Zimbio Review - 'Won't Back Down' Has an Agenda, and It's Not to Make a Quality Film - Maggie Gyllenhaal - Zimbio

Zimbio Review - 'Won't Back Down' Has an Agenda, and It's Not to Make a Quality Film - Maggie Gyllenhaal - Zimbio:

Zimbio Review - 'Won't Back Down' Has an Agenda, and It's Not to Make a Quality Film

By Joe Robberson on September 26, 2012

(20th Century Fox | Getty Images)

The Bottom Line

Should you see it?

No.

Why?

Naive and predictable, the film takes a simplistic view of a hugely convoluted issue and makes mince meat of it for its own agenda.

If the point of Won't Back Down was to take a polarizing, immensely complicated issue and make it black and white, bravo! Success! Billed as a prospective Oscar contender (whatViola Davis film isn't?) Won't Back Down is barely suited for movie of the week status. Which by the way, used to be the platform for naive, topical issue films starring someone off the B-list. This film will be released nationwide due to an impressive cast, but don't be fooled, it's a TV movie at best.

Maggie Gyllenhaal keeps getting these roles as a hard luck mother because she's so good at it. She is again here, the film is fueled by her wide-eyed intensity in the face of injustice and