Far better than I expected, but a bit of an enigma. For a Stephen King adaptation, it has a great ending. However, far too much of this story was missing for me. There’s a lack of connection to the characters that cheapens the experience. This bummed me out the further we got into the runtime because the film is so well crafted! The tension building and scares are top tier. But there’s nothing it’s built upon, which leaves it feeling somewhat hollow. All in all, surprisingly good that could have been great.
Holy shit this is intense. From every angle. Not only does the action leave you sitting on the edge of your seat, but the emotional impact will leave you slumped in your chair trying to recover before the next barrage of violence in these 2 men’s pursuits of honor, commitment, friendship, and brotherhood. It’s a beautiful display of the best and worst of humanity, and how they often coexist side by side in our world, mixing in a gray middle at times, left to our own perceptions.
Guy Ritchie can do no wrong with the action, but where this film goes above and beyond is in the characters. The story is demonstrated expertly, instead of spoon fed to the audience. There’s an understanding reached while going on this journey together, and it leads to much more impactful twists and turns. I found myself enveloped by this film in a way not many achieve. Bravo!
A surprisingly, incredibly powerful family drama. A film that also made me and the couple sitting behind me laugh uncontrollably through most of the runtime. The heart woven within this story is some of the best of the year!
The cast absolutely kills it. From main characters down to the valets who are only in one or two scenes.
At the heart of this one is the process of having one’s heart broken. Whether it’s losing your first love or almost losing your one and only love, the laughs are countered by some Rocky-like punches to the gut. Learning to overcome such adversity to live a fuller, more deeply experienced life on the other side is one of life’s great triumphs, and on full display here. Wonderfully done!
^In essence, it’s a two hour reflection on the intricacies of the above chart. Polanski keeps to his niche of passionate oddity put to film. An immaculate introspection on the intensity of intimacy.
What could just be dismissed as an x-rated episode of “The Love Boat” has so much under the surface to explore for those willing. As erotic thrillers go, this has a much stronger delivery, in my opinion, than the likes of “Fatal Attraction” and “Eyes Wide Shut.” They all dance on the same floor, but this one is the definite belle of the ball. Perhaps it’s Polanski’s touch for the eccentric, added to by the fact that he ended up marrying Emmanuelle Seigner, who is electric in her performance as the minx muse Mimi. The heat of the passion shared between the main couple is only topped by the intensity of the revenge enacted in the final act.
The film spends the entire runtime ruminating on the razor’s edge of the results of such powerful passion… both the beauty and the dread. Only such a strong affection could lead to such affliction as this rose blossoms and then withers on the vine in the most violent of fashions.
A really charming comedy about corporate calamity. In the vein of “Office Space,” if you’ve ever worked hidden within the origami of an org chart, you’ll love this one.
Michael J. Fox brings his trademark charm, helping to lighten the mood of what could have been a much more questionable movie had it been anyone else. Between the personal and professional infidelity, there’s a lot of moral ambiguity going on. But with Marty McFly in the frame, there’s a lovable levity to it all.
Also a lesson to be gleaned… as Newman in “Seinfeld” once said, “when you control the mail, you control INFORMATION!”
Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare 