5 out of 10
 

The US Defence Secretary is assassinated at a boxing match. A top Policeman sitting next to him, played by Nicholas Cage, quickly orders that the doors be locked. Now he must find the murderer amongst the 14,000 spectators with the help of his old school buddy, now a US Admiral, who had been the bodyguard.

In many ways, this is reminiscent of an Agatha Christie tale of murder at a country house, with witnesses retelling their story, aided by shots from a camera that glides through walls. Some aspects are fresh: it shows how honourable men are corrupted and corrupt men can be pushed to a point that they stand and fight for honour. It’s also quite a change to have the Defence Secretary shot instead of the President.

Regrettably, unlike Christie, they don’t give enough clues at the start for one to be able to kick oneself at the end of the film, and say, "Of course". Instead, they reveal the entire plot half way through the film, leading to a predictable Hollywood ending as drab as Cage’s acting, complete with the usual bullet-riddled cop saving the girl.