User reviews

The trailer is a trap. The poster is another trap. Would say it was a waste of money but clearly this movie was made with no budget at all. Such a shame wasting actors like Robert Kneeper or Gary Dourdan in this (intent) of a movie. A lot of plot holes. Lots of inconsistencies. Poor storytelling. Disjointed chapters which does not match even with glue. Fatal mistakes. I mean you can even see the shadow of the cameraman several times. Poor cropped scenes (specially the slow changes with stunt doubles, the killing scenes). The transitions when the actors walk towards the camera O.o. The protagonist lacks of character and thoughness which never showed up. Everything was wrong. I sacrificed myself and had to finish the movie until the end to have the proper arguments to make this review and hopefully save your souls from watching this punishment.

Always check the rating on IMDb before you watch a film. When I decided to watch this film, I forgot to check out the rating. As some people said the trailer and poster are traps, I totally agree with them. Yes, the poster really looks good and also the trailer. But the film is not. It looks like amateur and low budget. The fighting scenes are not that good as I thought it would be. Some dialogues and acting are a bit weird. And as I've said in above, the trailer is much better than the actual film. That being said, I like how it ends. It's kind of good.

So, to conclude this review, if they could do better than this, this film might turn out to be just fine.

This movie really is awful. The script is completely disjointed and flows like hardened concrete as it cuts from here to there to over there. Don't even attempt to watch this movie as you will undoubtedly regret it.

The Moderator is a crummy film from start to finish. The only good part is in the first few minutes where the main characters shows compassion for her cat. After that the movies just is about ugly people doing ugly things to each other. Maybe some of the actors might look nice in still photos or something like that, but in this film they all are just ugly.

The script is nonsense. The plot is barley coherent, and that is being generous. The filiming is on the level of a midle school film project. Costumes are stupid.

Violence agaist women abounds, and the film is suppose to being about confronting that, but instead it glorifies it.

Repeated rape scenes are just disgusting.

I would give it zero stars, but that is not an option. WORTHLESS MOVIE.

Looking for a top tier suspense thriller? This isn't it. Looking for a classic style "B" movie to make fun of as you choke down your lunch and laugh your way through the adventure? This is definitely it. Stop expecting low budget movies to be perfect in every way and just enjoy them for what they are. Wonderfully awful.

It's a trap, the trailer. Another trap is the poster. Would argue that it was a waste of money, but it is obvious that there was no budget at all for this film. Such a shame that this (purpose) of a movie would waste stars like Robert Kneeper or Gary Dourdan. Several plot gaps Lots of contradictions. Terrible storytelling jumbled chapters that wouldn't stick together with glue. Fatal errors. Lack of character and thoughtfulness never surfaced in the protagonist. There were many issues. To have the necessary justifications for writing this review and, maybe, sparing your souls from having to see this punishment, I had to make the ultimate sacrifice and watch the entire film.

Review this film is a waste of time, watching it is worse (guilty as charged), cant understand that someone was duped to produce this movie, The story doesn't make any sense, bad acting, worse screenplay ever, not sure what was the purpose of making this film but it was a waste of time, effort, money and reviewing it.

Okay, Let's start with the poster. I think that's probably the only good thing about this movie. So, props to the graphic designer though the poster is more like a watchbait. It literally has nothing to do with the content of the film or what you'd expect from it. She's holding two guns with thousands of bullets surrounding her yet she never used a single gun in the entire movie. Oh, and I don't think I remember a single shot being fired in general. So, yeah! I feel tricked by the poster.

Now let's talk about the stroy plot. I think it was written by a 5-year-old. It's cluncky and predictable. Not to mention the endless errors that can't even be fixed by CGI. 7 minutes in it says Miami, FL while it's clearly Rabat, Morocco. I mean they didn't even bother to shoot the first chase scene somewhere where Hassan Tower (the most famous landmark in Rabat) can't be seen.

Next, we head to Morocco where the lead character is trying to avenge the death of her two friends. The cops couldn't be more rediculous. They seem to have graduated from Insp. Jacques Clouseau's academy.

The conversations between the characters can't be more confusing. Two moroccan cops converse in English, next minute the question a Moroccan boy in Arabic. Why? Just why on earth would you do that? You either make an entire movie in English so everyone can undersand it, or keep the original language when it should be. That's why Inglorious Basterds is one of my all time favorite. Tarantino respected every language used in the movie.

My only hope was that it could be saved by Prison Break's Robert Knepper, but he didn't really seem really interested in acting in this film. I think he just got paid to be himself. On a second that, I'm glad he was equally bad. He probably had to lower his standards otherwise the final result would be unbalanced.

Final thoughts: I was hoping that this would deal with the real event that took place in Morocco and deal with terrorists in a Liam Nesson Kind of way, but the movie went into another direction that has nothing to do with terrorism.

I highly don't recommed watching this.

Never heard about "The Moderator" from writers Hicham Hajji and Jonathan McConnell before sitting down to watch it. But since I do believe in given a movie a fair chance, of course I sat down to watch "The Moderator" as I had the opportunity to do so.

First of all, I think the fact that the movie is using the grizzly murder of two Scandinavian women in Morocco back in 2018 as its foundation was sort of improper and distasteful, especially to those left behind after that tragedy. So that left a somewhat foul taste in my mouth.

The storyline itself, if you remove the abovementioned aspect, was actually fair enough. Sure, this wasn't exactly a groundbreaking action thriller, but the movie was watchable enough for what it turned out to be.

The acting in the movie was adequate, and I was surprised to see the likes of Robert Knepper and Gary Dourdan in a movie such as this. And just how or why lead actress Irma Lake was hired for this movie was simply beyond my comprehension. Sure, she was able to throw a punch and do physical fighting, but she wasn't really blessed with much of any noticeably acting talent.

Is it just me, but does it raise an eyebrow when a supposedly dead man twitches an eye?

The music in the movie was actually rather good, and somewhat well composed.

"The Moderator" came and went without leaving a lasting impression on me. And while it is was a movie that I managed to sit through, it is not a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time.

My rating of director Zhor Fassi-Fihri's 2022 action thriller "The Moderator" lands on a four out of ten stars.

Rented the movie and I actually enjoyed it. It's easy to come bashing a filmmaker, but it's not so easy to make what I believe is a first feature. There is a lot of entertainment in there and very decent acting. There's also a theme of violence and abuse against women. The ending is satisfying and the action plenty. Sure, you can always criticize the plot for being a bit thin, but the movie assumes its own positioning from beginning to end. There are also many elements that make the movie stand above par compared the bulk of B grade flicks. Also the pace is engaging and the story never feels like it's skipping beats. Also I believe this film was shot during the pandemic, a very courageous exercise in itself. Verdict : give this movie a chance and go in purely for fun and entertainment; you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Really bad acting, the two male leaders are good but the rest are awful.

I started watching it thinking It would get better, how wrong I was.

I think it was a case of take the money and run.

This movie is very poorly written and very poorly directed.

For those reasons, the characters are simple caricatures. The dialogue is used only to communicate the most rudimentary elements of the person and the story. The action scenes are amateurish at best. I was only willing to watch 15 minutes of this movie.

Just not with moderation! So no pun intended - nice to see Robert Knepper in a bit of more nuanced role. While you like to hate him in Prison Break ... (the show that is) and he generally seems to fit the bill of a bad guy .... well it is nice if he can stretch his character muscles a little bit at least.

The movie is not super bad, but it also really has not too many things going for it. Yes the action is well ... but the acting is bad, the story is weak ... it has nothing to do with me having watched a lot of movies either. Though it doesn't help with it being predictable and full of cliches. The main actress is pretty ... and she looks like she could handle the action part - as in she sells the physical aspect of it (again action wise, so no pun intended about her beauty). But it is tough to watch her act to say the least .. same is true for many others (some exceptions of course) ... low budget, keep that in mind ... still maybe not for you.

Fails to deliver on several fronts. Despite its intriguing premise, the film struggles with pacing, making it feel drawn-out and tedious at times. The characters are underdeveloped, and their motivations are hard to connect with, leaving the audience disconnected from the story. The dialogue feels forced, and the performances don't seem to elevate the material. Additionally, the film's attempts at tension often fall flat, with scenes feeling predictable and lacking the impact needed to keep viewers engaged. Overall, The Moderator feels like a missed opportunity, unable to live up to the potential suggested by its concept.

Embarking on this cinematic journey unfolded as a pleasant surprise, revealing a film that, in its simplicity, managed to leave a lasting impression. As a debut feature, it navigated the challenges of storytelling with a commendable touch, demonstrating a solid foundation for the filmmakers.

The movie provided a solid dose of entertainment, skillfully delivered through decent acting performances. It didn't aim to reinvent the wheel, but rather, it embraced its own narrative with a straightforward approach. While the theme of violence and abuse against women added depth, it didn't overshadow the overall enjoyment.

The conclusion, though not groundbreaking, felt satisfactory and rounded off the story neatly. The plot, admittedly a bit thin, didn't strive for complexity but maintained a coherence that worked well within the film's framework. It didn't attempt to be an epic; instead, it succeeded in being a good, enjoyable movie.

In terms of pacing, the film kept a steady rhythm, avoiding the pitfalls of dragging or rushing through key moments. Considering the reported challenges of shooting during a pandemic, the production team deserves credit for their dedication.

In summary, this film may not be a groundbreaking masterpiece, but it stands as a testament to solid storytelling and competent filmmaking. It's a good movie that doesn't overreach, offering a straightforward and enjoyable experience for those seeking a worthwhile cinematic escape.

I normally give a movie director 10 minutes to convince me to keep watching a movie. This one broke a record: he took only 6 minutes and 55 seconds to convince me to quit watching his movie at Amazon Prime Video.

In summary, I cannot stand to watch even one more second of this crap. I don't care what happens next, I don't even wish good luck to the main character, played by the gorgeous Irma Lake, whose artistic talent is inversely proportional to her beauty. The dialogues are all wrong, like kids role-playing in their living room; all the actors look very much like those mouth-moving animatronics from the 1960's. In fact, Captain Scarlett was a much better actor than anyone who appeared to this moment of the movie.

Nothing to watch here. Avoid.

Rented this flick and gotta say, it was pretty good. It's packed with solid entertainment and the acting's more than legit. There's this heavy theme around violence and women's abuse, which is intense. The ending nails it, and the action's non-stop. Yeah, the plot gets lost a little towards the end but the film owns its vibe from start to finish. It's way better than most indie movies out there. Keeps you hooked, and the story flows without missing a beat. Plus, filming this during the pandemic? Mad respect. So, bottom line. Just watch it for the fun of it. Trust me, it's a good time and ignore the haters.

The Moderator, a 2022 film directed by Zhor Fassi-Fihri, presents an intriguing tale of Mya Snik, a Russian blogger who turns into a vigilante after her friends are tragically murdered in Morocco. The film opens with a captivating setup in Moscow, quickly transitioning to a suspenseful chase scene in Miami, showcasing Mya's determination and resilience. Her pursuit of the musical superstar Vance Wilhorn, who is connected to her friends' murder, adds a gripping layer to the plot.

What stands out in The Moderator is its bold storytelling and the way it blends elements of drama and action. While it's true that the film operates within the constraints of a lower budget, which affects the scale of its action scenes, there's an admirable effort to deliver a compelling narrative. The subplots, including the roles of INTERPOL agents and a Moroccan policewoman, contribute to building a complex, interconnected story. Although the film has received mixed reviews, its attempt to tackle themes of justice and retribution in a modern context is noteworthy. As a viewer, I appreciated the film's daring approach and the enthusiasm evident in its production, making The Moderator a unique addition to the vigilante genre.

This film stands out for its ability to maintain a delicate balance between action and a profound exploration of its characters' inner worlds. The story revolves around a journey of vengeance, but it's the way this journey is portrayed that makes the movie truly captivating. The film's pacing is expertly managed, ensuring that the viewers are kept on the edge of their seats while also allowing them to deeply connect with the characters' experiences.

The performances in The Moderator are a significant contributor to its success. The lead actors, including Robert Knepper, Gary Dourdan, and Sabine Crossen, deliver powerful and nuanced portrayals. Robert Knepper's intense and compelling presence adds a layer of depth to his character, while Gary Dourdan brings a dynamic and resonant performance. Sabine Crossen, with her nuanced and emotional portrayal, adds a crucial layer to the film's narrative, ensuring that the story remains grounded and relatable. Their performances are not just acts but are transformative, bringing to life the complexities and subtleties of their characters.

The cinematography by Zhor Fassi-Fihri is both beautiful and purposeful, with each shot meticulously crafted to contribute to the storytelling. The action sequences are well choreographed, striking a balance between realism and cinematic flair. The film's soundtrack complements its visual and narrative elements, enhancing the overall emotional impact. I

It is a must-watch for those who appreciate films that not only entertain but also provoke thought and emotional engagement.

The Moderator is a gripping drama, thanks to the stellar performances of Robert Knepper, Gary Dourdan, and Sabine Crossen. Each actor brings a unique depth to their roles, elevating the film's intense narrative. Knepper's compelling presence, Dourdan's dynamic portrayal, and Crossen's nuanced performance create a captivating synergy that drives the story forward.

The film's direction and cinematography are equally impressive, crafting a visually stunning backdrop for the actors' performances. The script, rich with tension and character arcs, keeps the audience engaged from start to finish.

The Moderator is a remarkable example of independent filmmaking, showcasing the talents of its cast and crew. It's a must-see for those who appreciate the art of cinema, blending powerful acting with a compelling story.