Inventor, Detroit: Clash of principle

"But it's really not a film about windshield wipers at all," explains actor Greg Kinnear, who portrays the complicated Kearns in "Flash."

"It's about fighting for a principle," Kinnear says as he pokes a fork into a salad at the Omni Hotel downtown. "It's about battling injustice and fighting for your family. As a father myself, I could relate to this guy."

"Flash of Genius" hits theaters today after a successful stint on the film festival circuit this summer. The film tells the multi-decade story of Kearns, who developed the revolutionary wipers in his basement, only to have his technology stolen by Ford, Chrysler and other automakers. He based the now-standard automobile feature on how a human eye blinks to clear its cornea.

He spent years obsessed with getting credit and recognition for his invention.

But the real genius of "Genius"?

Without a single explosion or car crash, Abraham torques up the tension, leaving viewers dangling dangerously close to the edge of their seats as Kearns takes on Motor City.

Call it a thriller for your thalamus.

Kinnear's closing argument scenes during Kearns' historic lawsuit against Ford elicited cheers at early screenings.

"That's a real testament to Marc," praises Kinnear. "That tension, that anxiety never abates. He was very careful not to tip his hand."

Abraham smiles and says: "I'm so glad that's the reaction that people are having to the film. It's a movie that needed to be minimalist and understated. It's a movie of small moments, not big, splashy, over-the-top drama."

One key scene in "Flash" depicts Kearns when he realizes his technology has been "borrowed" and is being used by Ford as it rolls out its 1969 models. He infiltrates a Ford company cocktail party to confront corporate bosses.

"The real drama of Bob Kearns' life existed in those moments like when he's being tossed out of that Ford demonstration," explains Abraham. "He's being treated as a pest, as a nobody. At that moment, he's very relatable to all of us."

With input from Kearns' kids who were involved in the making of "Flash of Genius," (the inventor died in 2005 before production on the film began), Abraham and Kinnear were careful to portray the quirky inventor warts and all.

"Sometimes he acts against his own best interest," Kinnear concedes. "Yes, he's prickly and suspicious and abrasive. He was a tough guy. He was uncompromising, but he maintained his dignity and his decency throughout. You still want this guy to win."

As a person privy to the script of the inventor's life, Kinnear says it was sometimes difficult not to scream, "take the money!" while playing Kearns.

"But that's what makes him so fascinating," says Abraham. "For Bob Kearns, there was no escape. He never pulled that ripcord, even when it was offered to him on numerous occasions. It just made the stakes that much higher for him."

Adds Kinnear: "All great characters have that duality to them. I find Bob Kearns or the father in 'Little Miss Sunshine' much more compelling to play. They're flawed people. It forces you to work a little more as an actor."

And while "Flash of Genius" has been in the can for months, the pair says that the timing of the film's opening as the country battles a monumental economic crisis is proving ironic.

"It's not lost on us," says Abraham. "Right now, we're living in a world that's being marginalized. You only thought you had a pension and an IRA. We all thought someone was minding the store.

"We could use a few guys with the temperament of a Bob Kearns out there right now, fighting for us," he says. "This is a movie about empowerment at a time when we're all feeling a lot less empowered."