Scenes of the Crime

A tired and rather pointless flick that can be called "inspired" only in that it is "inspired by a true story," Dominique Forma's direct-to-video (in the U.S.) Scenes of the Crime revolves around Lenny (Jon Abrahams), a young auto mechanic who picks up some extra dough as a mob driver, and then finds himself in the middle of the kidnapping of a Los Angeles crime lord. We're clearly meant to fear for Lenny's soul as much as his skin--even if he lives through this misadventure, will he fall irretrievably into moral decay?--but the toughest thing about this surprisingly mushy mob tale is working up any interest at all. The pedigreed names--multiple Oscar nominee Jeff Bridges as the kidnapped boss, multiple Emmy nominee Noah Wyle as his bodyguard--are badly miscast and unable to create much of a sense of menace: there's no real need to worry for Lenny when he's surrounded by such nice guys. Not a necessary purchase. (M. Johanson)