“Awake” is not the somnambulistic enterprise one might have expected.
A thriller with a gimmick that offers easy pickings for film critics and headline writers, “Awake” actually rejects predictability and provides a minor pleasure for those already tired of relentless holiday cheer.
Well-cast throughout, “Awake” takes advantage of the stars’ resumes to give viewers a sense of familiarity and order. Newcomer Joby Harold, who wrote and directed the film, cleverly uses the actors’ own images, letting some stand and others twist so that the usual signals don’t hold true.
“Awake” starts with a doctor, Jack Harper (Terrence Howard), mourning a friend who died on his operating table.
Then it’s on to what looks like one of the world’s beautiful couples, Clay Beresford (Hayden Christensen) and Sam Lockwood (Jessica Alba), blissfully in love and on top of the world. But things aren’t always what they seem. Clay is keeping his romance with Sam a secret – from his mother, Lilith (Lena Olin).
Lilith is a wealthy widow and a principal in the financial kingdom built by her late husband. Clay is the crown prince, so it’s natural that Lilith would worry about women wanting her son for his money. But Lilith has other reasons for being unhappy that Clay and Sam are together.
Sam is upset that Clay is keeping her in the shadows. But that takes a backseat to the fact that Clay has a bad heart and has been waiting months for a transplant. Everything comes to a head one night, and a donor heart finally arrives. But when Jack and his surgical team go to work on Clay, they don’t realize that the substitute anesthetist, Larry Lupin (Christopher McDonald), has messed up, and Clay is aware of everything that’s going on, though he’s paralyzed and unable to communicate.
“Awake” offers figures about the number of people who undergo surgery each year and the surprising number who experience “anesthetic awareness.” But that doesn’t prepare viewers for the suffocating, frightening nightmare Clay goes through.
Granted, Harold is using the phenomenon in service of a murder mystery. And some of the plot twists are more than a little absurd. But there’s still plenty of suspense, and it’s fun to watch the story unfold.
Christensen, never the most electrifying actor, is just right as the low-key Clay. Alba no doubt was chosen for her drop-dead-gorgeous looks, but that’s a vital aspect of her character, and she manages to emote when needed.
Olin is perfect as the mother who seems unwilling to cut the cord. Howard’s warm presence suits Jack admirably. McDonald, Fisher Stevens and Arliss Howard are solid support.
It isn’t Hitchcock, but “Awake” is clever enough to keep viewers from snoozing.
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