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Errol Babbage (Richard Gere) is a registrant administrator of the Department of Public Safety in a town far north handling various cases of sexual offenders. After handling the post for some time, he has developed a sort of paranoia to the point of abusing his power towards the offenders. Thus, he is forced into retirement and newcomer Alison Lowry (Claire Danes) is taking his place. Errol spends his last eighteen days in the office training Alison. At about the same time, a seventeen-year-old Harriet Wells (Kristina Sisco) has been found missing and is believed to be abducted by unknown suspects. Errol is convinced that Harriet is kidnapped and in the custody of one of his paroled sex offenders. However, his superiors do not believe in his guts so he asks Alison, as part of her training, to come with him as he uncovers the underground world of pornography and deviant sexual behavior of a flock of sex perverts. At the same time, Alison is asked by the department to investigate Errol’s suspicious activities.
The Flock’s premise of exploring the dark world of deviant sex offenders is interesting. However, the plotline and treatment drags in the first half of the film. There is too much unnecessary processing of emotions and analysis of minute details that do not contribute much to the flow of the story. The audience can only see the foreground but not the background story of the characters. But then, Richard Gere as Errol Babbage delivers the nuances of the character very well. He is able to show depth of emotions, physical strength and wit that are all needed for the character. Claire Danes however, seems at a lost with her depiction of Alison’s character who is supposed to be as strong and as witty. She becomes the exact opposite of Errol. Although the crude and dark cinematography works very well for the entire effect of the film, it only contributed to the audiences’ feeling of boredom.
To kill a monster, one must be a monster himself or he simply becomes one. The Flock has contemplated on this moral dilemma as Errol tries to put justice in his own hands. Such acts are justified by the clear-cut characterization of a person with paranoia and the retribution at the end. Errol is in continuous battle against himself. He is not a bad person so he experiences dissonance whenever he commits abuse of power over the sex offenders. The real trouble with The Flock is the treatment of the subject matter itself: sexual deviant behaviors and pornography. The story is dark as it is and it does not help that the root of the darkness in the movie is not clear. The evil that is unknown to the characters has remained unknown to the audience even up to the end. Thus, the film leaves the audience with nothing but disturbing images of the dark world out there. Such visuals may cause nightmares and trauma for the young audiences so the movie is suited only to viewers 18 and above. Audiences should also be warned of the sensitive subject matter, acts of violence and vulgar language in the film.
(Date Reviewed: 28 February 2008)
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