Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare
Cinematic Sommelier
8.7
What’s in the box? A great movie. One of the all time great performances by Kevin Spacey in this mind bending crime drama. This side of “Silence of the Lambs,” one of the best. Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman team up as a dynamic detective duo to track down the sadistic mastermind, all leading to a culmination that will live on in cinematic infamy. Highly recommend!
8.2
First off, a beautiful film. The set pieces and cinematography are breathtaking. Also great to see the old gangster movie band back together in the cast. That being said, it comes up short trying to be the new “goodfellas” or “casino.” An interesting tale, for sure, but the story drug too much for me over the 3.5 hour runtime. A little too much depth sometimes, that acted as quicksand for the narrative momentum. Still solid, just not quite up to the hype that’s been surrounding the film for the last 6 months.
7.6
Like “Clue,” only better! A fantastic cast brings together a murder mystery for the ages. With more twists and turns than a game of chutes and ladders, this film will keep you guessing until the very end. I compared the ending to the mind-bending twist that became the signature to the endings of a “Saw” franchise movie. Very well done, and entertaining film.
6.3
Amazing cast. Amazing premise. Amazing producers. Terrible execution. Predictable from start to finish, sloppy storytelling throughout. Clunky character development. And a level of violence that was not only hard to stomach at times, but often completely unnecessary to the plot. So much wasted potential… a very middle of the road, at best, film that should have knocked it out of the park. A lot of other options at the cinema this week/weekend.
9.1
I’ll start by saying that it was incredibly difficult not speeding on the drive home after this two and a half hour thrill ride! An absolute work of cinematic art… a beautifully crafted film. The ultimate mix of adrenaline, brotherhood, and heart… I never expected I’d been misty-eyed following a movie about cars, but here we are. I thought it’d be good, but damn. Strap in, and you’re off to the races!
Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare 