Some flaws are forgivable. Poor camera shots, blurry transitions, and maybe even the weak script of Frank E. Flowers' "Haven" could be excused if the rest of film could make up for it. Truly, there's one aspect too horrific to ignore: dragging. Eyes close, heads bob and all of a sudden the guy two seats over has his head in the lap of a total stranger.
Only a glance at the nearest watch/cell phone exposes the incredible fact that, in "Haven"'s case, less than two hours have actually passed.
"Haven" takes place on one of the beautiful Cayman Islands, the birth place of the film's writer/director Flowers. While the film focuses mainly on the island's dark and terrible nightlife, some idyllic shots seem to play out as if part of a tourist commercial, providing a view of an escape for American businessmen and their families.
Carl Ridley (Bill Paxton) is just one of those American businessmen who flees to the island, with his daughter Pippa (Agnes Bruckner), after federal
investigators threaten to uncover his shady dealings within the banking system. The first half of the film involves Pippa and her newfound pal, low-level gangster Fritz (Victor Rasuk), attending a party, featuring cocaine, weed, sex, and violence. Meanwhile, Pippa's father engages in his own illegal activities, attempting to contact friend and fellow lawbreaker Mr. Allen (Stephen Dillane).
The second half of the film is only vaguely connected to the first, and attempts to come full circle prove unsuccessful. The later piece involves Shy (Orlando Bloom), a young dockhand, and Andrea (Zoe Saldana), the dock owner's daughter, in a serious relationship. Their interaction threatens to break up her family, as Andrea's brother Hammer (Anthony Mackie), has never been too fond of Shy.
Although this story has found a new setting, one cannot watch the relationship's downfall without a sense of d?©j? vu. Star-crossed lovers have been around since even before Shakespeare and the film's Reggae-tinged, stereotypical "Caribbean" music does not, unfortunately, change the predictability of the downfall. At least as Shy and Andrea's relationship continues to unravel, the action picks up and drama strikes - even if one expected it from the beginning.
The cast's top billing is confounding, as Paxton and Bloom have absolutely nothing in common. Paxton is convincing as a remorseful father whose only concern is setting things right and being there for his increasingly distant daughter.
Bloom, on the other hand, provides his usual, sometimes-clothed, hopeless romantic, with his well-known curly locks and a pout that would melt any girl's heart (for more evidence see 2003's "Pirates of the Caribbean.") Shy has a bit of an edge but poor Bloom can't brood any more than a puppy.
Other particularly impressive cast members include Saldana, whose character dives into the world of drugs and sex, as well as Bobby Cannavale, who portrays one of the federal investigators tracking the two American capitalists.
Pippa's casting, however, was a mistake. Bruckner, the twenty-one year old television actress, looks far older and awkwardly stands out as an eighteen year-old with some sort of aging disorder.
Strong acting by the rest of the cast (sorry Mr. Bloom, Ms. Bruckner) cannot conquer the terrible structure of the film. "Haven" falls on its face during its finale simply due to a lack of strong ascending or descending action. After two plots, a few minor events, two major events, and a handful of suspenseful moments, the viewer is at a loss for whether or not there was ever even a climax.
What's more, "Haven" ends without a grand resolution or any sense of finality. Either the producers ran out of funds or the screenwriter ran out of paper.
Before "Haven," Flowers only had one movie to his name, "Swallow," a short without any major stars. Surely, Bloom's role as co-producer helped put Flowers' first full length feature film into theaters. If only he could take it out again.
