Bel Canto

An international opera star and her VIP audience are taken hostage in the home of a South American industrialist in this weak thriller that awkwardly combines political intrigue and romance. As love blossoms between the American singer (Julianne Moore) and a Japanese businessman (Ken Watanabe), further bonds develop between captors and captives while an outside negotiator (Sebastian Koch) strives to broker a resolution to the crisis. Based on Ann Patchett's award-winning novel of the same name, the film struggles to translate the printed work's slow-burn pace; on screen it becomes a dragging narrative that has difficulty holding viewers' attention. The lead players acquit themselves well, especially Koch, but director Paul Weitz only intermittently conveys any tension or a sense of jeopardy, as the plot plays out like a meandering drawing-room stage drama.