggling to make sense of what happens after death. Sadly, only one of these storylines carries any dramatic significance, and Eastwood, alongside writer Peter Morgan ("The Queen") fumbles a climax that tries too hard to seam the three stories together.

The film splits time between three seemingly unrelated characters. Shortly after her near-death experience, Marie struggles to adjust with normal life. In London, 12-year-old Marcus (Frankie and George McLaren) deals with the loss of his twin brother in a car accident. And in the most interesting storyline, American psychic George (Matt Damon) tries to hide from his paranormal abilities by taking a job in a factory.

Movies strictly about "death" often slip into sloppy melodrama. Eastwood, it seems, tries so hard to avoid this that the film never finds an emotional center. Two-thirds of the film is devoted to characters privately ruminating about the afterlife. Only George the Psychic has a story that externalizes the struggle.

Damon is reliably good in the role, playing a man who doesn't want to hear ghosts whisper unfinished business to bereaved relatives. Is George really communicating with the dead, or is he tapping into a living survivor's perception of the dead? Discuss!

The most engaging moments of George's story involve a budding relationship with a friendly classmate in his cooking class (the dead don't communicate via salad). As the plucky love interest, Bryce Dallas Howard breathes life into the humdrum proceedings, and her chemistry with Damon sparks. Pity George's "gift" makes even the most natural relationships messy.

It's these George-at-Cooking-Class scenes that make you wish "Hereafter" didn't even bother with the lonely kid and the born-again journalist. The final act tries to bring the three storylines together, but the result is tidy and unconvincing. Even worse, Eastwood fails to take the central premise to a revelatory or insightful conclusion.

"Hereafter" is never a bad film, as Eastwood's skill behind the camera is too good to ever churn out a clunker. But it's also only one-third of an interesting movie and Eastwood's first in a while to be immediately forgettable.

Grade: C+

Also in theaters: "Red"

Old-timer CIA agents (Retired: Extremely Dangerous division) find themselves on the run from younger colleagues in "Red," the action-comedy based on a lesser-known DC Comics series.

Bruce Willis leads the group of retirees, which include Morgan Freeman, Brian Cox, and most memorably, Helen Mirren and John Malkovich.

That premise, however, is deceptive, as much of the first half focuses on a budding romance between Willis' hard-boiled agent and a quirky customer-service rep played by Mary-Louise Parker. Their banter is cute for about 15 minutes, but Willis walks through the entire film likes he's on Lunesta (It seems like even Bruce is getting tired of his aging action hero persona these days).

Mirren and Malkovich add humor to the second half, and Karl Urban and Richard Dreyfuss aren't bad as the R.E.D. adversaries. The plot, though, is ho-hum, and Freeman is wasted in a supporting role. In short, "Red" needs an engaging story to go along with its fun premise. And somebody please wake Bruce from his decade-long nap.

Grade: C+

Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com. Read more film reviews and pop culture commentary at www.NormdogEntertainment.com.