SPOILERS
I will say my rating is only a 6 because I'm not a big fan of "superman" serial killer genre nor the narrative device that's used to explain how a killer can continue to kill after dying, but giving it a trial viewing on cable TV, I was pleased by a series of surprises that will make it worth watching for certain viewers.
The target who would get a special kick out of this would probably be over 40 and who are familiar with Philadelphia, PA. If you're under 35, seeing those actors who became familiar faces in the 15-20 years that followed won't give you a bump, and if you don't know anything about Philadelphia then that won't hold any special value either. But if you're from Philly and over 50, this is worth watching.
Credit to Denzel Washington who carries this movie. If you like Denzel your time won't be wasted.
I want to especially point out that in between the scenes of the main plot, there are any number of "quiet" scenes where Mr. Washington has these wonderful moments of "every day" dialogue with the supporting cast. There are many successful actors today that don't have the chops to do such "quiet" scenes convincingly, but Denzel shows us how its done.
The gems. The first gem is the location filming in Philadelphia, where I used to work, which is still near me and in my heart. For those who can appreciate it, the locations are a treat as they are in so many M. Night Shyamalan films. If that's not you, then you'll have a "meh".
The second gem is the virtual parade of Hollywood stars from the 90's and the "aughts", from movies and esp TV. Younger folk may not care about this AT ALL - these actors are no longer in the mainstream, but just to see John Goodman thrown in there without expecting him was an eye opener.
But the biggest "little" surprise is that this film was was obviously the "casting reel" for James Gandolfini to play the lead in the Sopranos which would begin the next year.
He's played different characters, but Gandolfini was definitely "playing" the Tony Soprano character here, accent and all. Early in the film there's a scene in a bar where he displays all of what became of Tony Soprano. He goes from threatening to affable, all within 2 lines of dialogue. A great actor who is missed. There's a scene in the police station where you can notice the difference in accents between Gandolfini and John Goodman.
Also is Aida Turturro, who went on to play Tony Soprano's sister, Janice. It's almost as if David "Sopranos" Chase saw this and said, "That's the feeling I want".
BUT, I'm familiar enough with film editing to bring myself to take away one star because what I thought were poor / lazy choices.
Given the fantastic nature of the story, when they could have / should have been creative, things start to look very familiar from other films and it seems that editing decisions were made due to time constraints.
I will say my rating is only a 6 because I'm not a big fan of "superman" serial killer genre nor the narrative device that's used to explain how a killer can continue to kill after dying, but giving it a trial viewing on cable TV, I was pleased by a series of surprises that will make it worth watching for certain viewers.
The target who would get a special kick out of this would probably be over 40 and who are familiar with Philadelphia, PA. If you're under 35, seeing those actors who became familiar faces in the 15-20 years that followed won't give you a bump, and if you don't know anything about Philadelphia then that won't hold any special value either. But if you're from Philly and over 50, this is worth watching.
Credit to Denzel Washington who carries this movie. If you like Denzel your time won't be wasted.
I want to especially point out that in between the scenes of the main plot, there are any number of "quiet" scenes where Mr. Washington has these wonderful moments of "every day" dialogue with the supporting cast. There are many successful actors today that don't have the chops to do such "quiet" scenes convincingly, but Denzel shows us how its done.
The gems. The first gem is the location filming in Philadelphia, where I used to work, which is still near me and in my heart. For those who can appreciate it, the locations are a treat as they are in so many M. Night Shyamalan films. If that's not you, then you'll have a "meh".
The second gem is the virtual parade of Hollywood stars from the 90's and the "aughts", from movies and esp TV. Younger folk may not care about this AT ALL - these actors are no longer in the mainstream, but just to see John Goodman thrown in there without expecting him was an eye opener.
But the biggest "little" surprise is that this film was was obviously the "casting reel" for James Gandolfini to play the lead in the Sopranos which would begin the next year.
He's played different characters, but Gandolfini was definitely "playing" the Tony Soprano character here, accent and all. Early in the film there's a scene in a bar where he displays all of what became of Tony Soprano. He goes from threatening to affable, all within 2 lines of dialogue. A great actor who is missed. There's a scene in the police station where you can notice the difference in accents between Gandolfini and John Goodman.
Also is Aida Turturro, who went on to play Tony Soprano's sister, Janice. It's almost as if David "Sopranos" Chase saw this and said, "That's the feeling I want".
BUT, I'm familiar enough with film editing to bring myself to take away one star because what I thought were poor / lazy choices.
Given the fantastic nature of the story, when they could have / should have been creative, things start to look very familiar from other films and it seems that editing decisions were made due to time constraints.