THE FILM:

I knew nothing about Exposed before opening my screener to review. What I watched was unimpressive, but the reasons why are interesting. The synopsis on the back of the case promises a Keanu Reeves cop thriller, in which he finds a "troubled young woman who holds the key to solving his partner's murder." That would be fine, if Exposed was about Reeves' character or the studio had not re-cut the film so heavily that director Gee Malik Linton removed his name from the project, leaving poor pseudonym Declan Dale to wallow through the wreckage. The original film, Daughter of God, is a bilingual drama about police corruption and sexual abuse, with some religious and fantastical undertones. By re-editing the film to focus on Reeves' character, the studio created an incoherent mess. There are sparks of life here, but this hacked and chopped mess is D.O.A. in its truncated form.

Things go South quickly in Exposed. The film opens at night, as a beautiful young woman, Isabel De La Cruz (Ana de Armas), enters a nearly empty subway station. She fidgets with her rings, picks up fruit dropped by a homeless man, and witnesses a well-dressed albino man float in the air above the platform. Quick cut to Keanu Reeves, whose Detective Scott Galban is comforting his dead partner's wife, Janine (Mira Sorvino). The man was killed in the subway station the night before, not that you'd know that based on the poor editing. The film then turns to De La Cruz's home life, where she lives with her parents while awaiting the return of her deployed husband (Ismael Cruz Cordova). She is a scarred and guarded woman who deems her eventual pregnancy a "miracle," which gets her kicked out of the house. Detective Galban seeks De La Cruz out after he sees her on surveillance images from the subway station. The pair shares minimal screen time, despite promotional images of the actors together used to sell the Blu-ray and DVD.

When you cut huge chunks out of an intimate character drama, you are generally left with a disjointed, ineffective film. That is exactly what happened here. According to several articles I read, Exposed/Daughter of God had Spanish dialogue during half of the original running time. The late Philip Seymour Hoffman was to play Detective Galban in a small but important supporting role. The film is supposed to be about De La Cruz and the horrible things that happen to her and another young girl (Venus Ariel) in her family. Reeves got hired when Hoffman died, but something got lost in translation between filming and financing, as Lionsgate apparently felt misled about what they were sold. Folks, this is not, and was not intended to be, a cop thriller.

It is hard to review Exposed as it unspools on this Blu-ray. Scenes string together without purpose or dramatic connection. There are out-of-left-field moments when De La Cruz sees angels or aliens like the aforementioned albino man. Characters die, but you can't remember who they are. Reeves' asshole detective seems to be starring in a completely different film. He tracks down the suspected murderer (Big Daddy Kane), but things are not as they seem. His meddling imperils De La Cruz's brother-in-law Rocky (Gabe Vargas), who also has a connection with the dead man. There are so many confused narrative hiccups and plot holes that it is almost unfair to grade Exposed, but I will. I would be interested to watch Daughter of God and compare it to Exposed. There is obvious talent here, both in front of and behind the camera, and I can't help but feel sorry for those involved in this unnecessarily compromised film.

THE BLU-RAY:

PICTURE:

Lionsgate provides a solid 2.40:1/1080p/AVC-encoded image for Exposed. This digitally shot production is sharp and clear, with solid fine-object detail and texture. There is some odd color grading at times, causing the image to push toward jaundice, but this is likely intentional. Blacks are inky, but there is some black crush in dimly lit scenes. I noticed minor banding in an early scene but no compression artifacts.

SOUND:

The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix is also solid, though a few action effects are mixed too loudly. Dialogue is usually clear and free of distortion. Ambient effects like a subway platform and busy city street provide immersive listening, and a few more intense bits rattle the subwoofer. English, English SDH and Spanish subs are available.

PACKAGING AND EXTRAS:

This single-disc release is packed in an eco-case that is wrapped in a shiny, somehow fingerprint-resistant slipcover. Lionsgate includes an UltraViolet HD digital copy. Extras include Making Exposed (12:08/HD), which is EPK fluff; a collection of Interviews (29:37 total/HD), and a heavily misleading Theatrical Trailer (2:08/HD).

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Skip It. Exposed in its current form is a jumbled, nonsensical mess. Perhaps Gee Malik Linton's original vision, Daughter of God, is worth watching, but this studio re-edited version suffers from a confusing narrative and an unintended focus on Keanu Reeves' detective character.

William lives in Burlington, North Carolina, and looks forward to a Friday-afternoon matinee.