Cleanskin

Writer-director Hadi Hajaig's film—about a British agent's pursuit of a homegrown terrorist without any criminal past or known ties to militant groups (the titular “cleanskin”)—is a decent action thriller. Sean Bean's character, Ewan, is a stern, determined and, when needed, forceful hero, and Hajaig serves up some taut chases and violent confrontations, but the filmmaker also tries to get beneath the surface to examine why an ostensibly Westernized young man would turn jihadist. Towards that end, we see a series of earnest flashbacks depicting Ewan's quarry, Ash (Abhin Galeya), being courted by an Islamic extremist while in college and losing his girlfriend in the process. Now, as Ash prepares for a bombing with some stolen plastic explosive that Ewan blames himself for not protecting, Ash's girlfriend comes back into his life, leading him to reconsider the path he's chosen. While trying to deepen what is a fairly conventional tale by adding an examination of the roots of terrorism is laudable, it also bogs down the pace with lots of talk and exposition. Still, this is a handsomely produced film that benefits from supporting performances by Charlotte Rampling and James Fox as intelligence bigwigs. A strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)