Awake

Apr 4 2008 by The Journal

(1hr 24mins) Starring: Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba, Terrence Howard. Director: Joby Harold

IT’S a sad state of affairs when Hayden Christensen is at his most compelling when his character is lying inert on an operating table, able to feel each slice of a scalpel yet unable to scream out in anguish.

“Come on... it’s just pain... focus!” he whimpers in voiceover as surgeons crack his rib cage open.

These scenes are genuinely unsettling, bringing a medical nightmare into queasy, sharp focus.

Despite this, Awake should be struck off.

Wealthy Clay Beresford (Christensen) lives in the shadow of his domineering mother Lilith (Lena Olin), who is far from pleased that her son is romantically entangled with her assistant, Samantha (Jessica Alba).

The lovebirds are blissfully happy and their future together will be even brighter as soon as Clay has open-heart surgery.

Good friend Dr Jack Harper (Terence Howard) is due to perform the operation, but little does Clay know that the attending anaesthesiologist is under the influence. Awake uses a hellish medical phenomenon as the basis for a routine mystery, with Clay as the unsuspecting victim of foul play.

Sadly, the premise soon becomes preposterous and performances are uniformly poor.