Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba, Terrence Howard, Lena Olin
Directed by Joby Harold
Rated R
3.5 Pulses
Awake is a thriller about a young man, Clayton Beresford Jr., who suffers from ’anesthesia awareness,’ a condition in which the person being operated on is awake and aware, but paralyzed.
While on the operating table, Beresford (Christensen) discovers his destiny as he lies there. He has a history of heart problems and knows he must get a heart transplant, yet realizes the surgery could lead to early death.
During the course of Awake, Beresford hides his love for fianc’e, Sam (Alba), from his mother, Lilith (Olin).
Dr. Jack Harper (Howard) has become Beresford’s best friend and best man (in his wedding to Sam) after saving Clayton’s life once before. Mom Lilith, meanwhile, is concerned with the doctor her son has chosen to undertake his operation and suggests another highly acclaimed doctor.
Nonetheless, when Harper calls Beresford with the good news that a heart with his rare blood type has been found, Clayton gets prepped for surgery. After being injected with anesthetics, however, he realizes that he can still hear and feel everything that goes on in the operating room. And that’s when the movie starts its exciting journey through the mind of a man with anesthesia awareness.
No longer a Jedi, Christensen has evolved into a good actor and delivers a great performance, with all the emotion he puts into this piece.
For the most part, Awake keeps viewers on the edge of their seats, and squirming, with its gruesome heart-surgery visuals. Moviegoers are the only ones who can hear Beresford’s cries and questions, even though he tries so hard to fight back. And in the end, even though writer/director Joby Harold is no Hitchcock, he throws enough twists into this thriller to leave viewers guessing what’s yet to come.
