Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- bleak
- paranoid
- disturbing
- late night horror viewing
- cult film marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found Jennifer Lynch's violent psycho-thriller sharp and audacious but excessively baffling and divisive.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The FBI agents record three survivors whose inaccurate testimonies are intercut with scenes showing what happened.
The investigators place cameras in interview rooms and watch the survivors from separate spaces.
The child, injured police officer, and drug-using young woman each present incomplete and self-serving accounts.
The film combines an FBI inquiry with grisly murders, foul language, sadism, and unsettling revelations.
Films like Surveillance, and why
Rashomon
nonlinear crime mystery, unreliable testimonies, and escalating psychological violence
The Usual Suspects
dark neo-noir investigation, fractured perspectives, and moral ambiguity
Memories of Murder
bleak serial-killer thriller with puzzle-box storytelling and disturbing imagery
Lost Highway
stylized psychological horror, sadism, and a deliberately baffling narrative
Movie Details
- Director
- Jennifer Lynch
- Release Date
- 2008-02-08
- Runtime
- 97 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (372)
Cast
- Julia Ormond
- Bill Pullman
- Pell James
- Ryan Simpkins
- Cheri Oteri
- Michael Ironside
- French Stewart
- Kent Harper
- Caroline Aaron
- Gill Gayle
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Surveillance about?
- Three survivors recount a murderous night to FBI investigators, but every testimony conceals as much as it reveals.
- What is Surveillance like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Surveillance as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Surveillance violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Surveillance as graphic.
- What did critics think of Surveillance?
- Critics broadly found Jennifer Lynch's violent psycho-thriller sharp and audacious but excessively baffling and divisive.
- Which films are like Surveillance?
- Films with a similar feel include Rashomon, The Usual Suspects, Memories of Murder, and Lost Highway.
- How long is Surveillance?
- Surveillance runs 97 minutes.
- Where can I watch Surveillance?
- In United States, Surveillance streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
