The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

The very notion of Al Pacino and Anthony Hopkins starring alongside each other in their first-ever movie together is sure to incite a fair amount of intrigue and excitement.  However, any hope is very quickly diminished by the realisation that Misconduct – the debut feature from director Shintaro Shimosawa – is a terribly conceived and an idea which should never have seen the light of day.

Told through a ‘one week earlier’ flashback, the story is set on Ben Cahill (Duhamel); a hardworking and an up-and-coming young lawyer who is ready to prove himself to his demanding boss, Charles Abrams (Al Pacino). His home life, with wife Charlotte (Eve) is, unfortunately, just as challenging, with his partner still down in the dumps over a miscarriage she recently endured.

With the mysterious reappearance of his ex-girlfriend, Emily (Akerman),  Ben is handed the opportunity to take down ruthless pharmaceutical company CEO, Arthur Denning (Hopkins), who has allegedly been tampering with recent drug trials for a new medication. However, getting to the man is not as easy as it looks and Ben soon begins relying on Emily’s inside-access to get to what he wants. Unfortunately, things soon take a dive when Emily is kidnapped and Ben’s friends and family begin to be stalked by a mysterious assassin, The Accountant (Lee).

Words like ludicrous, preposterous and downright comical spring to mind when looking back at Misconduct; a peculiar 90’s-inspired legal thriller with very little to say. Scripted by writing duo, Simon Boyes and Adam Mason, the story is a complete and utter mess – gaps in logic and incoherent twists haunt the picture from minute one – and whilst the movie’s neo-noir aesthetic threatens to please, it’s never really utilised in injecting the plot with anything worthwile.

With very little experience behind the lens, director Shintaro Shimosawa – mostly known as the co-producer of The Grudge – also has a problem in defining the tone of the film, whilst the excessive camera only serves to distract.

Performance wise, Duhamel tries his best to stay afloat whilst the two women in his life never really register as anything but plot devices.  As for Al Pacino and Hopkins, well, it’s all rather disappointing as the two veterans – who never actually share a scene together – go through the motions, leaving the whole thing one big underwhelming exercise.