The Nameless (May 15/05)

Featuring a dynamite premise and some admittedly impressive visuals, The Nameless feels like it should be a whole lot better than it actually is. Writer/director Jaume Balagueró does an effective job of setting things up and establishing the central character, but fails to imbue the film with a consistent sense of pacing - resulting in a movie that's sporadically intriguing but mostly dull.

The story revolves around Claudia Gifford (Emma Vilarasau), who - in the film's prologue - discovers that her recently-kidnapped daughter was murdered by her captors. Five years later, Claudia receives a mysterious phone call from a young woman claiming to be her dead child. Though Claudia is initially skeptical, she comes to believe the voice on the telephone - going so far as to enlist the help of Bruno Massera (Karra Elijalde), the same detective who worked on the kidnapping case. The two embark on a clue-hunting scavenger hunt that eventually leads them to a cult known as The Nameless, a group devoted to the purification of the human species (something they hope to achieve by performing acts that are beyond horrific). The film also features a fairly pointless subplot involving an intrepid journalist and his search for The Nameless.

While there's no denying that Balagueró does hold some promise as a filmmaker, The Nameless comes off as nothing more than an intriguing concept needlessly stretched out to feature length. It's clear that the film would've been far more effective as a short, as the lack of substantial plot developments or intriguing characters makes it virtually impossible to remain completely interested from start to finish.

This is exacerbated by a conclusion that feels rushed; given that the entire film seems to be leading up to some kind of an explanation for the screwy goings-on, it's especially disappointing that Balagueró is only willing to offer up a vague, half-baked resolution.