Narrative: Tom Kubik and his wife Claire move to Marin County and find their idyllic lifestyle. During a shopping spree, Tom is captured by the FBI and charged with the murder of 9 peasants. Claire then discovers that his real name is Ronald Chapman and that he was a covert military operative serving in the United States Marine Corps and has been on the run for the past fourteen years. She decides to defend her husband and hires Charlie Grimes (Morgan Freeman) as well.
Representation: Claire is shown to be a strong, independent woman who deeply loves her husband and will go against the military in order to prove his innocence. Throughout the film she is usually dressed formally. This, as well as conversations talking about her being the best lawyer, emphasise these aspects of her. In contrast, after the car crash she is shown to be unable to move and distraught at the loss of her unborn baby. The next scene shows her wearing casual clothing, suggesting a loss of power. Tom/Ronald Chapman is represented in completely different ways throughout the film. He is portrayed as being innocent after his arrest and the way he acts towards Claire shows a very loving relationship between the two of them. After it is revealed that he is being accused of murders, he becomes a much darker character. This is shown in a scene when he is standing in the doorway behind Claire. Later he appears to be very unstable as he attacks Claire and his facial expressions as he is planning to kill her emphasise his psychotic nature. Charlie Grimes is represented very differently from the other characters in the film. He is not particularly well dressed and achieves his aims through unorthodox methods.
Camerawork: When someone is talking, close-ups are used to make sure that the audiences focuses on them. If someone is being watched then the audience see from the watchers persepctive. The camera follows the person so the audience know that they are being watched. When Claire has a car crash, there is a cut to a scene with her in the hospital. This is representative of what she would have seen so the audience are seeing things from her point of view. Another example of what the audience seeing representing how a character is feeling is when the man is being strangled and the screen becomes blurry. This relates to the fact that he is feeling disorientated. Long shots are used to allow the audience to see many things happening in one shot so there does not have to be lots of cuts between shots.
Mise en Scene: Many of the characters in the film wear military uniform. This is used to show authority and power. Suits are worn to give a character a sense of professionalism. Towards the start of the film, there is lots of bright lighting. However the lighting becomes darker throughout the film. This relates to the dark tone of the film.
Sound: The film begins with slow, melodic music in order to disguise the darker nature of the plot. The music becomes faster to build up tension before a fight or action scene. This builds tension because it acts as a signifier for the audience. If a scene is emotional and upsetting, slower music is used in order to keep the audience focused on what is happening in the scene.
Target Audience:The target audience of this film is likely to be adults from around the ages of 25 to 40. This is because it is more of a mystery thriller which, although younger people may enjoy, does not contain as much action as many younger people would like.
Camerawork: When someone is talking, close-ups are used to make sure that the audiences focuses on them. If someone is being watched then the audience see from the watchers persepctive. The camera follows the person so the audience know that they are being watched. When Claire has a car crash, there is a cut to a scene with her in the hospital. This is representative of what she would have seen so the audience are seeing things from her point of view. Another example of what the audience seeing representing how a character is feeling is when the man is being strangled and the screen becomes blurry. This relates to the fact that he is feeling disorientated. Long shots are used to allow the audience to see many things happening in one shot so there does not have to be lots of cuts between shots.
Mise en Scene: Many of the characters in the film wear military uniform. This is used to show authority and power. Suits are worn to give a character a sense of professionalism. Towards the start of the film, there is lots of bright lighting. However the lighting becomes darker throughout the film. This relates to the dark tone of the film.
Sound: The film begins with slow, melodic music in order to disguise the darker nature of the plot. The music becomes faster to build up tension before a fight or action scene. This builds tension because it acts as a signifier for the audience. If a scene is emotional and upsetting, slower music is used in order to keep the audience focused on what is happening in the scene.
Target Audience:The target audience of this film is likely to be adults from around the ages of 25 to 40. This is because it is more of a mystery thriller which, although younger people may enjoy, does not contain as much action as many younger people would like.
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