Never judge a book by its cover. The fantastic poster for The Tangle promised an intriguing sci-fi film, and instead what was delivered could only be described as a convoluted mess. In the future, an A.I. known as The Tangle controls nearly all facets of daily life. A secret agency known as ASP (Army of Simple Purity) keep watch over this A.I. to monitor it, and to prevent it from going rogue. One of the field agents, Margot (Mary Jane Wells), turns up dead, setting off an intense investigation into the first murder they’ve had in years. The prime suspect in this silly murder-mystery is Carter (Joshua Bitton), who must work to prove his innocence and find out what really happened to Margot.
Excessive and tedious dialogue makes the story difficult to follow; I felt my eyes glazing over. The film tries to mix a gumshoe detective vibe and futuristic concepts. The two things don’t mesh well, with the attempted throwback vibe clashing against a complicated narrative. Speakeasies, bootleg interrogations, and echoes of media like Altered Carbon and The Matrix—there is too much going on in The Tangle for me to recommend it. You might find some passing entertainment if you’re a big fan of science fiction. As far as the story goes, I found myself hopelessly entangled in The Tangle. The film comes to VOD on March 19th.
