Echelon Conspiracy is another entry in the techno-thriller genre. Shane West is Max, an IT wiz kid with a specialty in security encryption. While on a job in Bangkok, he receives a mysterious package containing a cell phone and a text message telling him to cancel his flight. Taking the message as a hotel promotion, he stays an extra day. He later learns that the flight crashed. After ignoring another message regarding the stock market, Max takes the phone's advice and wins big at a casino.
Max's upswing in fortune doesn't go unnoticed, earning the attention of a casino security chief (Ed Burns) and an FBI task force led by Agent Grant (Ving Rhames). Once the feds enter the picture, Echelon Conspiracy moves from a mildly entertaining techno-conspiracy to a paint-by-numbers Bourne-lite. Director Greg Marcks makes a few attempts to add some zest to the requisite car chases and shootouts, but even the more exciting scenes - like a shootout in Prague - aren't incredibly entertaining and are a distraction from bigger issues.
On top of all the blatant similarities with other movies, Echelon Conspiracy tangles with a predictable, hole-ridden plot and inconsistent characters. Plot is just a way to move people around. For a thriller, there's a surprising lack of suspense. There's an attempt to add some tension through camera work, but once the cell phone mystery is revealed, the interest level drops. Everything is built around a shaky technophobic message involving government surveillance and, to a lesser extent, the risks associated with super computers. In other words, everything the Terminator 2 warned us about. However, Echelon Conspiracy doesn't go much deeper than a "technology is bad" message.
One of Echelon Conspiracy's few bright spots is Shane West. His performance isn't groundbreaking, though every once in a while, there's a quick flash that he could be an up-and-comer with better direction and more experience. The rest of the cast makes little attempt to rise above the material. Ving Rhames is the same character he seems to play in every movie and Ed Burns is just along for the ride. Martin Sheen is another small glimmer; though his role is so paper-thin, it is almost pointless.
Echelon Conspiracy may be a low-budget flick, but you wouldn't know it by the presentation. Echelon Conspiracy is presented in 1080p and the picture is great. The picture is crisp and the blacks are incredibly sharp. Sound is mixed just right. You get the full impact of sound, but not at the expense of ambiance or dialogue.
Other than better picture, there's nothing noteworthy about the Blu-ray release.
Echelon Conspiracy is a bad movie, but when taken alongside other B-rate action movies, I've seen worse. If you're in it for the action and can forgive bad acting, gaping plot holes and predictable story, you may find Echelon Conspiracy an enjoyable rental. Then again, you could probably just pick up Eagle Eye or any of the other movies Echelon Conspiracy borrows from and have just as much fun.
