Approximately 9 1/2 hours into this excruciatingly pointless film, I found myself wondering if there was a reason behind this movie other than to be another ready-made "disturbing" box-office hit. And sadly, I found no reasons.
The trend of each new Hollywood thriller attempting to be more grotesque than the previous one is getting more depressing by the minute. In true pandering fashion, the filmmakers use "The Silence of the Lambs" as their model and attempt to copy everything except the things that are beyond their grasp -- coherent story, pointed dialogue, symbolism. This is not a surprise from either the director ("Batman and Robin" anyone?) or the writer ("Seven", another cog in the wheel of this particular trend). Nor, unfortunately, is it a surprise for this film's talented and engaging leading man.
If you think too much about this film, it becomes laughable almost instantly. If you put your brain on hold and attempt to enjoy it that way, you'll simply be bored. To make matters worse, the film ends in a dramatically valid way...then meanders on for a particularly ridiculous and unfounded 20 minutes more!
POSSIBLE SPOILER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you must watch, note how Nicolas Cage's character undergoes a rather hilarious shift from the nicest man in the universe to a raging dispenser of vigilante justice in the final quarter of the film. I was left wondering whether this was a result of his exposure to underground pornography or his desire to dispense with all of these cardboard characters!
Overall, yet another attempt to dress up sickening subject matter in a glossy, nicely wrapped package with nothing inside of it except the filmmakers' desire to make some quick cash.
The trend of each new Hollywood thriller attempting to be more grotesque than the previous one is getting more depressing by the minute. In true pandering fashion, the filmmakers use "The Silence of the Lambs" as their model and attempt to copy everything except the things that are beyond their grasp -- coherent story, pointed dialogue, symbolism. This is not a surprise from either the director ("Batman and Robin" anyone?) or the writer ("Seven", another cog in the wheel of this particular trend). Nor, unfortunately, is it a surprise for this film's talented and engaging leading man.
If you think too much about this film, it becomes laughable almost instantly. If you put your brain on hold and attempt to enjoy it that way, you'll simply be bored. To make matters worse, the film ends in a dramatically valid way...then meanders on for a particularly ridiculous and unfounded 20 minutes more!
POSSIBLE SPOILER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you must watch, note how Nicolas Cage's character undergoes a rather hilarious shift from the nicest man in the universe to a raging dispenser of vigilante justice in the final quarter of the film. I was left wondering whether this was a result of his exposure to underground pornography or his desire to dispense with all of these cardboard characters!
Overall, yet another attempt to dress up sickening subject matter in a glossy, nicely wrapped package with nothing inside of it except the filmmakers' desire to make some quick cash.