Decades ago, director Brian De Palma used to be praised as one of the most interesting filmmakers who was very clever on imitating Hitchcockian territory as well as slick visual techniques. However, over the past few years, his directing career was in great decline (1998's SNAKE EYES, 2000's MISSION TO MARS, 2002's FEMME FATALE, 2006's THE BLACK DAHLIA). His last movie, an Iraqi-set war drama titled REDACTED (2007) is considered as his minor comeback, even though it failed to last a long impression anyway. If you would ask me, his last best movie was that 1996's MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE.
But after four years hiatus, Brian De Palma will return to the director's chair for the Joby Harold-scripted thriller called THE KEY MAN. Financed by QED, the thriller revolves around a single father who is targeted by U.S. government agents because his body contains answers to important national secrets. The style will be a throwback to paranoid '70s movies like THREE DAYS OF CONDOR and MARATHON MAN.
Judging by the style of the new movie, it's certainly up to the alley for Brian De Palma. Will he finally make a true comeback to form? Only time can tell.