| Great pot-boiler |
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| written by Texan99 |
September 4, 2010 - 12:15 PM PDT |
| Not only are the characters in this beautifully written and shot film not who we think they are, they're not even who they think they are. Guy Pearce thinks he's a color-between-the-lines careerist prig; Russell Crowe thinks he's a brutal enforcer with no talent for penetrating the ugly schemes around him, and Kevin Spacey thinks he's a heartless smoothie. They all take ownership of their own souls as they work themselves through a plot made up of intricate lies. This is my favorite kind of story: where it's more important what the characters do than what happens to them, even though what happens to them is awfully interesting too. When you add to that a tight, economical script, a fine cast (including the wonderful James Cromwell), and sumptuous period sets, you've got a real winner of a movie. Some viewers complain that they saw some of the plot twists coming, but I've watched this more than once, and complete knowledge of the plot didn't detract from my enjoyment. |
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