Disclosure

Based on the book by Michael Crichton, Disclosure follows Michael Douglas’ Tom Sanders as he’s passed over for a promotion in favor of a former girlfriend named Meredith Johnson (Demi Moore) – with problems ensuing as Meredith forcefully puts the moves on Tom and subsequently accuses him of sexual harassment. It’s clear right from the get-go that filmmaker Barry Levinson, working from Paul Attanasio’s screenplay, isn’t looking to replicated the briskly-paced, tension-filled feel of Crichton’s novel, as Disclosure does, for the most part, come off as a deliberate drama that relies mostly on its performances to sustain one’s interest – with Douglas’ expectedly compelling turn heightened by an eclectic supporting cast that includes, among others, Donald Sutherland, Dylan Baker, and Dennis Miller. The movie’s watchable yet far-from-engrossing vibe generally persists from start to finish, although, to be fair, the suspense level is amped up significantly during a stretch set within a (now-dated) virtual-reality landscape. But the aggressively overlong running time ultimately perpetuates the film’s arms-length atmosphere, and it seems rather obvious that Disclosure could’ve benefited from a few more passes through the editing bay.

**1/2 out of ****