According to a medical dictionary... anesthesia awareness "is a situation that occurs when a patient under general anesthesia becomes aware of some or all events during surgery or a procedure, and has direct recall of those events.  Because of the routine use of neuromuscular blocking agents (basically makes you paralyzed) during general anesthesia, the patient is often unable to communicate with the surgical team if this occurs."

Sounds like a Hitchcock Twilight Zone...

Put Jessica Alba in it and you got a movie worth watching!

Clay Beresford (Hayden Christensen) is the lucky patient that goes through the horrors of anesthesia awareness in the movie, Awake.  A young and wealthy businessman with the world at his doorstep and a beautiful new wife, Sam Lockwood (Alba), but everything is not so picture perfect when he has a weak heart.  On the waitlist for a heart donor, Clay puts all his trust in his friend, Jack Harper (Terrence Howard), a doctor with four malpractice suits against him.  Meanwhile, his overprotective mother, Lilith (Lena Olin) doesn't trust Dr. Harper... or even Clay's new wife and wonders why with all the money and power, he doesn't go with a first rate heart surgeon.

Clay's nightmare begins when he receives a phone call from Jack that a new heart has arrived and they need to immediately do a transplant.  During the initial procedure, one of the surgeons does not complete the full anesthesia requirements.  And what Clay goes through in the next hour and twenty minutes is a most terrifying out of the body experience ever put on a human being.  Unable to move or communicate to the surgical team, he tries to think happy thoughts but fails to hold his concentration throughout the ordeal.  It is up to Sam to save his life... or does she have someone else on her mind?

Awake is a psychological thriller that will have you clenching your fist and squirming in your seat.  Not because of the graphic heart surgery scenes (if you can handle Grey's Anatomy, you can watch this) but personally relating to what Clay feels as his thoughts reveal his pain and what he hears around him.  The story is full of surprises even though they were a bit predictable.  It's a tragic tale of love and an ultimate sacrifice.

Christensen is Anakin Skywalker again and doesn't really spark any great acting moments besides being a commentator.  But he keeps the tension going and shows the hidden conspiracies of his past.  Alba in the past has typically been showcased as eye candy but what she does in Awake is pure evil!  For once, we get to see a different side of her.  Not so sweet but too desirable to resist.  She is a femme fatale.  Howard is believable as the trustful doctor even until the end when his scheme falls apart. 

Awake takes you on a fast-paced suspense ride with twists and turns in the tradition of movies like Memento and The Usual Suspects.  You will betray yourself if you don't stay awake until it reaches into a shocking conclusion that shows the real heart's intention of every character.

By Victor Ho