Nicolas Cage has a spotted history, to say the least, when it comes to his action thriller roles. So, where on the spectrum of good to terrible does Seeking Justice fall? It lands somewhere towards the latter, unfortunately. The film is so convoluted it suffers under its own weight of character establishment and plot points that are simply ridiculous.
Cage is solid in the role of a school teacher by day, devoted husband to a musician (January Jones) by night. His life could not be finer. The film begins with the couple celebrating their anniversary at a local New Orleans bar with their good friends. Within a couple of days, their entire world will shatter.
Jones’ character is brutally attacked. She winds up in the hospital where Cage races to meet her. While she rests, he gets coffee in the cafeteria and is approached by Guy Pearce. He tells Cage he has been where he is, and thankfully someone came to his aid during his time of need and gave him the justice that the judicial system couldn’t. Cage is confused, yet intrigued. Told to think about it, Cage heads upstairs to see his wife. She awakes and freaks out as he’s never seen her before. Our good husband heads back to the cafeteria to further inquire as to what exactly is meant by “justice.”
Needless to say, he agrees, with the understanding that someday this “group” of justice extollers will ask for a favor.
Months pass and the couple’s newfound bliss is quickly interrupted when Cage is summoned to a meeting. It is time to pay back the favor. As someone “took care” of his wife’s attacker, he now has to bring justice to some other poor soul.
This is where what is a good promise of a film drifts into disappointment. Characters that are perceived to be one thing in the first two acts become something so different it’s hard to believe they are one and the same, although the performances are all solid, especially Pearce -- and believe it or not Jones too. But all these creative performances get lost in a myriad of plot confusion, unrealistic character development and a story that fails to deliver.