Saskatoon Star Phoenix Review, August 6 2007
// August 8th, 2007 // Reviews
Originally published in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix on August 6, 2007:
RATING: ****
In the mind of slightly washed-up (and fictional) Globe and Mail reporter Neil Allen, a northern Manitoba polar bear compound is likely a cover-up for a secret Canadian military operation.
In what could be the hot story of the year, Allen is convinced the military is flying suspected terrorists from Afghanistan to the Churchill airport under the cover of darkness, and performing secret weapons technology experiments there. It’s enough to make peacekeeper-loving Canadians cringe.
But when the military hears of Allen’s suspicions, it has a plan. Soldiers invite Allen (Patrick Gauthier) up for an unforgettable tour of the facility to assuage his suspicions.
What follows is a snort-inducing two man show that plays like a series of old movie reels out of order.
The colonel in charge of the compound (Kris Joseph) is entirely batty. A typical reporting assignment for Allen evolves into insanity, including tin foil hats, a gun that liquefies enemy bowels and a soldier’s attempt to defy gravity by flapping his arms and wearing a really, really determined look.
As the colonel points out poignantly, what else is the Canadian military to do with a huge country packed with natural resources to protect and a budget a sliver the size of what the U.S. spends on defence?
The suspenseful and silly writing is great, and viewers will earnestly need to know, what are they doing with all those darned goats?
Joseph especially shines with his fearlessly loopy portrayal of the socially inept colonel.
Take the journey, if you can bend your mind around the ridiculousness, and discover the true aim of the Churchill Protocol.
– Janet FrenchÂ
