What the hell is Awake? I had never even heard of this film until about a month ago. It just sort of came out of nowhere. One thing is certain. This thriller had the luxury of being the only film to open during the movie light Nov. 30th weekend. Would being the solo release help this little movie's box office tally? As it turns out, not really. It was buried by the plethora of films that opened the weekend before, but it still managed six million dollars. Not bad for a movie with very little advertising. Is Awake any good? Well, it isn't great, but it is efficient and with a minuscule seventy minute running time, at least you won't feel like you wasted too much time. In Awake, Hayden Christensen plays Clay Beresford, a well liked business man with a heart condition.

Ultimately, Clay opts to have open heart surgery by the hands of his good friend Dr. Jack Harper (Terrence Howard) instead of taking advice from his overbearing mother (Lena Olin) and allowing her reputable surgeon pal to perform the procedure. Backing up Clay in his decision is his loving fiancee Sam (played by Jessica Alba). Clay does go in for surgery, but as he lay there waiting for his anesthesia to take effect, a horrific reveal comes to the surface; he can feel the entire procedure. He looks unconscious, but he's actually completely aware of what's happening to him. This terrifying condition is known as "anesthetic awareness."

Of course, Awake has no interest in relying on this one plot gimmick alone. There are several devices at play here and while many of them are silly beyond belief, the film is never boring. At the very least it kept me, if you'll pardon the pun, awake. And I'd be lying if I said this flick didn't fool me a couple of times. I guess there's something to be said about a film that comes with no expectations. At its heart, Awake is an overstuffed thriller that doesn't know when to quit. It has elements of Coma, Vanilla Sky, and Malice, but it isn't as classy as those pictures, nor does it really try to be.

Director Joby Harold is actually quite competent. He comes up with a few creative ways to get inside Christensen's head during the surgery scenes. The performances are adequate. Jessica Alba is actually quite good in the early goings of the picture. She's sexy and confident, and I was quite surprised by her effectiveness. By the final act, I was kind of chuckling at her. I just couldn't buy into her whole persona. Christensen is decent, although his voice over work leaves a bit to be desired. Awake is a straight up thriller with twists galore, but it's also a story about a nice guy who really should be more careful when it comes to issues of trust. As dumb as this movie got, I still found myself somewhat entertained by it.